OPINION:  New Mexico is poised for a new era of balanced, sustainable prosperity

My husband and I moved to Albuquerque in January 2025 after spending 2 1/2 years in Nairobi, Kenya, where I had the extraordinary honor of serving as the United States ambassador. Earlier in my career, I led eBay and Hewlett-Packard as president and CEO — roles that took me across the country, from New York to California, and into boardrooms and communities around the world. Yet despite those experiences, I have never lived anywhere quite like New Mexico. Its spirit, culture, beauty, resilience and untapped potential are extraordinary. From the moment we arrived, it was clear this is a place on the cusp of something remarkable.

That sense of possibility is deeply rooted in New Mexico’s history. The state has long been a quiet architect of world-changing achievement. In the high desert, the Manhattan Project brought together the greatest scientific minds of a generation, culminating in the Trinity Test and permanently reshaping global geopolitics. Decades later, that same spirit of discovery propelled New Mexico into the space race, supporting the technologies and breakthroughs that made Apollo 11 and humanity’s first steps on the moon possible. From unlocking the power of the atom to helping humanity reach another world, New Mexico has not merely witnessed history — it has shaped it.

Today, the state stands at another pivotal moment. Breakthrough technologies such as quantum computing and fusion energy are once again being researched and developed here in the Land of Enchantment. Our three research universities, alongside Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory, are leading advances in quantum science, error-corrected photonic qubits, and advanced photonics; fusion energy; artificial intelligence-accelerated computing and extreme-scale simulation; and hypersonics, directed energy, quantum defense technologies and space-enabled national security systems. These are not distant aspirations. They are active platforms shaping the future of national security, economic competitiveness and scientific leadership.

Recognizing the significance of this moment, Sen. George Muñoz, chair of the New Mexico Senate Finance Committee, recently announced a bold investment in a quantum computing and emerging technology “moonshot” — a cornerstone of a targeted $1.5 billion package designed to jump-start New Mexico’s innovation economy, accelerate development and commercialization of transformative technologies, and position the state as a national leader. Few public investments have the potential to reshape the state as profoundly — or as durably — as this one. I urge the business community in Albuquerque and across New Mexico to unite behind this effort, lend its collective voice and help ensure that this once-in-a-generation opportunity becomes a lasting engine of growth and opportunity for our state.

Just as important, New Mexico is ensuring that this innovation-driven growth translates into broad-based economic opportunity. The state is building a powerful ecosystem that connects entrepreneurial talent with world-class research and expertise. Through programs such as the New Mexico Small Business Assistance and the Technology Readiness Gross Receipts Initiative, local companies gain direct access to the capabilities of our national laboratories and universities — turning breakthrough science into market-ready products, good-paying jobs and economic opportunity in every corner of the state.

With the combined strength of our research universities, Central New Mexico Community College, the New Mexico Economic Development Department, organizations such as NAIOP, the Hispano Chamber of Commerce and other economic development groups, along with the State Investment Council and its venture capital investments, including Roadrunner Venture Studios, and our national laboratories — and with leaders such as Rep. Muñoz, D-Gallup, and Rep. Meredith Dixon, D-Albuquerque, focused on emerging technologies and long-term growth — New Mexico is poised for a new era of balanced, sustainable prosperity. It is an economy that can lift families, retain talent, attract investment and give our children and grandchildren a future rooted in New Mexico and powered by innovation.

New Mexico has done this before. The question now is whether we will fully seize the moment again.

Meg Whitman is the former president and CEO of eBay and Hewlett-Packard, and a former U.S. ambassador to Kenya. She was a Republican candidate for governor in California in 2010. She lives in Albuquerque.