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Sunday, July 27, 2008

Educator recognized with lifetime honor

By Liz Otero
Of the Journal
          Albuquerque native Dr. Marlene B. Salas-Provance, associate professor of communication science and disorders and department chairwoman at the University of Montevallo, Montevallo, Ala., was recently named as a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
        She was honored in recognition of professional achievement and outstanding contributions to the professions. The award is one of the highest bestowed by the association and is retained for life.
        "I'm pretty excited about being named as a fellow," Salas-Provance said. "I've been in the profession since 1975, so I'm pretty proud of that fact. ... It's such a nice thing that your colleagues do for you — the nomination comes from them."
        Salas-Provance, a graduate of Rio Grande High School, is one of only 2,155 Hispanic association members to hold the certificate of clinical competence and is one of 1,273 fellows in the organization with a membership of 130,620, according to the university.
        Salas-Provance received bachelor's and master's degrees from New Mexico State University and a Master of Health Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She earned her doctorate from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
        Salas-Provance joined the UM faculty in 2007. She is president and chief executive officer of Bilingual Advantage Inc., a consulting and training company for bilingual medical interpreters.
        Salas-Provance has held various leadership roles in state and regional professional organizations. In 2006, she was named one of the 40 Top Hispanic Professional Women in New Mexico.
        SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS: Albuquerque students Andrew Gomez and Antonio Griego were awarded scholarships from Atrisco Oil & Gas LLC partnered with Tecton Energy in the amount of $2,500 during the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce's Scholarship luncheon April 16. The scholarships were created to encourage students to pursue a degree in fields of engineering, science, mathematics or medicine.
        Gomez currently works at Kirtland Air Force Base and has an inclination toward mathematics. He is pursuing an engineering degree at the University of New Mexico. He said he is proud of his Atrisco Land Grant heritage and feels that being involved with the community of Atrisco heirs has given him a stronger sense of his Hispanic culture and a better understanding of the importance of his family's history.
        Griego began his college career at Central New Mexico Community College and has since transferred to University of New Mexico. He said he would like to get a degree in biology, an interest that is fueled by his connection to "the beautiful lands of New Mexico, in particular the Middle Rio Grande Valley." Being an heir to the Atrisco Land Grant has solidified his connection to the land, something he said he appreciates.
        REUNION SET: The reunion of former Albuquerque Xerox employees will be held Oct. 3-4, at the Nativo Lodge, 6000 Pan American Freeway NE, in Albuquerque. The coordinator of the event is Dave Cuestas in Dallas. He may be contacted at (817) 416-2950 or dcuestas@verizon.net.>        <i>Items and photographs may be sent to Liz Otero, Albuquerque Journal, P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103. Photos will not be returned. Submission can be e-mailed with photo attachments to lotero@abqjournal.com. Phone, 823-3922.</i>