About Us
Our “Grow from Within” strategy focuses on creating industry-relevant skills programs, supporting entrepreneurs, helping existing firms expand and innovate and strengthening local assets that improve the economic prospects of local workers and industries. This is an approach that prioritizes the skills, infrastructure, capital and innovation needs of existing industries and emphasizes creating value and income in the economy through increased productivity and trade, especially from our advanced industries.
We seek to bring these resources into an innovation district to reduce transaction latency and increase the frequency of interaction among like-minded individuals.
At InnovateABQ® a special emphasis is placed on creating access points which are culturally comfortable to Burquenos (someone from Albuquerque). The physical embodiment of these access points may be one of our unique doorways, but also include portal programs which may be located within in Albuquerque’s rich and diverse communities. The goal is to allow anyone seeking to improve their income or living standard to become part of our Innovation Community and access new ideas, skills, capital and mentorship within an infrastructure that increases their chances of success.
InnovateABQ® does not seek to displace the many well-established programs innovation and entrepreneurship support programs that already exist in Albuquerque but rather to help align their services in an intentional way to reduce duplication, increase efficiency, improve the likelihood of outside investment in our community and provide access for all to Albuquerque’s Innovation Economy.
Advisory Board
Michael Buehler
Executive Vice President of Finance and Lending
Nusenda Credit Union
Joe Christian
President/CEO
Nusenda Credit Union
Teresa Costantinidis
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration
University of New Mexico
Carrie Freeman
Managing Partner
Second Muse
Marcos Gonzales
Economic Development Assistant Director
Bernalillo County
Riis Gonzales
President & CEO
Sandia Foundation
Linda Griego
Founder
MLK Health and Wellness Community Development Corporation
Max Gruner
Economic Development Director
City of Albuquerque
Tracy Hartzler
President
Central New Mexico Community College
James Holloway
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
The University of New Mexico
Carlos Perea
Entrepreneur, CEO & Co-Founder
Terra Vera
Garnett Stokes
President
University of New Mexico
Charles Wellborn
Former President
UNM Rainforest Innovations
Douglas Ziedonis
Executive VP, UNM Health Sciences and CEO, UNM Health System
University of New Mexico