Renee AlvidrezALBUQUERQUE - Current collegiate students now have a unique opportunity to learn about business and industry's role in the forming of public policy, especially health care, thanks in part to a fellowship program funded by a major New Mexico health insurer, and the program recently announced its first fellow.
The New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry (ACI) selected Renee Alvidrez as the first participant of the its new fellowship program, funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico.
The five-month Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico Policy Fellowship at ACI is a "leadership program designed for college students...unmatched in its engagement with business leaders, interaction with elected officials, and opportunities to undertake in important policy research and projects that benefit the state of New Mexico and its economic wellbeing," a program description reads.
"The work of an association, especially one that works with all businesses of every industry, of every size and of every location in New Mexico, is prime training ground for any person who has an interest in public policy, in business and in improving our state," ACI President and CEO Jason Espinoza said. "We also want to do our part in helping shape a person's soft skills as they enter the full-time career world."
Alvidrez is an Albuquerque native. Before beginning her business degree at the University of New Mexico's Anderson School of Management, with a concentration in marketing, she completed an associate's degree at Central New Mexico Community College. She plans to graduate with her bachelor's in the spring of 2017. Renee and her husband, Homero, are expecting their first child this December.
"I've always wanted to be a part of an organization that made a difference," Alvidrez said. "My hopes are to gain as much insight and interaction with ACI's members as possible to better understand their needs. In doing so, I plan to assist in determining what can be done to help them in moving forward."
Espinoza said as the program's first fellow, Alvidrez will directly engage in ACI's member-driven policy development process by attending and participating in a variety of policy committee meetings. ACI's website lists a dozen committees, ranging from Agriculture and Food Processing to Workplace Issues and Legal Reform.
"Renee will get to see first-hand how the state's diverse business leaders discuss the challenges facing their particular industries, as well as the collective business community," Espinoza said, "and the solutions they propose to make doing business in New Mexico better."
Janice Torrez, second vice chair of ACI's board of directors and a divisional vice president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, said that the insurer saw a great opportunity in the fellowship to help hone a student's leadership experience and policy knowledge in the healthcare industry by partnering with ACI.
"We're delighted to sponsor and partner with this fellowship program because preparing students for their careers will help New Mexico keep our best as they graduate," Torrez said, "and we can have a hand in shaping the future leaders of our industry."