Orozco begins as Office of Institutional Analytics director

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs James Holloway has announced that Charla Orozco has been selected as the director of the UNM Office of Institutional Analytics.

Orozco, who has been the interim director since July, begins her new position on Jan. 13.

As interim director, she has led a variety of data-informed initiatives, translating complex information into actionable insights for varied audiences. She first joined OIA in 2021.

"Charla brings a unique background to the role that transcends data analysis," Holloway said. "She possesses a deep understanding of the University as both a staff member and as a double alumnus. As someone who cares deeply about the UNM community, we look forward to her leadership in this important area of data analytics and the potential it holds in furthering our mission."

OIA, based in the Office of Academic Affairs, is the official source for reporting and aggregated data at UNM.

Rhode Island native Orozco earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and Spanish literature from Roanoke College in 2014, as well as two degrees from UNM: a master of art in Latin American Studies in 2016 and a master of science in cybersecurity and business analytics in 2022.

She relocated to New Mexico to attend UNM, falling in love with the culture and the university, and is eager to have a more central role in advancing her alma mater.

"I look forward to serving UNM and providing whatever data assistance I can to better support student success," she said.

Orozco has spent nearly a decade in higher education, first joining the UNM staff as a study abroad advisor in the Global Education Office. From 2018 to 2021, she was an institutional researcher in the Office of Assessment and Academic Program Review.

She also has been a team leader, education director and independent evaluator at the UNM Evaluation Lab, in which she utilized her analytical skills from academia in the service of community organizations. In 2023, she won first place in the Iron Viz Competition at UNM Health Science's Tableau Days. Tableau is the data visualization software that is featured on the OIA website to provide enhanced understanding and context to the great amount of data that is housed there.

Orozco said that although her background involves a variety of interests, data analysis is her true passion.

"Analytics has been my own way of understanding the world and making it more accessible and relatable," she said.

She said that data is a necessity in informed decision-making, which is more important than ever at a publicly funded university that values both educational quality and equity. Deciding everything from which academic programs to offer to which buildings should be built to how many instructors to hire must involve data at its core.

"Without data, decision-making is just a best guess," she said.

OIA generates reports and datasets for a variety of uses, including federal compliance reporting, state reporting, and internal recordkeeping and analytics, as well as the public both inside and outside UNM. OIA generates and maintains the official student enrollment reports, as well as aggregated information on faculty, staff and UNM's four branch campuses.

While Orozco said that much of her position as OIA director involves ensuring that UNM adheres to guidelines on mandatory reporting of data both at the state and national levels, she envisions an expanded role for the organization.

One area she would like to build upon is the use of qualitative data.

"Because I have this background, I don't feel like I am stuck in one modality. I'm a true mixed-methods researcher."

She will also be interested in working with various campus partners to make sure that the data that OIA is collecting and presenting is user-friendly and meeting the needs of the data community.

Orozco sees great potential in bringing student, faculty and staff data to life, providing context that tells the stories behind the numbers and highlighting how UNM is making a difference.

"Behind every number is an actual human," she said. "UNM is a unique institution. If you're here, we really want to you succeed. I'm excited that in my role of providing data, I will have a role in helping students learn and succeed, whatever that may look like for them."

When she is not crunching numbers, Orozco keeps busy with her family, which includes her husband Adrian and two children, 4-year-old Ezra and 10-month-old Elsi.

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