MinerAlert
MinerAlert
May 2026
By Tanya Torres, ’19, ’21
UTEP alumnus Christopher Villa ’98, ’07 wasn’t always a successful business owner. Before founding Helix Solutions, he was a Miner with dreams and ambitions that took him step by step toward his thriving business. He grew up in El Paso, where he attended Coronado High School. As a hometown kid, he chose UTEP and graduated in 1998 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, then later returned to earn a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Public Administration.
A Career Takes Flight
After graduation, the UTEP alumnus landed an internship with Boeing where the next big step for him was to move from El Paso to Seattle. The internship quickly turned into a full-time position. He worked on aircraft interiors, passenger seating and more. But as soon as he got his footing, the economy took a hit. The early 2000s brought economic shocks to aviation, from 9/11 to the SARS outbreak and eventually, he was among the employees who were laid off. This was the moment when Villa was forced to figure out what to do next, sending him back home on a new path.
“I got laid off and what I noticed was that the people who didn’t lose their jobs were the ones with advanced degrees like MBAs or advanced engineering degrees. My idea was to return to El Paso, go back to UTEP, get a master’s in business and then return. So I packed up, moved back home and started the MBA program. A year into it, I received a HUD community award that opened the door to the MPA program.”
Finding His Path
Once Villa began taking courses in both programs, he found himself drawn to the analytical and community-focused work happening in the MPA department. The coursework introduced him to research methods, statistics, organizational theory and the hands-on nature of program evaluation. He realized he enjoyed understanding how programs worked, how people were being served and how data could be used to improve outcomes.
“It was very practical,” Villa said. “We developed surveys, collected data, analyzed it and presented it. That experience helped me step out of the academic world and into consulting. The professors gave us the tools to analyze data, do research and understand organizations.”
Those experiences planted the idea that evaluation could be more than an academic interest. It could be a career. What began as a way to become more marketable during an economic downturn turned into the discovery of a field he wanted to pursue next.
Building Helix and Giving Back
After graduating, Villa realized that if he wanted to work in evaluation, he needed real experience in the field. He had the skills and practical training from UTEP but not the professional experience that would allow him to step directly into the work. Instead of waiting for an opportunity to appear, he created his own and founded Helix Solutions in 2007.
As he continued through the MBA and MPA programs, he saw a real need for objective program evaluation in El Paso, especially among nonprofits and public organizations. That insight, paired with the tools he gained at UTEP, helped shape the vision for Helix Solutions. His work quickly earned recognition: he received the Outstanding Public Administration Research Award that same year and was later named an Outstanding Alumnus by the UTEP MPA program in 2016.
His path may have taken unexpected turns, but it ultimately brought him back to El Paso, where he continues to make an impact. With the skills he gained at UTEP, he helps organizations grow, improve and better serve the community.
“The projects that mean the most to me are the ones where we can have a real impact,” Villa said. “A lot of our work is in El Paso and if we can improve outcomes for our community, that affects me too.”
Villa’s work is more than a job to him; it is personal. Every project, dataset and evaluation is an opportunity to strengthen the community he grew up in. As El Paso continues to grow, so does his commitment to ensuring that local organizations and neighborhoods have the tools they need to thrive.
“It’s a learning business,” Villa said. “The ability to learn and collaborate is really important. When I work with other people, I’m able to learn from them and it helps me think about how I can do things better next time. There are times when I start a project and feel worried or uncertain, but I remind myself that those moments usually mean I’m growing.”