Honorary Degree: Roberta Cooper Ramo

Honorary Doctor of Law

Ms. Ramo has a long and meaningful relationship with UNM. She served on the Board of Regents from 1989 to 1995 and was President of the board from 1991 to 1993, providing visionary leadership during a pivotal period for the institution. Her commitment to the University’s mission and her dedication to advancing higher education in New Mexico have an enduring legacy.

Ms. Ramo has demonstrated a deep commitment to improving healthcare policy and governance in New Mexico. Her legal expertise has benefited healthcare and senior care facilities, and her work in nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations has supported the state’s most vulnerable populations. As Board Chair of Think New Mexico, a non-partisan think tank, she has championed innovative policy solution that have improved the quality of life for all New Mexicans.

Her leadership roles in organizations such as Albuquerque Economic Development and the New Mexico Board of Finance further underscore her dedication to the state’s economic and social well-being.

Ms. Ramo’s achievements have been recognized at the highest levels. She was the first woman to serve as President of both the American Bar Association and the American Law Institute, and she currently serves as Chair of the latter. In 2015, she received the American Bar Association’s highest honor, the ABA Medal. She is a fellow of the American college of Trust and Estate Counsel and the American Bar Foundation and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America© in Arbitration and Mediation, including being named “Lawyer of the Year’ in Albuquerque for both arbitration and mediation.

Her election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and her honorary memberships in the Bar of England and Wales and Gray’s Inn further attest to her national and international stature.