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J.M. DeYoung, the new director of the Small Business Development Center at The University of New Mexico-Gallup, poses for a portrait next to the SBDC sign in front of Gurley Hall on Jan. 23, 2026.

���� hires new SBDC director

Categories: Students   Faculty   Staff   Community  

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J.M. DeYoung continues to serve his community in new role helping small businesses

By Richard Reyes, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026

GALLUP, N.M. — The new director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at The University of New Mexico-Gallup is ready to help local entrepreneurs achieve success.

J.M. DeYoung, a longtime civil servant who was born and raised in Gallup, was hired as the new center director in the 2025 fall semester. He has spent the past six months training and onboarding for his new role, and he is now ready to accept new clients and guide them in the right direction.

“The ultimate goal is to help anybody that comes in become successful,” DeYoung said. “And that’s one of the main goals I have, not only at the SBDC, but in life in general — helping others develop and grow.”

The SBDC focuses only on for-profit small businesses with less than 500 employees. Services are confidential.

“Individuals can come in and we will guide them through a process that the SBDC has set up that has been tried and true across the country,” DeYoung said.

“Start, grow and stay in business”

While DeYoung will primarily serve the McKinley County area, he can help people connect with centers in other communities if they want to start an enterprise elsewhere or expand their business in another region.

The center can also connect entrepreneurs with specific resources and experts on subjects such as intellectual property, government contracting, and international business connections.

“We’re here to help people start, grow and stay in business,” DeYoung said. “We do business planning, marketing development, cash flow, goal setting, record keeping, and management skills.”

DeYoung said he is also looking forward to providing workshops and partnering with people in the community. His goals are to grow the center at ���� and draw more community awareness to it.

There are nearly 1,000 SBDCs in the United States, and New Mexico centers are accredited through America’s SBDC.

Giving back to the community

DeYoung said he applied for the center director position because he admired the work ���� Chancellor Dr. Sabrina Ezzell was doing in hiring great individuals and creating a positive work environment at the branch campus.

“I just wanted to be part of that and saw it as an opportunity to use my skills to continue to serve in this community,” he said.

After college, DeYoung wanted to spread his wings a little, so he found work in Colorado for a few years, but he and his wife decided to move back to their hometown in 2012 to raise their family and give back to their community.

“I love Gallup”

DeYoung worked as the risk manager for the city government for three years before being reassigned as the assistant to the city manager for about a year. In 2016, he was promoted to assistant city manager, helping to oversee the city’s external service providers, such as the library, parks and recreation, customer service, and more.

“I really enjoyed that because it involved working directly with the community,” he said.

In June 2023, DeYoung became interim city manager but returned to his role as assistant manager in September 2024. In August 2025, DeYoung accepted the SBDC job at ����.

“I love Gallup,” he said. “That’s why I’m here. I want to see good things for this community, and I think being in this position as the director of the SBDC, I can help others. … I strongly believe Gallup is a good business community.”

DeYoung’s office is located inside Gurley Hall on the ��ñ���� campus, located at 705 Gurley Ave.

For information about the Small Business Development Center at ����, visit the Gallup SBDC website at .

To contact DeYoung and schedule an appointment, call 505-863-7637 or email jmdy10@unm.edu

The Small Business Development Center at The University of New Mexico-Gallup is located inside Gurley Hall.