Millennium Magazine_7th Ed

71 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine G rowing up in Peru and Ecuador, Dr. Jose Zebedeo Garcia spoke Spanish fluently and developed a deep understanding of the countries’ political systems. Upon choosing his career path, he decided to focus his attention on Latin American political studies, particularly within the realm of civil conflict. Attending Occidental College, he earned a BA in 1966. From there, he received an MA from Tufts University in 1968 and a PhD from the University of New Mexico in 1974. Commencing his career in 1972, Dr. Garcia served as an assistant professor at California State University, Chico, a position he held for three years. He subsequently joined NewMexico State University in Las Cruces in 1975, escalating from the ranks of assistant professor to associate professor prior to his retirement from the university in 2010. For the following four years, he served as secretary of higher education for the State of New Mexico, where he ran the New Mexico 529 Plan, a college savings plan in which parents receive tax breaks by saving for college education. During his career, Dr. Garcia was a distinguished visiting professor at the U.S. Army School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia, from 1989 to 1991 and has been a speaker for the U.S. State Department in various Latin American countries since 1984. Furthermore, he has been a consultant for political campaigns since 1979 and is a past party chairman of the Dona Ana County Democratic Party. Since 1991, he has remained the director of the Center for Latin American Studies at New Mexico State University. Dr. Garcia has maintained affiliation with the Latin American Studies Association, the American Political Science Association and the Rocky Mountain Latin American Studies Council. An Ecuadorian Fulbright fellow between 1966 and 1967, he earned the Teacher of the Year Award from the U.S. Army School of the Americas. As a testament to his achievements, Dr. Garcia was selected for inclusion in the 23rd and 24th editions of Who’s Who in the West in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Looking toward the future, he intends to further his research. JOSE ZEBEDEO GARCIA, PHD POLITICAL SCIENCE EDUCATOR (RETIRED) New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM EDUCATION