Gina Urias-Sandoval, chief of staff for The University of New Mexico Health Sciences, has been named one of 24 Women of Influence by Albuquerque Business First.
The honorees, selected from a list of more than 100 nominees, will be recognized at an awards ceremony on Feb. 28 at Sandia Resort & Casino.
“I am honored to be recognized alongside such amazing women of influence,” she said. “I am also humbled and thankful in remembering how many women of influence I have worked with throughout the years that have made my professional path possible.”
Urias-Sandoval was appointed to her position in 2021 by Douglas Ziedonis, MD, MPH, executive vice president for Health Sciences and CEO of the UNM Health System.
“Gina is an awesome leader,” Ziedonis said. “I’m so grateful for our working together. I appreciate who she is as a person and all that she does for the Health Sciences Center.”
Urias-Sandoval started her career at the Health Sciences Center in 1999 and through the years worked in the UNM College of Nursing as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Center for Health Policy, and as a research program specialist in Family & Community Medicine. She later went on to work at the Center for Health Policy at main campus.
Most recently, she served as the executive director of the Executive and Professional Education Center and Corporate and Community Engagement at the UNM Anderson School of Management. Urias-Sandoval sits on campus-wide committees and is a longtime member of the UNM Staff Council.
She also sits on various community boards, including the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation Board, Workforce Connections of Central New Mexico and the Ronald McDonald House. She is a member of MANA de Albuquerque and has dedicated her career to mentoring youths towards college success.
Gina was born in Texas but moved to Albuquerque when was in junior high and considers herself a New Mexican. She received her bachelor’s degree and an MBA from UNM.