Hector Balderas, President of Northern New Mexico College, keeps a photo of former First Lady Michelle Obama and himself working a phone bank. Balderas, who grew up in poverty, eagerly shows it to Northern students to inspire them. “I tell them where I’m from and then I show them the picture of Michelle Obama and me when she was campaigning with Barack when he was running for president in northern New Mexico in the far villages. I’m an example to the students that you can truly take your most dark challenges in life and transform them into immediate strengths and successes,” he says.
Raised by a single mother in Wagon Mound, New Mexico, Balderas lived in public housing and subsisted on food stamps. He spent a lifetime climbing out of that poverty and seeking opportunities Wagon Mound could not provide, building a career focused on serving those less fortunate. “I grew up in rural poverty, which is more challenging than a traditional urban view. There were times my mother would have to borrow a car to drive 40 miles to get groceries,” says Balderas. That environment informed his decision making, forcing him to confront professional challenges rather than shy away from them. “I’ve always taken positions that generate the most impact for families. More importantly, for the families I’ve worked with, I want to make sure they have the advantage of upward mobility,” says Balderas. “Now my entire career is defined by using my life story to motivate other at-risk families that they can achieve the American dream,” says Balderas.
His personal story is one of lofty achievements and noteworthy accomplishments. After earning a Juris Doctor degree, he served as Bernalillo County Assistant District Attorney, was elected to a seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives, was elected State Auditor, and served two terms as New Mexico’s Attorney General. Northern’s board of trustees, Balderas says, saw in him the typical Northern student. “I was that Northern student 30 or 40 years ago. I’m able to articulate and manifest exactly what these students are going through today as they face these challenges,” says Balderas. Of Northern’s 1200 students, 72 percent are Hispanic, most of whom come from a more than 80 percent Hispanic community with a median household income of about $44,000.
Transforming the AG’s Office
As New Mexico’s Attorney General, Balderas sought to transform the culture of the AG’s office, making it family- and victim-centric. “I wanted to make sure that this wasn’t just a powerful law office seeking an opportunity to serve the general public. I thought it was very important to truly understand and empower families and victims in a way that would not allow them to fall through the cracks of the bureaucracy. So many agencies across this country that are well-intentioned in wanting to make a difference to families always make the mistake of not including families in decision making and prioritizing the outcomes that families deserve,” says Balderas. His office empowered the families and victims in the murdered and missing indigenous women movement, assisting them in seeking redress from a government that failed them for generations. His office also enjoyed success in opiate litigation, changing the system so it would have a long-lasting impact rather than just forcing big pharma to write checks. “We wanted to make more meaningful systemic reform. That meant bringing these families along in the decision making, prioritizing how you treat them and truly understanding their struggle,” says Balderas.
His office was at the center of student loan reform, seeking compensation and restitution for hundreds of student loans in New Mexico. “These students championed these causes at my side,” says Balderas. Today’s Latino student, he says, is not merely seeking advocacy but a stronger voice in politics. Underserved students, says Balderas, have not received their fair share from the New Mexico Higher Education funding formulas.
Eliminating Labels, Building Coalitions
Representing five rural counties in New Mexico’s legislature, Balderas, elected at 29, was the “young voice” in the chamber and the first attorney in its history. During his two years in the House, he developed expertise in building rural infrastructure, secured more resources for at-risk families, and championed public safety. “Latino families not only face poverty but are also at risk for poor health outcomes and poor public safety outcomes,” says Balderas. In 2005, he was one of a handful of state legislators – another being Barack Obama, who at the time was serving as a state senator in Illinois – who sponsored the truthful interrogation bill in law enforcement. “Only two states passed the truthful interrogation bill, New Mexico and Illinois. It was a check on law enforcement to ensure law enforcement turned on the video cameras to get the best evidence in communities of color,” says Balderas.
Balderas sponsored legislation that protected children of color in rural areas and strengthened public safety and health. He achieved his successes by building coalitions, which, because of his background, comes naturally to him. “I was raised in a culture where individuals can’t survive on labels; they can’t survive on titles. I was brought up in a culture where you really have to bring parties together with different interests,” says Balderas. “Growing up, there were no party lines, no Republicans, no Democrats, just neighbors. I refused to even label someone an ally or adversary,” says Balderas. He didn’t learn that from his educational degrees but from his upbringing. “If you grow up in scarcity you are trained by life’s challenges that you have to work with everyone and find common ground around a solution,” says Balderas.
Transforming Challenges into Assets
Before assuming the presidency at Northern in January of 2023, the school had experienced a series of setbacks that prevented it from running as a “highly effective organization.” Upon taking the helm, Balderas focused on accountability measures. He set a tone and plotted a new direction for the school. “We are literally rebuilding leaky roofs, targeting our spending, and investing directly in the students, services, and faculty development. I’m trying to set an aggressive tone based on an axiom that I believe in: that every student can learn. We are building an operation that truly is preparing for wrap around services that students need and making sure we treat our students as VIPs and not as students with deficits,” says Balderas. It's a full transformation. “We want to be a partner in our students’ dreams and be a catalyst to use the students’ challenges and transform them into immediate assets for the workplace,” says Balderas.
Balderas envisions a time - five to ten years from now – when Northern will attract students from the far reaches of the US by highlighting the unique cultures of Northern students, embracing the area’s history, and creating a local and global strategy. “We’re small and poor, but we’re going to transform scarcity into an abundance model with economic and social impacts,” says Balderas. •
