Governor appoints business leader Rob Black as next NM economic development secretary

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday appointed a New Mexico business group leader to the helm of a key state agency, tabbing Rob Black as the next secretary of the Economic Development Department.

Black, the president and chief executive officer of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, will be paid $220,000 per year in his new job and will officially begin work on Sept. 16. His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

He will take over the agency’s reins from Mark Roper, who has led the Economic Development Department on an interim basis since January.

The department’s previous secretary, Alicia Keyes, stepped down last summer to pursue opportunities in the private sector after holding the job since 2019.

In announcing Black’s appointment, Lujan Grisham said his leadership and vision have been instrumental in bolstering economic development around New Mexico.

Along with his work at the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Black has also created and led the New Mexico Organized Retail Crime Association and supported the push for a 2023 bill making it easier to prosecute high-level retail theft.

“His deep understanding of our state’s economic landscape and his proven track record of collaboration make him the ideal choice to lead our Economic Development Department,” the governor said in a statement. “Under his leadership, we will continue to strengthen New Mexico’s economy and create even more opportunities for residents of our state.”

However, Black’s business group has opposed some high-profile bills pushed by Democratic lawmakers in recent years.

That includes opposing a paid family and medical leave bill — backed by the governor — that narrowly failed on the House floor this year, and testifying against a 2023 measure to increase New Mexico’s $12 per hour minimum wage.

“Our preference would be that it’s the market that drives those decisions and not government mandates,” Black said at the time, adding many businesses around the state were already paying employees above minimum wage levels due to a worker shortage.

But he said in a Thursday interview he did not think the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce’s past stances on legislation would make it harder for him to win Senate confirmation.

“I think my role at the chamber of commerce is to represent the business community, and I tried to do that as professionally and ethically as possible,” said Black, who added he would have a “broader portfolio of stakeholders” in his new Cabinet-level position.

Making NM an advanced energy 'hub'

As Cabinet secretary, Black said he plans to develop a site-readiness strategy targeted at identifying New Mexico locations for out-of-state businesses seeking to expand or relocate.

He said New Mexico currently lags behind neighboring states of Texas and Arizona at maintaining such sites with ready access to broadband, sewer, water and electricity.

But Black said New Mexico has the potential to become a national “hub” when it comes to advanced energy development, citing solar cell manufacturing and the rollout of artificial intelligence as among possible areas for investment.

Since last August, the state has worked with stakeholders to get commitments from two solar cell manufacturers — Maxeon Solar Technologies and Ebon Solar — for large-scale facilities in Albuquerque’s Mesa del Sol. The expansions, which are yet to be constructed but will receive millions in LEDA funding, are expected to generate thousands of jobs for New Mexicans.

“The governor’s got just under two-and-a-half years left in her administration, and I think we both share a sense of urgency about really wanting to make sure we can get stuff done for the next generation of New Mexicans today,” Black told the Journal.

Currently, the state Economic Development Department runs several programs aimed at luring new businesses to New Mexico and helping existing businesses expand.

It also oversees the New Mexico Film Office and the state’s Outdoor Recreation Division, which was created in 2019.

During her tenure, Keyes pushed successfully for legislation expanding the state’s film incentive program and was instrumental in finding a permanent home for the New Mexico Media Academy.

However, the cost of the state’s film incentives — and their effectiveness in generating jobs — have prompted studies and generated fierce political debate over the past decades.

Black worked in the late 1990s for the Screen Actors Guild and called the film industry one of the most “highly organized” industries in the state.

He said he plans to review New Mexico’s film industry upon starting his new job to make sure its economic impact is felt statewide and that state residents have ample opportunity to be hired for film industry jobs.

NM chamber set to look for new leader

A spokeswoman for the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce said Thursday the group was “saddened” by Black’s looming departure but excited about his appointment.

A successor to Black has not been named, the chamber added.

Before taking the job as the chamber’s leader in 2018, Black worked for years in California.

Among other jobs, he worked as executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association in San Francisco and was the senior director of community relations at Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for just over four years.