Profile

Ray Sykes holds an MBA as well as an MA in education. He brings to the School of Journalism and Communication a wealth of experience from higher education and the private sector.

Previously, Ray served on the senior team for the vice president of Human Resources at the University of New Mexico (UNM).  In this role, he oversaw HR’s communication unit and coordinated special projects such as policy development, emergency preparedness, the HR Agents, and HR’s Performance Excellence Journey. He also worked for UNM Information Technologies, where he received his ITIL certification. Prior to working at UNM, Ray was an implementation project manager at US Bank’s Corporate Headquarters, managing multimillion-dollar card program implementations. His experience with strategic planning, project management, process improvements, and professional development are key assets in his role.

As the associate dean for administration and finance, Ray serves as the school’s principal business officer, managing administrative, financial, facility, and human resource functions for the school. This role is charged with authority to accomplish broad goals and objectives set by the SOJC dean and/or central administration.