Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano's homecoming trip on Friday included a stop in the SUB Ballroom, where she talked to UNM administrators and business students about her life as an "activist public official."
"How do we help people understand that you can be a public sector entrepreneur?" UNM President Louis Caldera said in his introductory remarks. "Janet Napolitano is one of those. She has found a way to use the power of government to make a difference in people's lives."
Napolitano, an Albuquerque native, also visited two of her alma maters - Sandia High School and Comanche Elementary - while she was in town.
Elected to Arizona's top office nine months ago, Napolitano was the first woman to succeed a woman governor in history. She also was the first publicly financed governor in the nation.
Speaking to about 250 Anderson Schools of Management and public administration students and University administrators, Napolitano detailed a three-point plan her governorship is built around.
Her first priority, she said, is education, followed by economic development and the environment.
But before she could get started on those, she said, there was a matter of fixing Arizona's ailing economy.
"After a period of tremendous growth and a lot of jobs coming into the state, when I took office in January we confronted a $1 billion deficit on about a $6.2 billion base," Napolitano said. "That's a lot. We hadn't taken care of business the way business needed to be taken care of."
Napolitano said she sees opportunities for collaboration between Arizona and UNM. She also said state governments and universities are obliged to work together.
"I think that synergy between university presidents and governors is a really good thing for a state," she said.
Napolitano's tie to UNM runs family deep - her father, Leonard Napolitano, was a former dean of the University's medical school.
Leonard Napolitano said it was nice having his daughter back for a visit, and he remembered her always being involved in some kind of activities.
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"I'm not sure at what point I would say she became active in public life," he said. "But she was always active in student life, even during her time in both public schools here."
Getting Napolitano to New Mexico for "a walk down memory lane" was as simple as a telephone conversation with her father, said David Campbell, an Albuquerque attorney who helped organize the governor's visit.
Campbell praised Napolitano as a progressive politician.
"Look at how she was elected," he said. "That brings you a different caliber of leader. She didn't have to make any deals. She is beholden only to her citizens."
Howard Smith, dean of the Anderson Schools, said Napolitano's governmental perspective was beneficial to students interested in public administration.
"Her presence will raise the visibility of what we feel is a growing, thriving program," Smith said. "This will broaden the education of our students."
