Greg Peterson

Guiding conversations with community leaders.

In this podcast, we'll explore the human journey of leaders, their stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks and lessons learned. Come join us as we journey together and uncover the questions you've always wanted to know.

Here we go.

It's a new day. What do we got today?

I am very excited for this guest.

He grew up at the end of the Oregon Trail with three brothers and a sister. By 12, he was picking berries at a nearby farm. After working with adult immigrants at a furniture factory, he found a passion for adult education and has served at five community colleges, including four Hispanic institutions. Since 2018, he has served as the president of Chandler Gilbert Community College. He is the dog loving, bodybuilding, Converse wearing leader we love. Welcome Dr. Greg Peterson.

Welcome to the show.

Thank you very much.

We're so glad you're here. We are excited to have you and we can't wait to dig into all your secrets. Isn't that how it goes?

We're not going to scare you away.

From that at all.

You know what we're going to do? We're going to start with Rapid Fire.

Rapid Fire. Here we go. All right, first question here. What song do you sing on karaoke night?

Bohemian Rhapsody.

How's that one go?

A queen.

Yeah.

I'm just a poor boy, Nobody loves me.

I love that. Okay, great.

Favorite superhero?

Spider Man.

Dine in or delivery?

Dine in.

A day with your best friend or.

A party with everyone you know?

A day with a best friend.

What's your hobby of choice?

In the gym?

A phone call or a text message?

Text message? Yes.

Other than her voice, what's the most annoying sound in the world?

Think of something other than my voice.

I stumped him with that one.

My alarm in the morning.

Yes.

Safari or cruise?

Safari.

One day with any person, living or not, who would it be?

I heard this one. So Jesus would be there.

Hey, that's a good answer. I like that.

One last question. Glass half full or half empty?

So if you mean F o o l, it is at least half full, probably more.

Awesome. Thank you.

Gilbert. City Lifestyles is a locally owned publication whose mission is to find and share great stories in our community and help build a stronger, more vibrant local experience.

Become a digital subscriber@citylifestyles.com Gilbert. All right, so now let's talk about you. Give us a little history about the beginnings of your world and kind of where it all started.

Once upon a time. So I grew up in the Pacific Northwest outside of Portland.

Okay.

My parents. So my dad's a police officer, retired. And then my mom worked stay at home mom. And then she did odd ends to make ends meet. So she did a little bit of everything. And I say the two of them really taught us about work and really to be independent and instill the love for learning. So I remember that I didn't get a driver's license until I was 18 because I have a twin brother, and so I just relied on him. But what it meant was I got to read everywhere, so I didn't know where anything was. I couldn't drive anywhere because I would get in the car and just open my book and read.

So you didn't hit those landmarks that people have to memorize what you're saying?

Right, right.

They did.

Well, you passed this road. I'm like, oh, did we pass that?

So when you say you had your twin brother and he did, you just, like, use his license and go drive kind of thing, and you just unbother.

So my brother got his license, and then he got a. He paid $300 for a car. Right?

That's a good one.

And then he drove us.

Okay, okay, I'm following you. I'm with you now. Okay. And I hear you proclaim you're the best uncle.

Oh, I am the best uncle.

Okay, what qualifies you as best uncle?

So here in town, I've got two nieces, two nephews, but the younger of them were really into Harry Potter, and so we threw a whole Harry Potter party at my house where they did each of the classes. The best one was they did Divination, and so I had a bunch of relatives send in pictures of how they died, and then the kids had to guess. They had it divine how people would die. It was awesome. It was just.

Wow, that is amazing. Okay, so you can win that one.

Yep. Your best uncle. Got it.

You served a mission in Germany. How long ago was that?

How old am I? So, what, 20 something years ago?

Let me help Ben out a little bit. So tell us about that mission in Germany and what it meant to you.

So one of the things we were talking about were those defining moments in your life. And one of them, for me was going on a church mission. It was leaving. I never really left. The farthest I'd gotten from Portland was Utah until I was 19. And so then all of a sudden, I was in Europe. And so this whole new world, whole new language, just to see the world differently, to see how big it was, and then to spend two years really caring for others where it wasn't about me. It was really about how do we serve, how do we love, how do we share what we valued most? And that really defined for me the purpose of my life, which really led to getting into education and really in that public service sector.

Yeah, but I have a suspicion that you always were about serving others, even as a kid. Is that true?

I enjoyed it, yeah. I would say, yeah.

Were your siblings that way, was your twin that way, or were you sort of sticking out?

I think our family was that way, yeah.

Is it a Portland thing?

No. Okay. Portland's quirky and sometimes we could be nice, but sometimes.

So education, there's obviously a lot of influences that you've had, I'm sure, along that journey. Tell us some of those experiences that maybe have influenced you into that industry that you're in now.

Yeah. So when I was in high school, I had an English teacher that really encouraged me and probably was more patient with me because I thought I could write and I would write a lot and she would read it all and really encourage me. And so then I felt like, I felt like I had value, I could do something in that space. I'm an English major. So then when I went on to the university, so I transferred. So I got to byu, I took a couple. So I was in the English program there and I had an English class and I wrote a paper and the professor one day just told the whole class about how my paper was graduate level and like, things I had never even thought about being qualified to be in graduate school. I'm just an undergrad, first generation college student. And those moments where it's the Ralphie moment, Christmas story.

Remember when he's dreaming of that paper? You don't remember this, do you?

I never saw the movie.

You had the Ralphie moment. That's awesome.

And then one of the biggest ones for me, I got into, decided I wanted to teach sheriff. So I work in community colleges. Like I say, this is the role of how we're improving things. So I graduated high school, I went to local community college, and I waited for an hour in line to meet with the counselor to advise her to figure out what I should do. And I had my transcript and I sat down with him and I said, okay, I want to be an elementary education teacher. And he said, no, you don't. And I'm like, okay, well then what should I do? And he said, oh, that's a whole other hour meeting. You're going to have to come back. And of course, being a typical 18 year old, I never Came back, right. I just figured, well, I can't be. He clearly said, I can't do elementary education, so I'll do higher. I'll do high school. Right. So I started taking classes in that space and then really met individuals who just inspired me. So really that summer in the furniture factory and working with these amazing adults. And many of them had education at different levels, but they were just from different countries. They didn't speak the language. And so they were stuck in this horrible job. That furniture factory, if you aren't inspired to go to college, that was the place you could see that place. And so it really struck me, this opportunity of what I've been blessed with and how I could help others. And then really, the big one for me was, so then I moved on to graduate school. Someone said I was like, in doctoral programs. Someone said, well, you should probably visit. I'm like, oh, you do that. So I reached out to a program I found online. It happened to be the best in the nation, but I didn't know. I just found it online. I'm like, yeah, can I come visit? And they're like, sure. So I went down, and they knew nothing about me. And I sat in class all morning, and the director, Dr. John Rusch, was watching me. I didn't know. And after he invited me into his office, I thought he was just going to talk to me about the process and what I thought. And his first comment was, well, we've been watching you, and we want to invite you to be in the program. We think that you would be a future leader. And I was just overwhelmed, overwhelmed. And I said, are there any scholarship opportunities? He said, yes, there'll be scholarship opportunities. We'll take care of you. I don't know what to say. So then I'm just overwhelmed. And so he felt so bad for me. He said, so I like your shoes. Where'd you get them? And my response was, I don't know. They're my brothers. I borrowed.

Making a name for yourself.

Exactly. So Dr. Ish of that program, the first day we showed up, he said, you're going to be a college president. And I said, there's no way I'm going to be a college president. And, you know, by the time I left two years later, I had this idea in my mind that I could be a college president.

You could do this. Yeah.

So going back to the furniture factory, what I find interesting and what tells me a lot about you is many people could have worked alongside those individuals who maybe needed some additional assistance. And Let that feeling just be a fleeting thought. You approached it differently and it inspired you. Where does that come from?

You know, I think it's the, you know, how we all interact with the world and what drives our passions and those connections. And for me, I was inspired by the stories and I was inspired by. I'm a bit of an idealist, an optimist. So it was this, the hope I saw in them. Right. So I looked at the situation and thought, this is horrible. But they were so hopeful and they were so happy and looking forward to new opportunities. So I think their optimism really inspired me to think about, well, who can step in this space? Who's going to be that hope? And maybe I could be a part of it.

Do you find it challenging to remain an optimist in education?

I definitely have developed some strong realism roots to my optimism. I, um, but I think that, so I, I fundamentally believe education is the core to hope. Right. That we all can learn and grow, that there is always an opportunity to change and progress and, and be better and do better. Um, and I think our societies are built upon that. If, if, if we give up that hope, then what do we have? So, so for me, public education, especially community colleges, we're positioned to be open to everyone and we get to provide that opportunity, that access, wherever you are. And so that's huge. So that gives me, that, reinvigorates that hope when I have too long of a day of meetings.

Yeah. So who do you turn to, though, when you are in those dark moments and it's not so great and rosy, like, do you have any inspirations or anybody that you lean in on that kind of stuff?

You know, I think it's important to, you know, so as a, as a college president, there's a lot of things I can't talk to people about. Right. I'm just. So, by the time conversations are happening with me, they have to stay with me. And so partly it's important for me to have a really good connection with other presidents. So there's 10 colleges in our district, and so that's a blessing that I've got built in peers. Yeah. So that's really important to really connect and lean in. I've got some really good friends. One of my best friends is up in Washington as a college president. And you know, to be able just to kind of commiserate and work through things and then to have friends that are outside where I can just disconnect and remember that there's more to life than my office.

Right.

Yeah. And I know your escape in many ways is travel. That service in Germany sort of sparks something in you. What are some of the best places that you've been?

A couple fun stories. So when I was living in California, my ex boyfriend was just amazing at travel. So he found these round trip tickets to Thailand for $330. And then so we're in Thailand and I got really sick one day. I slept for 20 hours. Well, he had nothing to do. So he was just online, you know, just checking around. And he found plane tickets to New Zealand for 120 round trip. Wow. So like he wakes me up long enough to say, hey, you want to go to New Zealand? I'm like 10 hours later, I'm like.

Did I say yes to something great?

He's like, yeah, they're booked. So some really cool. So we've been able to really see a lot of cool things. Yeah.

I had the opportunity to speak to the senior class at Highland High School this week, which 100 seniors. I was a bit nervous, but one of the things I said to them is take the opportunity to serve and take the opportunity to travel. Because I think that is a lot of self exploration in those activities.

I had a student when I was in California at a student who was deferred action. Sorry, DACA child. So an individual who had come as a child but was undocumented and he as he was transferring to the university, he received his citizenship and so he was all excited. I said the first thing you need to do is go get a passport. He's like, why don't you money travel? I said, well just go to Canada, just go across the border. And so he went across the border and that just sparked him. And then he was able to take his dad back to Mexico and then he was planning to travel more. So I think it's that you don't know until you get that exposure, that spark.

You gotta leave your front door sometimes, huh?

Yeah.

Get out there and see. You know, we jumped ahead a bit, which is okay. But I want to go back a bit because I want to understand the inspirations that you had to get to the roles that you're in now. Because we kind of went from your college, but then how did you get to where you are? Like there's a journey there, right?

Yeah. So higher education is very diverse. Right. And you've got like university asu. ASU is just so massive and they have so many different levels. And you know, you would have a dean, for example, that is probably five levels below Dr. Crow. Community colleges are far flatter where. So as a president, I'm interacting with faculty and students on a regular basis. We're just far flatter, which allows for opportunities to move from service positions, working with students, into management positions and then up into the executive level. So I really spent a fair amount of time in student services. So really looking about how do we improve access in, how do we improve retention, those partnerships between the K12s and college. So how do we increase that college going and make it easier and remove some of those barriers for students? And then really looking at how do we serve all of our communities so that all of our communities have the same level of access and ability to succeed. And so really thinking about that diversity and diversity in our programming. So we want to make sure that we have strong transfer pathways for students moving on. We want to make sure we have strong career technical programs for students who want to move right into the workforce. So it's really so gaining that experience of working with students and then working with industry partners and really better understanding how are we positioned in our community. So that led through kind of the dean level position into the vice president level position. I was vice president for about 10 years in California. I have two brothers who've lived here forever. And so. And I was. I was a very wise visitor. I would come between November and February.

Absolutely.

Someone tipped you off. Yeah.

So when this physician came home, been here for the presidency, I actually, I came out in July the year before. I knew it was coming. I came out in July the year before. And I walked campus, both campuses, in a suit because I wanted to make sure I really understood what I was getting myself into. And. And I didn't die. So I figured, you know, I can do this.

Okay. So the other thing I saw in your notes is you're a super gym rat. Like, that's your jam. Was this always a thing or is this recent?

Let's start with this. How many gym memberships do you have?

Oh, okay.

That's awful.

No, really, answer honestly.

Five.

Five gym memberships, but I have them.

For different reasons, so depending on where.

You are in the Valley.

Okay, Well, I am, so. I do. So I actually started CrossFit again. I was doing CrossFit a while and I took a break and then I started CrossFit. But then I do mobility gymnastic training, which I've just loved the last couple years, which I love. So I do a little bit of that, which helps me not get too injured when I'm doing CrossFit.

That's a lot of flexibility and stretching.

My back hurts just talking about it, something's wrong.

And then access to, then I do some high intensity training. So kind of the circuit training pieces and then you need a backup gym if you just need to get a workout in because everything else is scheduled.

I honestly, I respect that because I think as a leader sometimes the first thing you give up is self care. So the fact that you make time for that is pretty impressive. And time times five is even more impressive.

What I don't know, I get all the times five in there but I think it's really important that self care piece. So I know that as soon as I get to work, I don't know when the day is going to end. So I front load my day with the gym and that just sets the tone for the day. And then I've learned that if I've got a few long days back to back that I just need to like at 5:30 I just need to pop out, go to the gym, clear my head and then come back and continue working that I'm actually more productive that way.

Totally get that 100%. So someone looking in at the lens of your world, English major writer going into academia like you are, what advice would you have for somebody that wants to go down that path that says I want to be a president someday like you, for a college?

I've thought a lot about that. I think first of all, and I think this is across all industries, but especially in education, you can lead from many different places in the organization. And I mean a title is nice. Sometimes a title is not all that nice. Sometimes I enjoy going into a room and not having people know who I am so I can have an open conversation and then someone says oh by the way, right. But taking those leadership opportunities, noticing, stepping forward, really seeing where there's a need and helping with that need. And even if it's something small, we, especially in education, we're an industry of people. So we lead people. That's our business, that's who we do. In that space. You can't make any progress unless you care and know and value and motivate and encourage and understand people.

Well, you set a reputation for yourself as the people's president. I mean you really are so humble and relatable and yet you lead with such respect. And I'm curious because that is not the mold. You've broken the mold a little bit. How do you stay motivated to lead in that way?

Well, I'll say the other piece kind of referenced so for Me, I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I'm also gay. And that's not necessarily the combination I would recommend. And so it has been challenging for me to really reconcile my identity, who I am, how to. How to fully care for me and love me. That. That took me a while, and so I. But I think that journey helps me see the humanity in others that we're all. We're all growing, we're all learning. We all have those moments, those dark spaces that we're working through. We all have those doubts about being good enough. And then we all have that glimmer of potential and strength and amazingness that's in us. And so I think those experiences ground me.

I think it's really important for people to hear that message because I do think we put on others that it came easy and that they're who they are because they're who they are. And we don't give the context of the journeys that they've had. And I appreciate the fact that you share that.

Yeah.

Your answer is way better than I thought you were going to say. I would have said I would go to one of my five gyms. That's how Sarah. But his was way better.

We know you don't.

Awesome.

Well, hey, we've enjoyed having you on our show today. This has been a great conversation. Any final questions? Any final thoughts?

No, I'm just gonna say I adore you. I adore your leadership style. I adore the fact that you are so relatable and so humble and yet you are setting out to change the world. And I have no doubt you're gonna do it. Thank you for being here.

Thank you for having me. I just. I am so humbled to be here. I am a little bummed. Cause I was so ready for that rapid fire question of what's the best part of Gilbert? And I was gonna say the chamber.

Oh, well, there goes her head.

Another crash.

I love you.

This has been awesome. Thank you for joining us and those that have been listening. You know, this is a great show. So you should just automatically subscribe to the show, join our tribe and listen to more. Thanks for being here, everybody. Guiding growth conversations with community leaders. CIGNA is proud to sponsor the Guiding Growth podcast series.

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