Mia Petersen is on a mission: Turn the New Mexico Technology Council into the "brain trust" for tech in the state.
Petersen is the executive director of the 501(c)(6) organization, a role she's held since the spring of 2022. Over the course of those nearly two years leading the Council, Petersen has seen its member count grow to just shy of 150 members and budget increase by about 40%.
But Petersen told New Mexico Inno she wants that member count to hit 200 by the end of 2024. That'll come with an increased focus on member retention through the next 12 or so months, she added.
The Council wants to keep members on by providing them "deep value," whether that's through different events, peer groups or other networking opportunities.
On that note, the Tech Council is coming up on one of its flagship annual events, called the Women in Tech Awards. The awards, first launched in 2009, are a recognition of "badass" women leading the state's technology ecosystem, Petersen said.
A few of this year's Women in Tech honorees include Mary Monson, senior manager of technology partnerships and business development at Sandia National Laboratories; City of Albuquerque Broadband Program Manager Catherine Nicolaou; and Trace Kliphuis, the CEO of Santa Fe-based startup EnviTrace. Applications for a scholarship alongside the awards are due on Feb. 26.
Another major event hosted by the Council is the New Mexico Tech Summit, a multi-day event with a range of speakers and panels on past, current and future technology-related trends in the state. That event typically draws over 600 attendees and is usually held in the fall.
New Mexico Inno caught up with Petersen ahead of the Women in Tech Awards ceremony, scheduled for March 13 at Hotel Albuquerque, to hear more about why the awards are important and how the Council wants to grow in the years ahead.
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
Albuquerque Business First: How do you see the Women in Tech Awards fitting into the broader programming of the Tech Council as it continues to expand in the years ahead?
Mia Petersen: We are really proud to continue that legacy of recognizing badass women who are changing the game, changing the field. There are three criteria for the award: A strong track record of success and innovation in their technical practice, mentorship of other women — mentorship of others in general, but especially mentoring other women — and then community impact.
As we continue to grow these awards, we are really hoping to continue that work of creating a space for women in tech, growing that space for women in tech, but also growing and highlighting all of the technical innovation and growth in New Mexico. Our vision is that we can provide a better future for New Mexico through technology.
You said the Tech Council wants to focus on member retention in 2024 and 2025. Is there anything you can give a sneak peek into in terms of how programming or services might be expanding to meet that goal? Our goal this year is to grow to 200 members and continue that trajectory of growth into 2025. As an association, we are super focused on what our members' needs are, so that can kind of shift from year to year.
But what we're looking at right now is, first, continuing to increase the sphere of influence that the Tech Council offers, so that all of our members see their place in that. And it's not necessarily legislation or lobbying or advocacy, but it's more about wanting to position ourselves as the brain trust for tech in New Mexico. Because our members are the people who are changing the game and doing the work. So, building that strong partnership with state, local, regional governments, so that if people want to know what's next in [artificial intelligence], how do we figure out the solutions behind quantum computing or how do we make this a great place for software development companies to come and set up, they're coming to us at the Tech Council and tapping into the expertise of our leadership and our members.
In terms of programming, we really want to put that into action by facilitating workforce development programs that utilize this idea of non-traditional education. We have some phenomenal programming here. I want to highlight CNM Ingenuity in particular who we plan to partner with in some of these efforts, particularly around increasing opportunities for students to find the funding and have these programs be successful. That's really going to poise us nationally, regionally in a position where we're going to be in a competitive market for companies to grow here, relocate here and really meet the demands of the tech workforce in the next couple of years.
From your perspective from the Tech Council, what trends are you most excited to see continue to develop over the next year and into 2025? I think with our position with the national labs and traditional education being centers of excellence in STEM and research, emerging technologies I think are very interesting. Quantum is definitely one. Clean tech is another. A lot of the hydrogen stuff is really interesting. I think we're very well poised for a continued renaissance of what it looks like to be a leader in solar. And looking at advanced manufacturing, our neighbors in Phoenix have a lot of that and that's helped to propel their local economy. It takes a diverse workforce.
I think we have a competitive edge. What it's going to come down to is that there has to be an alignment in state government that sees these opportunities and has a strategic plan to go after them. We have not seen that. There has to be a strategy and a plan behind how New Mexico is going to strategically grow in these areas, and how New Mexico is going to provide support.
