Henry C. "Howie" Morales (born January 5, 1973)[2] is an American politician and educator serving as the 30th lieutenant governor of New Mexico.

[3][4] In 2007,[3] he earned his Doctor of Philosophy in curriculum and instruction (with an emphasis of computer learning technologies and management and leadership) from New Mexico State University.

[8] Morales ran for the office that he was appointed to in the 2008 general elections and defeated Republican Joseph Gros, 9,561 to 4,019, to retain his seat.

[13] Morales was an outspoken critic of the Martinez administration's education policies that emphasized standardized testing, and he opposed use of the PARCC assessment.

[16] In 2018 Morales sponsored legislation to substantially increase the tax on cigarettes, vaping and tobacco products in order to generate $89 million additional for public schools.

[22][23] Under the slogan "New Day for New Mexico," Morales called for policies to create more jobs and economic growth, stronger classrooms and student achievement, and strong protections of air, water and land.

[25]On June 5, 2018, Morales defeated former Majority Leader of the New Mexico House of Representatives Rick Miera and Doña Ana County Commissioner Billy Garrett in the Democratic primary contest.

In January 2019, Governor Lujan Grisham asked Morales to lead the state New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) for the first few weeks of the new administration until a permanent secretary was named.

[35][36] During his time in office, Howie Morales has championed more investments in quality afterschool learning[37][38] and early childhood education in New Mexico.

[41] In 2020, Morales was a fellow of the Hunt-Kean Leadership program,[42] which brings together senior-level political leaders who have the knowledge, skill, and desire to be effective, equity-minded education policymakers at the state level.

[44][45] Throughout his terms in office, Morales participated in meetings and policy discussions of the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA).