Board of Trustees

Harold Pettigrew discusses how meeting with the NC State University Board of Trustees as the Student Body President prepared him for his future.

Interview on 2012-11-02 00:00:00 -0400

Transcript

00:00:00.000 So, the most critical thing that came out of my experience at State, at twenty-seven I was chief of staff;
00:00:09.552 at thirty I was a licensing administrator; and now at thirty-three-I started at thirty-two-as director for Small Business Development.
00:00:22.290 I serve on the mayor's cabinet. I think conclusively I'm the youngest cabinet member. The experience at State,
00:00:33.036 specifically through the student leadership involvement, I think was the biggest preparation for what I'm doing right now.
00:00:41.016 To be able to be a member of the board of trustees at the time, knowing that I'm sitting around the table with some
00:00:46.748 of the richest and most influential people in the state and that as a student, and as every student who serves on the board of trustees,
00:00:59.028 you have to come and represent not only yourself but the campus community in such a way where you're not certainly making a fool of yourself,
00:01:10.637 you're not presenting just student passionate arguments, but that you're presenting rational perspectives, that you're well read, that you're informed,
00:01:19.791 and quite frankly can speak at the level and caliber that the rest of the trustees are able to. That was an early experience
00:01:30.194 that I think has almost subconsciously prepared me for the very wonderful opportunities I've had in Washington, DC, certainly with maturity,
00:01:45.476 being able to sit at the table and have very great discussions with, like I said, some of the most influential and richest folks at the time in the state.
00:01:54.414 That was the biggest thing, really expanding my perspective and deepening my maturity to be able to have that type of involvement,
00:02:05.969 which has translated into much of the involvement I have now with cabinet members, the mayor, and everybody else who are twice my age.