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Colin Cahoon

Colin Cahoon, '83, ChE

Alum Colin P. Cahoon has realized many successes, but still gives back to one of the places where it all began – NMSU’s Chemical Engineering Department where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1983.  The Colin and Susan Cahoon Chemical Engineering Endowment was established in 2005 to support the department.

Alongside monetary support, Cahoon has made several Verge Fund Entrepreneurship Lectures where he encourages students to look beyond traditional engineering fields upon graduation.

Cahoon helped David Rockstraw, Chemical and Materials Engineering Department head, develop a pre-law academic track for engineering students and helped launch the program through financial support this fall.

Cahoon’s utilizes a unique blend of expertise: law, chemical engineering and military service. One of the founding partners of Dallas-based Carstens & Cahoon, LLP, he practices as a patent lawyer in the chemical arts with a focus on international patent portfolio management, as well as intellectual property licensing, due diligence, opinions, and expert witness testimony. He is an inventor himself with four US patents. 

A graduate of NMSU’s Army ROTC program, Cahoon served as a helicopter pilot and was a captain in the U.S. Army, receiving the Meritorious Service Medal. Following that, he graduated cum laude from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1991.  He was recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer® in 2012-15.