Bone’s rise to leadership, philanthropy serves as inspiration for students

For Raquel Bone ’91 ’93, generosity isn’t just a value, it’s a family tradition. Her life and career reflect the lessons she learned in a household defined by love, service and a commitment to helping others.

Accepting her dad’s offer to help pay for NMSU, the Las Cruces native earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration and finance, with a minor in Spanish, plus an MBA. On campus, she joined Delta Sigma Pi and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the nation’s first Black women’s sorority.

Her career began with IBM as an NMSU co-op student before joining JPMorgan in Houston in 1997. Over 24 years with JPMorgan Chase, Bone held roles in private banking, capital markets and institutional asset management. After relocating to the west coast, she also earned a master’s in public administration in nonprofit management from the University of Southern California in 2013. In 2022, she became market managing director for PNC Bank’s Institutional Asset Management division, leading its largest growth market in Orange County and Los Angeles. She was inducted into the NMSU College of Business Hall of Fame in fall 2025.

“Raquel has not only achieved professional success but has remained deeply committed to NMSU by sharing her expertise, mentorship and generosity with our students,” says Bryan Ashenbaum, College of Business dean.

Bone endowed a business scholarship in 2015, funded Bloomberg Terminals for business students and supports NMSU’s Black Programs. She also helped the Pride of New Mexico purchase new uniforms, a nod to her early love of music as a clarinetist and pianist. Her philanthropy is rooted in the example set by her parents.

“My family is the cornerstone of my existence,” Bone says. “Their unwavering support instilled in me the values of compassion and generosity.”

Her late father, Sam Bone, a former state president of the NAACP, served on NMSU boards and had a distinguished career at White Sands Missile Range. Alma Bone ’88, her mother, earned a master’s in counseling and co-established the Alma Ruth Turner Bone Endowed Scholarship in 2019.

“These familial bonds cultivated my staying power throughout my career, allowing me to carry forth their legacy by uplifting others and striving to make a meaningful impact in the world,” she says.

From her parents’ trailblazing commitment to education to her own philanthropic vision, Bone’s story shows how one family’s legacy can ripple outward, transforming lives on campus and beyond.