Saying yes to what’s next: Michelle Dearholt’s path to CEO

When Michelle Dearholt became president and CEO of Nusenda Credit Union in March 2024, it was the result of nearly two decades of leadership growth - and a career shaped as much by openness as by intention.

Dearholt earned her bachelor's degree in business administration with a focus on human resource management from The University of New Mexico in 2002, followed by an MBA from UNM's Anderson School of Management in 2007. Early on, she had a clear goal. "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.

A leader at Nusenda asked her to oversee project management, a role outside her expertise. Dearholt remembers her initial reaction clearly. "I said, 'What are you talking about? I don't know anything about project management.'" But her leader saw skills she had been developing since her time at Anderson: collaboration, communication, planning, and critical thinking.

She said yes.

"That was a pivotal moment for me," Dearholt said. What began as a single stretch assignment turned into oversight of more than a dozen departments over the next 10 to 15 years - experience that ultimately prepared her for the CEO role. "That was step one of learning that leadership isn't about being an expert. It's about being open."

That mindset was planted 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."

Her MBA experience, completed while working full time, allowed 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 - contributes to organizational goals. "When you understand how all the pieces fit together, you know who to ask and when," she said. "You don't try to do everything yourself."

Critical thinking also became 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."

Today, as CEO, Dearholt leads with a broad, people-centered perspective shaped by education, experience, and community. A former member of the Anderson Alumni Council, she values the lasting relationships 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 didn't come from following a rigid plan, but from building a strong foundation and being willing to grow beyond it.

"You can have goals," she said, "but the real opportunity comes when you're open to what's next."

Dearholt also served as the Anderson School of Management's Spring 2025 commencement speaker. Watch her address here.