Download the complete University General Counsel Organizational Chart

Please direct all new requests for legal assistance to gencounsel@nmsu.edu.

GENERAL COUNSEL

Lisa Henderson
lisalh@nmsu.edu

J.D. University of Oklahoma College of Law, Norman

Lisa Henderson serves as NMSU’s general counsel and chief legal officer. She is an experienced public attorney, previously serving as general counsel for the Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office, deputy general counsel for the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services, and associate general counsel at Oklahoma City Community College. She additionally worked in a private law firm for seven years in employment law and insurance defense.

While with the Land Office, Henderson was involved in real estate and investment projects to align the business interests of both the public and private sectors to maximize resources and increase earnings for the benefit of the educational trust fund.  Henderson also holds a  Master of Laws in healthcare from the University of Oklahoma and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. 

ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL

Scott Field
psfield@nmsu.edu

J.D. 2008, Arizona State University.

Scott Field joined the NMSU University General Counsel office in 2016 after seven years as a commercial litigator.  Field’s primary areas of focus include NMSU’s Real Estate Office and Aggie Development, Inc., the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, NMSU’s Athletics, Arrowhead Center, Inc., contract negotiation, litigation support, data privacy, and sponsored research. Field also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a Bachelor’s of Science from Texas A&M University.

ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL

Jeffrey N. Jensen
jnj@nmsu.edu

J.D. 1994, University of Wisconsin

Jeff Jensen joined the NMSU University General Counsel’s office in 2022.  Jeff brings more than 25 years of higher education legal and compliance experience to New Mexico, having worked previously for public universities in three different states.  Jeff’s focus during his first year with the UGC has been employment law, academic personnel, litigation support, and student affairs matters.  In addition to his law degree, Jeff holds a master’s degree in Educational Administration and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL

Heather C. Chavez
hcchavez@nmsu.edu

J.D. 2001, University of Oklahoma College of Law

Heather Chavez joined the NMSU University General Counsel Office in 2024. Chavez brings twenty years of litigation experience, having worked as a prosecutor with the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office where she focused primarily on violent crimes, including sexual assault and crimes against children. She served as Chief Deputy District Attorney in her final three years. Her primary duties with UGC include handling IPRA requests, affiliation agreements, and procurement contracts. Chavez is a member of the New Mexico Disciplinary Board, having been appointed by the New Mexico Supreme Court in January 2024. In addition to her law degree, Chavez holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from New Mexico State University.

UNIVERSITY POLICY ADMINISTRATOR

Ermelinda Quintela
equintel@nmsu.edu

Ermelinda, a licensed CPA, currently serves as university policy administrator.  She leads and supports policy efforts and work of the Policy Steering Committee for NMSU where she earned a master of accountancy, BA, BBA and associate degrees.  Over 20 years with NMSU, she has served in various capacities, including chief audit executive; auxiliary services assistant VP; alumni executive director; PSL financial and business operations; Athletics chief financial officer; NMSU Foundation controller; and grant and contract accountant.  Over the last 34 years, Quintela has gained a broad range of knowledge through her experiences in addition to public service has held positions in industry as banking senior vice president, controller, business operations and trust officer, auditor for Arthur Anderson, and internal auditor for El Paso Electric.  Ermelinda has volunteered with numerous community outreach programs and professional associations in Las Cruces and El Paso and currently serves as board member for the Association of College and University Policy Administrators (ACUPA).

LEGAL AND EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Estela Heredia
eheredia@nmsu.edu

B.B.A. New Mexico State University.

In 2015 Estela Heredia joined the University General Counsel’s office as the Legal and Executive Assistant. In addition to managing all aspects of the UGC office and the electronic file system, Heredia works with garnishments and litigation support.  Heredia previously worked in various offices across the NMSU campus including Procurement Services, the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center, University Registrar and University Accounts Receivable.  Heredia also has previous legal experience working for several private practice attorneys in Las Cruces.