The Sept. 8-9 conference will bring national leaders, policy experts and candidates to Las Cruces for discussions on democracy, AI, national security, energy and the 2026 elections

Amanda Wyatt, New Mexico State University

LAS CRUCES - Following a hiatus of eight years, New Mexico State University is bringing the Domenici Public Policy Conference back to Las Cruces, re-establishing the university as a place where national leaders, policymakers, experts and students can come together to engage in substantive conversations about the issues shaping the nation and the world.

The conference will take place Sept. 8 and 9 at the Las Cruces Convention Center, adjacent to the NMSU campus, with a lineup of nationally recognized leaders examining the future of democracy, artificial intelligence, national security, energy geopolitics and the 2026 elections.

The conference kicks off with a dinner Tuesday, Sept. 8, featuring University of Texas El Paso President Heather A. Wilson as keynote speaker. Wilson also served as Secretary of the U.S. Air Force and as a U.S. Representative from New Mexico’s First Congressional District.

Morning sessions on Wednesday, Sept. 9, offer a stacked agenda featuring some of the nation’s top thought leaders exploring the timely topics of artificial intelligence, national security, and the geopolitics of energy – followed by a lunch featuring keynote speaker U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Chase Untermeyer will start off Wednesday’s sessions with a discussion of the future of democracy, followed by perspectives on artificial intelligence from Gregory Allen, founder and CEO of Decision Tree Research, an independent research firm focused on the geopolitics of strategic technologies.

Former Arizona Senator and U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Jeff Flake will follow with his take on how Middle East conflict is shaping our national security landscape, and the final morning session will focus on the current geopolitics of energy, with insight from David R. Hill, executive vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Energy Program in Washington, D.C.

Following lunch, the afternoon sessions Wednesday will focus on talks from Democratic and Republican candidates in the gubernatorial and congressional general election races in New Mexico, concluding with a national perspective on the 2026 midterm election from pundits Paul Begala and Charlie Black.

A distinctive feature of the conference will be the involvement of NMSU system students, who will serve as questioners throughout the program. Selected students will research the speakers and their areas of expertise in advance, giving them an opportunity to engage directly with nationally recognized leaders on issues with real implications for their futures.

The return of the conference builds on a decade-long legacy at NMSU. The Domenici Institute for Public Policy was hosted by the university from 2008 to 2018, bringing prominent national figures to New Mexico for conversations on some of the country’s most consequential policy issues. The conference is named after New Mexico’s longest-serving U.S. senator, the late Pete V. Domenici. The institute was established at NMSU with the goal of continuing Domenici’s legacy of service to the state of New Mexico and the nation by providing unique learning and policy research opportunities.

During its 11 years as a key catalyst for impactful policy discourse in the region and the nation, the conference drew speakers including former presidential adviser and Chief of Staff Karl Rove, former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, retired ABC newsman Sam Donaldson, former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart, former U.S. Homeland Security Secretaries Janet Napolitano and Tom Ridge, former U.S. Secretaries of Defense Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta, political strategist James Carville, author Kristen Soltis Anderson, and a host of U.S. Senators and Representatives, including Chris Dodd, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Bill Frist and Patrick Kennedy.

NMSU President Valerio Ferme, who also serves as director of the Domenici Institute at NMSU, said bringing the conference back reflects the university’s role as a public institution committed to expanding access to ideas, expertise and dialogue.

“Universities play a pivotal role in stimulating and facilitating the kinds of discussions that shape policy, engage our citizenry, and spark curiosity and passion in our students,” Ferme said. “The Domenici Public Policy Conference has a prestigious 11-year legacy of being that catalyst for our region. Bringing it back to NMSU gives our students and our broader community an opportunity to engage directly with some of the leading voices in public policy and to be part of conversations that extend well beyond our campus.”

Ferme engaged former NMSU Chancellor and Domenici Institute Director Garrey Carruthers – also a former New Mexico governor and a friend of Sen. Domenici’s – to help identify speakers and support the conference’s relaunch. Carruthers chaired an advisory committee that included faculty, staff, and a number of NMSU retirees who were involved in past conferences.

“For many years, the Domenici Institute and the public policy conference brought to NMSU’s campus some of the top minds in their fields,” Carruthers said. “We’ve chosen to explore topics that couldn’t be more timely, and our speaker lineup features experts who can give our attendees crucial insight into their potential impact on our future.

The 2026 Domenici Public Policy Conference takes place at the Las Cruces Convention Center, 680 E. University Ave. Online registration for the conference is now open at nmsu.edu/domenici. Cost to register is $50. The event is free to university students, but registration is required. For more information, contact the NMSU President’s Office at president@nmsu.edu or 575-646-2035.

Amanda Wyatt writes for New Mexico State University Marketing and Communications and can be reached at 575-646-3223 or by email at ambradfo@nmsu.edu.