Carol Cochran’s path of leadership defined by reinvention and growth

Carol Cochran's career has been guided by the simple principal that life is about continuously improving and learning new things. This mindset guided her through more than 40 years as an accountant and, more recently, inspired her to embark on a new chapter as an attorney.

When Cochran started at the Anderson School of Management, now The James & Gail Ellis School of Business Leadership, she did not foresee accounting as a career for herself. She grew up with her mom being a CPA during a time when women were just starting to enter the field.

"I actually grew up doing bookkeeping and helping her from a pretty early age. Enough so that when I went to UNM, the last thing I wanted to major in was accounting," said Cochran. "Then I went to Anderson and I actually found that I was good at accounting and I liked accounting. It all fell into place after that."

This discovery led Cochran to receiving her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting in 1984 and immediately began working as a senior accountant for Ernst and Young.

From there she moved to Hondo Oil and Gas Company, originally founded by Robert O. Anderson, as the corporate tax manager and assistant treasurer. Eventually, Cochran made her way to REDW, LLC, where she worked for 33 years and left in 2023 as a Principal responsible for growing and developing three different areas of REDW, including Human Resource consulting, business software, and retirement plan administration.

During her time at REDW, Cochran returned to UNM to earn her Executive MBA and further develop her leadership skills. During the program she strengthened her strategic thinking and decision-making abilities. Additionally, she found a deeper connection to the philosophy of servant leadership, which became a guiding principle throughout her career.

"Your purpose as a leader is to create opportunities for the people you work with to excel and succeed, while also helping your clients achieve success. Leadership is not internally focused, it's external."

Cochran set out on her new path in 2022 when she decided to pursue a law degree and accomplish a longstanding dream. She now works at Wiggins, Williams & Wesenberg, P.C. focusing on employment laws, Native American law, and Civil defense. Carol has had to learn to adapt to the world of law but has found her comprehensive understanding of finances beneficial in her new career.

"Everything is changing so fast, that really learning how to change at the same time, how to reinvent yourself, how to continuously improve your skills, and broaden your areas of interest are a good thing."

Carol remains an active member of the UNM community as an adjunct professor in the EMBA program, where she teaches financial reporting systems, and as a current member of the UNM Foundation Board of Trustees.

A dedicated advocate for student and faculty success, she supports the UNM Presidential Scholarship Program and, in 2023, established the Cochran Accounting Fund to advance faculty research within the accounting department.

In recognition of her professional achievements and service to the community, Cochran was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2010.

Most recently, Cochran was awarded the New Mexico Society of CPA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.