The upcoming election for the board of Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) on November 4, 2024, will see two seats contested by four candidates, including one incumbent. While Jody Pugh, the current board chair, is seeking reelection, fellow board member Piér Quintana will not be pursuing another term. Notably, one candidate, Alan P. Jones, has announced plans to withdraw from the race, despite remaining on the ballot.
The election will mark the first time SFCC employs ranked choice voting, a system designed to ensure that the winning candidates secure a majority of votes. If no candidate achieves this in the initial round, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated, and their supporters’ second choices will be allocated to the remaining candidates.
Pugh, 69, reflects on her role, likening the board’s relationship with the college to that of the U.S. Department of Energy with her employer, the Los Alamos National Laboratory. “We wouldn’t say, ‘Go fix the HVAC.’ We would ensure that the college had a maintenance plan and that they were following it,” she explained. Under her leadership, the governing board has accomplished various initiatives, such as increasing salaries beyond the recent legislative mandated raises and introducing parental leave, making SFCC one of only two institutions in the state to offer this benefit.
While Pugh emphasizes her experience, she acknowledges the significant contributions of Quintana, the outgoing vice chair, who has decided not to seek reelection due to the challenges of balancing the demands of the board with her full-time job and family responsibilities. “It’s been a lot of work. Hard work,” Quintana noted in a recent interview.
Quintana, 40, expressed concerns that the extensive time commitment might deter potential candidates, particularly younger individuals juggling multiple responsibilities. Despite stepping back from the board, she remains passionate about higher education and may seek roles on other local boards.
The other candidates vying for the board seats include Stephen DiGiulio, a former professor at SFCC and president of the faculty union, and Howard Roy Dittmer, who has a background in educational leadership but is new to the college. Dittmer, a 72-year-old engineer originally from the Bronx, moved to New Mexico three years ago and has previously served on the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board at Virginia Tech. He aims to address workforce preparedness issues, reflecting on his experiences in the job market where domestic skills often fall short.
“I am concerned about the future of education in our country,” Dittmer stated. His focus, he noted, will be on equipping young people with the technical skills necessary for success in a rapidly evolving workplace.
The election promises to be competitive, especially for Pugh as she navigates the new voting system. With diverse backgrounds and perspectives among the candidates, voters will have the opportunity to shape the future direction of SFCC’s board for the next six years.
