Dodd joins speakers who will honor Domenici at NMSU

U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, a former presidential candidate, will join a prominent and bipartisan group of politicians who will travel to Las Cruces in August to speak at a New Mexico State University conference honoring retiring Sen. Pete Domenici.

Dodd will join former Secretary of State James Baker, U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, former U.S. Rep. Manuel Lujan Jr. and Gov. Bill Richardson at the inaugural Domenici Public Policy Conference to be held Aug. 20-22 at NMSU, according to a Friday news release from the university. The other speakers had been previously announced.

Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, and Domenici, a Republican, have worked together on mental health issues in the Senate.

Other local and national leaders will speak during the event, which will close with a free picnic and free concert performed by Randy Travis.

The conference is part of The Pete V. Domenici Legacy, a statewide effort led by NMSU to honor the senator’s historic tenure. Domenici will retire this year as the longest-serving senator in New Mexico history. In addition to the conference, the project includes the housing of some of Domenici’s papers at NMSU, planning and construction of a building on campus to honor the senator, the formation of the Domenici Institute at NMSU and publication of a book chronicling his service.

Conference sessions will focus on topics on which Domenici has concentrated during his career, including energy, mental health and budgetary and fiscal matters.

“This is a very exciting event,” Garrey Carruthers, NMSU vice president for economic development and chair of The Pete V. Domenici Legacy, said in a news release. “I’m not sure we have ever seen such a large and distinguished group of leaders gather at NMSU all at the same time.”

There is no charge for those who register to attend the conference before Aug. 1. You can register by clicking here and view the full agenda for the conference by clicking here.

Registration is required for many conference events. The opening ceremony Thursday morning, Dodd’s speech Thursday evening and the picnic and concert on Friday are free and open to the public.

Other confirmed conference speakers include Paul Robinson, former ambassador and president emeritus of Sandia National Laboratories; Michael J. Fitzpatrick, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness; William Hoagland, a former member of Domenici’s staff; and Siegfried Hecker, co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation.

While the conference will take place at NMSU, Carruthers said it is a statewide effort with support and participation from universities around New Mexico. Students from NMSU, Doña Ana Community College, New Mexico Tech, the University of New Mexico, Eastern New Mexico University and Western New Mexico University will have a chance to review academic papers written by presenters and ask questions about their research.