Western New Mexico University (WNMU) announces the retirement of Assistant Vice President of Facilities and Operations, Kevin Matthes. An alumnus and longtime champion of the university, Matthes leaves behind a campus transformed by his commitment to infrastructure, aesthetics, and an employee-centric leadership philosophy.

Matthes’s connection to WNMU and Silver City is deeply personal. After his father retired and moved the family from Hawaii to Silver City, Matthes found a home in the high desert. He earned both his Bachelor of Business Administration and his MBA from WNMU. His professional journey at the university began in 1992 as a recruiter for applied technology. Before spending the bulk of his early career—34 years—working in the local mining industry.

In May 2018, Matthes returned to his alma mater to lead the Facilities and Operations department, bringing decades of industrial experience and a passion for WNMU and the Mustang community.

Under Matthes’ oversight, the WNMU campus underwent a visible renaissance. Managing a team of 40 to 50 members across custodial, grounds, maintenance, and special projects, Matthes is the architect of both grand renovations and essential behind-the-scenes modernizations.

The time Matthes spent at WNMU is marked by high-profile successes, including the renovation of College Avenue and the creation of the Mustang Fountain in Regents Square. Matthes was also instrumental in developing the WNMU John Arthur and Janette Smith Educational Center to expand healthcare programs in Deming, providing vital resources for first-generation students in nursing and healthcare.

On the athletics front, Matthes helped bring night games to WNMU by installing field lights and upgrading the softball complex to a standard that drew praise from visiting teams across the conference. Currently, his team is navigating the complex legislative and engineering phases of the Graham Gym renovation (which is part of the National Register of Historic Places and dates to the mid-1930s), with sights set on the Fine Arts Center Theatre auditorium next.

Despite the scale of these projects, Matthes’ leadership was defined by his empathy for the “invisible” work that keeps a university standing. “No one is going to thank you because their toilet flushes, but they will call you if there’s a problem,” Matthes said. “My team understands this and is diligent in servicing the campus.”

Matthes often led from the front, notably during a “fire-watch” several years ago when safety monitoring systems for fire alarms and other critical emergencies failed. He worked 16-hour shifts alongside his crew to ensure campus safety, eventually using the challenge as a catalyst to digitize the university’s monitoring systems with built-in redundancies.

His successor will inherit a more efficient campus, thanks to the push for standardization—such as streamlining six different keying systems, the implementation of modern maintenance management software, and using underground “wand” technology to map century-old infrastructure.

After retiring and a vacation that involves a Caribbean cruise and visiting a sister in Florida, Matthes plans to tackle his long “to-do” list at home.

His advice to the next AVP is simple: “Get out on campus; meet people and generally get to know your team really well. Most importantly, trust your people to do the job you hired them to do.”