“I am very happy and proud to see many Aggies in leadership positions in the business of National Security. This is a testament to the quality of the education that one gets from NMSU. No matter how hard things get while you are working on your degree, don’t ever, ever give up. The people at NMSU are there to educate and help you.” ~ Manny Mora.

Manuel Mora, an electrical engineering alum and successful engineering leader in intelligence technology is one of the most steadfast supporters of the NMSU College of Engineering. Mora recently received one of the highest honors that NMSU bestows and one of the highest honors the College of Engineering awards. He was named 2020 Distinguished Alumni and Ingeniero Eminente for the fall 2020 College of Engineering Sociedad de Ingenieros.

Manuel Mora, ‘83

By: NMSU Alumni Association

Manny was inspired to become an engineer after viewing the Space Shuttle taking off, flying into space, and landing back on earth in the early 1980’s.

He earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from NMSU. Part of a Navy CoOp program, he spent half his time in Newport, Rhode Island working in a Navy research lab and the other half in Las Cruces studying.

Manny is currently on the College of Engineering Dean’s Council and the Physical Sciences Laboratory CREW (Classified Ready Employable Workforce) Program Council. He was previously Chair for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Academy at NMSU and still serves as a member. He travels to Las Cruces at least twice a year from the DC area to provide guidance, advice and mentorship to engineering students.

After graduation, Manny went on to work for Motorola as the company’s first Hispanic engineering section manager, overseeing the Joint Surveillance and Target Acquisition Radar System program. He later received Motorola’s Engineering Award, presented to less than 2% of their engineers and scientists. In recognition of his impact on the industry, Manny has also earned the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award for Technical Contribution.

Manny is currently working as the Vice President and General Manager of the Space and Intelligence Systems for General Dynamics Mission Systems in the National Capital Region where he leads the business responsible for delivering advanced technical solutions in support of the gathering, dissemination and exploitation of intelligence for the US and its allies. The customers he serves include the US Space Force, Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, and NASA.

An extraordinary philanthropist to NMSU, Manny has provided transformational support to the Dean’s critical needs for the College of Engineering. Manny and his wife of 36 years, Alexandra, are passionate about encouraging and helping today’s youth achieve a college education, especially in the STEM fields. His parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1959, and they were true advocates of the value of hard work and education.