Chris Nance is a current Graduate student in the Master of Science for Teachers program at New Mexico Tech. He has a B.S. in Management and a level I teacher license through a Minor in Secondary Education from New Mexico Tech. Chris is also completing a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) Graduate Certificate from Central New Mexico College. He currently works as a math and computer programming teacher at Socorro High School, serves as GSA treasurer, and has his own business, Pan Pantry LLC.
He started his business while he was a freshman at New Mexico Tech and continued to build the business with the help of several faculty at the university. Recently he was selected as 1 of 4 “Innovators Under 25” by The Albuquerque Business First NM INNO team. His work in developing his company’s flagship product, The Pan Pantry®, has led him to seek help from numerous faculty in the Management department and experts across the state. The Pan Pantry is a bakeware organization unit that increases usable cabinet space by creating storage on the bottom of a cabinet and then allowing everything else to be placed on top. He plans on demonstrating his product during a pitch at the April 13-14 Inventors & Entrepreneurs workshop hosted by the Office of Innovation Commercialization.
When Chris isn’t working on his business, he can often be found all around Tech helping out. He currently is the president of the New Mexico Tech Gardening Club and helps maintain and develop the garden located at 905 Bullock Ave. He assists graduate students with their travel grants as the GSA treasurer and helps run other essential functions like the GSA BBQ and Thanksgiving Dinner. During the summer, he works with Upward Bound as an instructor, teaching first-generation and low-income students both academic and real life skills such as gardening. This summer, he plans to work with Upward Bound again and also help start a new program in conjunction with LANL teaching high school students and recent graduates the computer science background they need to pursue most research internships. He is also planning on continuing to arrange an annual Brain Awareness Week for its third year with the Center for Leadership and Engagement and Student Access Services to teach the Tech community about the science behind stress and how to battle its effects.
Chris hopes to finish his master’s and CPA requirements so he can continue teach and start a small payroll company for after Pan Pantry is sold or finishes. In his spare time, he enjoys long walks around Tech’s campus with friends and hanging out in the community garden.
