Janet Goes Back To School

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is stepping down to take her new role as University of California President.  Napolitano has served many prominent offices in the political arena. As Arizona’s 25th Governor, twice, Napolitano’s voice of leadership has been heard from within Arizona’s capitol and into President Obama’s Cabinet.

From political red carpet to well-worn hiking trails that traverse Arizona, Napolitano has led this great state.  She’s a strong individual. A survivor of cancer. A hiker of the Himalayas and a woman who can tell you what it was like at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. She’s had rare experiences and important decisions to make.

Frontdoors Publisher Julia C. Patrick had the rare opportunity to meet this central figure in February of 2007 and has captured the ambitious spirit and talent of our great leader.

CONDUCTING MATTERS OF STATE

(Taken From Frontdoors News Print Version February 2007)

Perhaps the first taste of political fare was served to Janet Napolitano at New Mexico Girls State.  The year was 1974 and the high school junior was elected Lieutenant Governor at the prestigious student leadership program.  But did she really know this was part of her destiny?

“I thought I would grow up to be a band leader,” she once confided to radio personality Dave Pratt.  Named Sandia High School’s most talented musician was just the first of many accolades the aspiring guitar player would earn.

Now in her 40s, Arizona’s second-term governor is conducting a state with more players than you can count.  From education reform and managing economic progress to leading the debate on border strategy, Napolitano is on the stage and the lights are bright.  She has triumphed in a widely recognized Republican stronghold and gained popularity in a western state that most would think is about the last place a woman can get elected dogcatcher, let alone governor.

Hers is not a woman’s platform.  How she dresses is, thankfully, less discussed these days.  Her agenda for the nation’s fastest-growing state in the union is the topic of greater discussion.  To add to the mix, Napolitano’s name is often bandied about the national scene by attractors who are taking notice.  She is no-nonsense, using her legal credentials to develop many pro-active law enforcement campaigns.

Arizona was the first state in the nation to implement a homeland security strategy, as well as the model Arizona Counter Terrorism Center.  She believes in capital punishment and is pro-choice.  In 2004 Napolitano found herself in the center of the Arizona State Lewis Prison crisis, which is notoriously known as the longest penitentiary hostage situation in history.  To all of this and more, the governor navigates through the political process with ease.

This governor has become a valued guest on the social circuit and a begrudging favorite of the media.  You never quite know what she is going to say, and you can bet it won’t be sugar coated.  She is praised for being “in the moment” and prized by many who work with her for her quick wit and great sense of humor.  When reminded of this attitude from her constituents, she demurs.  “I guess you could say I am social.”  As if surprising even herself at this revelation, she adds, “I like people, enjoy talking with them and find myself inspired by the people of Arizona.”

This is not just the standard political response to building popularity.  Napolitano seems genuinely enthusiastic about her tour of duty and not at all burdened by leadership.  “Passion is how great leaders are built.”  She admits to being engaged throughout her life, but does not readily associate herself with being a political junkie as a youth.  “I was interested in all sorts of things growing up,” she recalls.  Her parents made sure her world was ever open, which has had an enduring impact.

Her beloved father, Leonard Napolitano, a retired dean of the University of New Mexico College of Medicine, once told his daughter, “Janet, be yourself, work hard and do the best job you can every single day, and you will succeed.”  His portrait solemnly hangs above her desk, serving as a reminder to her elected assignment.

Don’t get sidetracked by the traditional political obligations and standard topics.  Napolitano is fierce in her support for the arts and culture.  In a typical week her constituency might see her one night at a Suns game, the next the opera and, more often than not, a few black-tie fundraisers in between.  When asked about her hectic schedule, the governor, visibly chagrined, admits, “Yeah, I know I attend a lot of things—but they all matter.”

So it goes, as the state grows.  There are more causes to celebrate, strategies to organize and a population clamoring for her attention.  And it is in this way that the 25th governor of Arizona has indeed grown up to be a band leader.