Danny Woodward

Major: Business administration
Hometown: Portales, N.M.

Danny Woodward invested in a business education in his hometown.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Eastern in 1982, he took over Woody’s Jewelry, the family business.

“Since I’m from Portales, Eastern was home to me,” he says. “What I like about the university most is how it reaches people on a personal level. The training I received in Eastern’s College of Business has been invaluable to me in running my own business.”

Active in the Mainstreet Program, Danny helps beautify Portales by revitalizing buildings and landscapes. The group’s most ambitious project is renovating the old Yam Theatre on South Main Street, which closed in the late 1950s.

“We want to reopen the Yam as a community theatre for local art shows and theatre production, including ones from ENMU, and live music.”

A landmark on the downtown square, Woody’s Jewelry is one of the city’s most successful businesses.

“I’ve always been focused on long-term goals,” Danny says. “I have been happy here, and my business has been a great way to help myself and be in a position to help the community. “