Nuñez Announces Staff Promotions
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Vice President/Director of Athletics Eddie Nuñez has announced five promotions within the athletic department, effective immediately.
David Williams has been promoted from Deputy Athletic Director for External Relations to Assistant Vice President/Deputy Athletic Director; Ryan Berryman has been promoted from Associate Athletic Director for Finance to Sr. Associate Athletic Director/Chief Operating Officer; Chris Baca has been promoted from Associate Athletic Director for Student Support to Sr. Associate Athletic Director for Academics; Bob Waller has been promoted from Assistant Athletic Director for Health and Performance to Associate Athletic Director for Health and Performance; and Amy Beggin has been promoted from Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance to Associate Athletic Director for Compliance.
“Dave, Ryan, Chris, Bob and Amy have been an integral part of our success and trusted members of our department,” said Nunez “We are grateful to have such passionate ambassadors for our student-athletes and for Lobo Athletics. They have led the charge of our vision and our mission of Excellence in classroom, Excellence in athletics and Excellence in the community.”
Williams joined UNM in January of 2019 and has served as the Deputy A.D. for external relations since that time. He has over 30 years in college athletics including 13 years as an athletic director. At UNM, Williams has served as the primary sport administrator for football, men’s basketball, baseball, and softball, including having a hand in the hiring of coaches in all four of those sports. With the promotion, Williams will continue to oversee all external functions and assist with the day-to-day oversight of the athletic department. Williams came to UNM from South Dakota where he was the Senior Associate Athletic Director.
“Dave has been a valuable member of our leadership team. His experiences and guidance have led to the restructuring of our external units and the advancement of our department,” said Nuñez.
Berryman has a long history with UNM, dating back to his time as a student manager with the Lobo Basketball team. Berryman has also served as a UNM Student Regent and was named the Director of Operations for the basketball team. With the promotion to Chief Operating Officer, he will continue to help oversee the management of our department’s budget and will assist Nuñez in the day-to-day operations of the department. A member of the department’s leadership team, Ryan currently has sports supervision responsibilities of the Swimming and Diving and Spirit programs and will take on the additional sports supervision duties with the baseball program. A graduate of the Anderson School of Business, Berryman moved out of coaching and into administration in May of 2019 when he was named the Associate Athletic Director for Business. Berryman oversees financials for the department and has been a key reason for UNM’s fiscal successes over the past few years.
“Ryan has been a stabilizing force that has helped shape our fiscal plan over the past few years,” said Nuñez. “He brings a unique perspective as a former Regent and as a graduate of UNM, and he has helped us navigate through the COVID pandemic.”
Baca is one of the longest tenured department employees, joining the Lobo Center for Student-Athlete Success in 2008. She most recently had been serving as Associate Athletic Director for Student Development. She previously oversaw PACKS (Program for Content, Knowledge and Success) and she was the department’s first learning strategist. While Baca has worked in academics, UNM has traditionally led the Mountain West is CoSIDA/CSC All-Americans, Mountain West All-Academic selections and Mountain West Scholar-Athletes.
“Chris Baca was elevated to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student Development because of her commitment to the student-athlete experience but most all her for the passion she has to improving Lobo Academics.” Nunez said, “The academic performance of our student-athletes has been superb since her appointment to oversee the Academic unit.”
Bob Waller is in his second stint with the Lobos, rejoining the program in 2013 as Head Athletic Trainer after serving as the Associate Athletic Trainer from 2003-09. Last year Waller moved into an administrative position, overseeing all UNM athletic medical staff and the athletic performance staff. Waller was critical in UNM’s successful completion of the 2020-21 athletic year, navigating the football team’s move to Las Vegas and working with the State of New Mexico on COVID protocols and testing procedures.
“Bob took the lead for us during the COVID crisis, and his management of his staff, and his ability to work with our programs through testing and COVID procedures established benchmarks for other institutions to follow,” said Nuñez. “He has continued to lead UNM through COVID, and he has now oversees all of our medical and athletic performance staffs and regimens.”
Beggin also has a long history with UNM, dating back to her time as a player on the women’s basketball team. The promotion to Associate A.D. for compliance makes her the department’s top compliance officer. In addition to overseeing the Lobo Athletics compliance staff and continuing to oversee the LIFE program for the department, Beggin is also a member department’s executive team. Beggin will also add sport supervision of the track and field and cross country as well as women’s golf program to her responsibilities. A graduate of UNM in 2010 (she played from 2006-10), Beggin was a 1,000-point scorer and a two-time team MVP. She also was named Mountain West All-Academic and Mountain West Scholar-Athlete three times. She was a coach with the program for five years before moving into compliance in 2016. She has served as both the Director of Compliance and the Assistant A.D. for Compliance, overseeing student eligibility as well as UNM’s L.I.F.E program.
“Amy has been one of the most driven and committed member of our team. We are extremely fortunate to have someone like Amy, who brings a unique perspective as a former student-athlete and as a collegiate coach and now as a mentor to all our student athletes,” said Nuñez.