Sometimes a simple “yes” can prepare you for what lies ahead. That choice helped pave the way for University of New Mexico (UNM) alumna Michelle Dearholt.
Dearholt became president and CEO of Nusenda Credit Union in March 2024. She reached the milestone after nearly two decades of leadership growth and a career shaped by both openness and intention.
Dearholt earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on human resource management from UNM in 2002. She later earned her MBA from the university’s Anderson School of Management in 2007.
She knew her goal from the beginning. “I was dead set on working in HR my entire career,” she said. “I wanted to be a vice president of HR.” She achieved that goal, and then something unexpected happened.
The Turning Point
A leader at Nusenda asked her to oversee project management, a role outside her area of expertise. Dearholt recalls her initial reaction clearly. “I said, ‘What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about project management.’” But her leader saw the collaboration, communication, planning, and critical-thinking skills she had been honing since Anderson.
She said yes.
“That was a pivotal moment for me,” Dearholt said. A single stretch assignment evolved into managing more than a dozen departments over 10 to 15 years.
The Role of UNM Anderson In Her Success
The journey equipped her to step confidently into the CEO role. “That was step one of learning that leadership isn’t about being an expert. It’s about being open.”
Dearholt developed that mindset early at Anderson, where group projects and class discussions emphasized teamwork and perspective. “You learn how to identify what people are good at and how to bring those skills together,” she said. “At the time, it just feels like school. Later, you realize it’s leadership training.”
She completed her MBA while working full time, allowing her to connect classroom concepts directly to real-world challenges. Strategic management courses helped her understand how every department, from accounting to marketing to HR, drives organizational goals.
Dearholt made critical thinking central to her leadership approach. Courses like employment law taught her to question assumptions and dig deeper before making decisions.
“Validate your instincts,” Dearholt said. “There’s always more perspective to consider, and better decisions come from that.”
Embracing Growth
Today, as CEO, Dearholt applies a broad, people-centered perspective shaped by her education, experience, and community. As a former member of the Anderson Alumni Council, she values the lasting relationships she built through UNM.
“You think you’ll never see these people again,” she said. “And then 20 years later, you’re leaning on each other as community leaders.”
For Dearholt, success came not from following a rigid plan, but from building a strong foundation and embracing growth beyond it.
“You can have goals, but the real opportunity comes when you’re open to what’s next.”