A previous athletic director at New Mexico Highlands University has launched a federal lawsuit against the public institution in Las Vegas, New Mexico, claiming harassment, discrimination and retaliation tied to race, religion and sex.

The complaint, submitted May 21 in U.S. District Court for New Mexico, adds to a string of recent issues affecting the campus.

Shanna Halalilo describes a difficult environment in her filing, stating that leaders ignored sexual harassment reports, showed preference to one religious group, tried to create pay differences by gender and ignored romantic ties between student athletes and coaches.

The complaint notes that nearly every key decision maker after former President Sam Minner seemed to undervalue Halalilo based on her gender.

She requests back pay for lost wages, damages for emotional distress, interest, attorney fees plus compensatory and punitive awards.

General counsel Doajo Hicks declined to address the specific claims because of the active case.

The filing contains unproven allegations and the university will handle them through legal channels, Hicks stated in an email. The institution will not discuss details outside that setting.

Hicks noted the university stays dedicated to an environment without discrimination, harassment or retaliation and follows all relevant laws including Title IX and Title VII.

Attorney Trent Howell, who represents Halalilo, offered no comment when contacted.

This action comes amid several months of upheaval at the school. Regents formally dismissed President Neil Woolf in early June after placing him on leave a month earlier.

Woolf's exit triggered further removals including the provost, multiple vice presidents and the men's basketball coach. These shifts led to a state auditor review and a required improvement plan from the New Mexico Higher Education Department.

Accounts of the leadership changes differ by source.

Woolf filed his own suit alleging his firing was payback for refusing to steer a construction contract toward a local company connected to a regent and a politician.

Regents wrote to the state auditor accusing Woolf of faulty hiring, procurement issues, financial mismanagement and retaliation, claims disputed by his attorney.

Halalilo joined Highlands in 2018 as an assistant women's basketball coach and advanced to student-athlete success coordinator, associate athletic director, co-athletic director and sole athletic director in early 2025.

By May 2025 the parties had separated without public explanation at first.

Halalilo claims her departure resulted from bias and retaliation by campus leaders.

After reporting sexual harassment and advances from senior officials, she says administrators dismissed her concerns and left her in a hostile setting that harmed her well-being and work.

She also flagged violations of sex discrimination and fraternization rules. Shortly before her exit she withheld a raise from a coach who failed to follow reporting protocols after staff became romantically involved with athletes they coached. The suit alleges a pattern of ignoring anti-discrimination policies.

Halalilo further claims bias because she is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She alleges Woolf, who belongs to the church, consulted other members when deciding to end her employment.

This mirrors accusations in the regents' letter to the auditor that Woolf created roles and hired people tied to the Mormon church.

The complaint also charges a violation of New Mexico's Fair Pay for Women Act. Initial pay plans set a male co-athletic director at $105,000 and Halalilo at $85,000 before the university equalized the amounts.

After combining the co-athletic director positions into one, the school did not pay Halalilo near the total of the prior two salaries. She says she was let go soon after requesting higher compensation for the expanded duties.