One-on-One with Paula Getz

Paula Getz moved back home to Albuquerque years ago after a stretch in Silicon Valley, but she was never really here.

Instead, she was flying around the world for her work in global risk management and building project management for Sun Microsystems and then Oracle USA.

That meant when Getz was thinking of retirement several years ago and looking for her “off-ramp,” she found herself stumped.

Since she had been so busy and away from New Mexico so often, she had had little time to connect locally beyond her family members. Also, she wasn’t sure what she wanted when her work life was over.

And she knew she wasn’t alone.

She explains it this way: More than 40% of Bernalillo County residents will be 65 and older in 2030. By 2040, nearly 1 in 4 New Mexicans is expected to be in that age group, according to a recent University of New Mexico study.

“I noticed how hard it is, if you don’t know what you want to do, to figure out what kind of work can I get or what kind of places can I volunteer and keep myself active,” she said. “And then I really started to realize the size of this demographic and realized, ‘Wait a minute. Why do all of us have to carve our own path and figure it out for ourselves?’”

So instead of enjoying some well-deserved time off, Getz founded NM-NEW in 2021 to help match businesses and nonprofits with retirees who want to share their expertise through part-time work or volunteering.

NM-NEW (New Elder World) started as a hub for classes but is now getting ready to launch Getz’s initial dream: A free, central location where employers and older participants are matched according to skills offered and needed.

That was made possible when the nonprofit was acquired recently by Central New Mexico Community College, which already provides a similar employment service for its students. The acquisition also allowed the nonprofit to hire a program manager, Victor Ortiz, for the first time.

“I keep thinking, ‘Hashtag, dream come true,” Getz says.

How will this matching service work?

“A retiree comes in and puts in the profile, (showing) this is who I am, these are my skills. I upload my resume, if I have one. The employers come in and put in job descriptions. We’re going to do a lot of work with employers to talk about the features that will make these attractive to older adults. It’s not going to be indeed.com. These jobs are curated for older adults.”

What prompted you to launch this program rather than just retiring?

“It became a way I can give back to the state that I love. From a business point of view, it’s an economic development issue. I think we’re an asset in the workforce that’s kind of being ignored right now. We have all these years of experience and all these skills that we could wrap around nonprofits, small businesses, even large businesses, and improve their success. … There’s enough older workers going back into the workforce that now there’s some data that shows productivity goes up and turnover goes down because of that intergenerational mentoring that starts to happen.”

How does mentoring reduce turnover?

“It helps build teams. It helps when someone feels like they can learn from someone.”

How do you see your continued role in this program?

“I’ll stay as adviser and help do the outreach until it's going on its own. I’ll be here until they don’t need me anymore. NM-NEW was a collective endeavor. Yes, it was my idea, but it has taken a village and it’s going to continue to take a village.”

And what comes next for you?

“I would love just a break to get up in the morning and say, ‘Hmm. What do I want to do today?’ But one thing I’ve learned about myself through this is I need structure. I anticipate it's not going to be long before I go, ‘OK, I’ve got to get some stuff on my calendar.’ It surprised me. Some people are fine not doing that, and others need structure.”

Who was your inspiration for NM-New?

“Pat Diem, a local retiree, has been a model of how to live my life with integrity and humility. She was instrumental in NM-NEW getting started. My mom … she’s been my role model. When she retired from the state, she became a volunteer for AARP and she and her partner won every award possible, locally and nationally from AARP. And I noticed how alive they were. I watched how they totally recreated their next chapter. And they were giving back to the community so much.”

What are your pet peeves?

“People who work for an organization and are not willing to take responsibility for whatever. It may not be your department, but you represent the organization. Probably it’s about just taking responsibility for your life. All of us have our reasons that we could say, ‘Oh, life has handed us a raw deal. I’m just going to give up.’ And that’s not what we’re here for. It’s figuring out how you can be successful, how you can give back.”

What has made you successful?

“It’s being No. 5 of seven kids. I was always the mediator. I was always the one who would bring humor to the table. And then growing up with a twin brother … I played sports with guys in my neighborhood for the longest time, and I think it made me tougher. And growing up in New Mexico, I have to say I got complimented many times in global travel that I was not your average American. I think it’s because in New Mexico we have this diversity, and growing up here, I learned a lot about different cultures and I learned to be respectful and to be open-minded. And that really helped me, especially in my global job. Today, I have continued to have friends all over the world, and for that I’m grateful.”

THE BASICS: Paula A Getz, 65, born in Santa Fe; bachelor’s degree, business computer systems, University of New Mexico, 1983; three certifications: Six Sigma certification 2003; ITIL Foundation, 2010; UNM Anderson School of Management, non-profit leadership, 2022; two dogs, Chile, a corgi-Chihuahua mix, and Sadie, a poodleschnauzer mix.

POSITIONS: Founder and adviser, NM-New, Inc., since 2021; vice president, Global Risk Management, Oracle USA, 2011-2021; Sun Microsystems, Inc., positions included senior director of Complex Deal Team, project business liaison and Project Assurance Office, 1995-2011; Sun Sigma Master Black Belt, Worldwide, professional services, 2000-2004.

OTHER: Board member and committee chair, All Faiths Children’s Advocacy Center, since 2019; committee member for the Albuquerque Community Foundation, New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department and city of Albuquerque AgeFriendly Committee.