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Mia Petersen is Executive Director of the New Mexico Technology Council. (Chauncey Bush/Albuquerque Journal)
Mia Petersen is Executive Director of the New Mexico Technology Council. (Chauncey Bush/Albuquerque Journal)
Mia Petersen is Executive Director of the New Mexico Technology Council. (Chauncey Bush/Albuquerque Journal)
A self-proclaimed “child of the mountains” from Tijeras, Mia Petersen took many detours on her way to her new job as Executive Director of the New Mexico Tech Council.
She has also been a boutique manager, wedding planner, human resources leader, and student of fine arts, art history, and business.
“It’s like a winding road,” she says.
It was the position of Human Resources Manager at Rural Sourcing Inc., a software development company, that brought her to the Tech Council. She was hired in 2017, about a year after RSI’s Albuquerque office opened, and was looking to grow its local staff from 40 to her 150, she said. says Petersen.
“I saw this opportunity and thought, ‘This is going to be really cool,'” she says. “Retail hires people, so I knew how to do it.”
The way, she says, is to “build great connections in the community.”
She befriended Deep Dive, a nonprofit that offers coding bootcamps. She has recruited at least 40 of her students to her RSI.
It was around that time that her “windy road” led to her interest in economic development, and a job to keep workers in Albuquerque.
“It’s been great,” she says of her time at RSI. “Especially through deep dives, we got to see how great these non-traditional workforce training programs are for our community.”
Petersen, a single mother, worked with the state and others on the economic incentives RSI was getting. That’s how she learned about the Tech Council.
She ended up on the council’s board and was “pretty much involved up until the pandemic.” Still, she was excited about her council’s work and felt she was the kind of organization she was, so she bid her time while keeping an eye out for the top slot. .
“I was volunteering in many activities and programs, and I started to see a lot of potential,” she says. ‘I thought, ‘You know what? That executive director position is really cool. , the timing was right, we started in April.”
What are the goals of Congress?
“We need a technical component, but we are really pushing (all) STEM. It’s about making sure people who are directly facing barriers to entry feel comfortable and know they belong in STEM. We have a few members who really need a broadband workforce and we are forming a small consortium of…employers to give us feedback on the positions they need. As a result, we are helping them to join CNM and develop robust programs.”
Have you learned from any mistakes you’ve made in your career?
“There are several, but one of the biggest was early in my leadership career. 23 years old? Why are you in charge of everything? I relied more on my authority than on my influence over the team, and over time I realized that was not an effective way to build trust and friendships. Instead of saying, I asked. And I stopped micromanaging and started delegating and sharing interesting work. People do more when they enjoy what they do. Be productive and loyal.”
what do you do in your free time?
“I really love my kids, so I do a lot with them. Three of them (out of four) are adopted. The oldest died in March. He He died of a fentanyl overdose.”
What effect did it have on you?
“I still tell people I have four kids. Too many people assume that the person who uses it is “bad,” out of control, or undisciplined. I think it’s important to talk about how fentanyl has impacted our family. Narcan is available in pharmacies and is usually free. It can save lives. ”
Is there any piece of advice you’ve received that’s stuck in your mind?
“Perhaps the best piece of advice I got was, honestly, a mentor who said, ‘You know you always give 100%? Why not scale back like 80%? It was like a whole shift in mindset, and that was part of the frustration: I saw these counterparts…they were going to leave early. , I put in 11 hours, so the whole idea is to work smarter, not harder.The other piece of advice I got was, ‘Drop the ball, so drop which ball. Please think strategically about whether to do so.” “
what was your childhood like?
“It was a little rough. We have this family history of addiction. One of my role models isWayne Dyer. Not hardcore, I believe you attract energy and karma, I heard what he said — he had a very difficult childhood and left home young. He was very angry with his father, but he said, “I’m going to forgive him. In a way, this is the best teacher.” Forgiveness is very difficult. One of the things I think about childhood is that it shaped who I am. “
What’s keeping you from sleeping at night?
“Global warming. I’ve been talking about this since I was a kid, and I think gun violence keeps me going.”
what makes you laugh?
“Just about anything. I like to laugh. I like to find humor in even the darkest moments.”
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