Harold Bailey, Director of American American Affairs

Raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico and attended the University of New Mexico (UNM) on an athletic scholarship. Completed academic requirements for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education (1969); received a UNM fellowship for teachers to complete a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education (1971); received a Doctorate of Philosophy in American Studies from UNM with an emphasis on Education Administration (1975).

Presently Executive Director of the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs; appointed by Governor Bill Richardson. A former UNM faculty and administrator; past Director of UNM’s Afro- American Studies Program; former Chairman of UNM’s Equal Employment Opportunity Committee; past member of the New Mexico Advisory Committee to The United States Commission on Civil Rights, served as State Education Chairman; State Chairman of the 1 st Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission; appointed by former New Mexico Governor Toney Anaya; past State Chairman of the New Mexico Black Studies Consortium; former National Board Member, National Council of Black Studies; a certified Diversity Trainer; former President of the Albuquerque NAACP; and a past Special Education Teacher for the Albuquerque Public Schools System.

During his administration as Executive Director of the New Mexico Office of African American Affairs, several publications have been developed. A guide book for African American Students in grades 9-12 was published in 2006 called; Accelerating African American Student Achievement in New Mexico Public Schools. The primary purpose of this initiative is to provide a tool for students so they will be proficient when they graduate and able to enter institutions of higher learning. Since African Americans suffer from health disparities, a booklet was developed to inform New Mexicans about health conditions that adversely affect African Americans. The booklet is called African American Health in New Mexico: Social and Economic Factors (2006). The latest publication of the Office of African American Affairs is “Messages to Our Brothers and Sisters (On the Other Side of The Wall)”(2007). This book is a collection of inmate essays. It is an attempt to discourage youth from making poor choices and choosing a life of crime.

Dr. Bailey firmly believes that it will take a collective strategy, developed in partnership with minority groups, to effectively address disparities and inequalities that plague our society.