‘New Mexico is not a poor state’: Meg Whitman, former eBay CEO, calls for state to rewrite its narrative

Business executive and former U.S. ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman called for changes to New Mexico’s economy, education and health care systems at a luncheon Tuesday afternoon, urging state leaders across multiple industries to change the narrative about the Land of Enchantment from a state of scarcity to a place of abundance.

“New Mexico is an undiscovered gem in many ways,” Whitman said. “This is the most beautiful state that I’ve practically ever been to, and yet that story is not well told.”

Whitman, who recently relocated to the state after her husband, Dr. Griffith Harsh IV, became the head of neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico, spoke at an event hosted by NAIOP New Mexico and moderated by NAIOP Board President Adam Silverman.

Whitman is the former CEO of eBay and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and ran as the Republican nominee for governor of California in 2010, when she was defeated by Democrat Jerry Brown. Whitman, who served as ambassador to Kenya under former President Joe Biden, said she is now a registered Democrat.

As CEO of eBay, Whitman took the company from $5.7 million in sales to $8 billion over the course of a decade. She is one of the world’s richest self-made women, with a personal net worth of $3.8 billion, according to Forbes.

New Mexico has one of the largest sovereign wealth funds of any state in the country, and Whitman said Tuesday the state should be using some of the $66 billion it has accumulated from natural resources and investments for improving infrastructure and public programs.

“People say New Mexico is a poor state,” Whitman said to an audience of around 200 real estate and business leaders. “New Mexico is not a poor state. New Mexico is a rich state. You have poor people that need assistance, but this is not a poor state anymore.”

The state should use the money to prioritize improving health care outcomes, building affordable housing, creating jobs and fixing its public education system, which often ranks last in the country for academic performance, she said.

“Something needs to be done about your K-12 education system here,” Whitman said. “This is not good. Being 50th out of 50 states is not the place you want to be.”

Whitman acknowledged the election of new candidates to the Board of Education at Albuquerque Public Schools during her address.

Earlier this month, teachers’ union-backed Rebecca Betzen unseated NAIOP-endorsed incumbent school board President Danielle Gonzales in a surprise upset.

“There’s been some new people elected to the Board of Education. That’s the first part. That’s our first start,” she said.

Whitman also called for changes to the University of New Mexico in the hopes of improving the school’s lower-than-average six-year graduation rate and making it more attractive to out-of-state students.

“If K-12 is a mess, then the University of New Mexico is going to be a mess, too, because you’re going to get a lot of kids who aren’t prepared to take advantage of the free tuition,” she said.

The state’s flagship university is a “giant asset” with “tremendous potential,” Whitman said. She suggested UNM adopt a few key research specialties in order to be competitive with top institutions nationwide.

Improving graduation rates at UNM is one of three things Whitman said she would do to better the quality of life in Albuquerque and make the state more attractive to out-of-state businesses and primed for economic growth.

Whitman said she would work with Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and with the state Legislature to “optimize the business climate,” by changing taxes and regulations, making New Mexico a competitive place for business, tourism and manufacturing. She told the audience she would work to create jobs by touting the many benefits of New Mexico via public outreach.

The former ambassador told the crowd at the Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown she was weighing her own next steps after finding herself without a full-time job for the first time since she was 23. When asked by NAIOP Executive Director Rhiannon Samuel whether or not she would consider a run for governor, Whitman demurred.

“You have to live in New Mexico for five years,” she said.