Johann Lindig (1984 & 1986) 

There is not much Johann Lindig has not done throughout her impressive career. After graduating from New Mexico Tech, Johann got her start in the medical manufacturing of pacemakers. From there she began work in executive research and development, and operations. She worked as an instructor for Stanford University Center for Professional Development for eleven years, where she taught leadership and strategy courses for corporate clients, including Cisco, Google, Janssen, and Merck. She has also taught courses worldwide in design thinking and complexity for Duke Corporate Education and has taught and developed curriculum for university programs.

It was at Stanford, though, that she experienced “an unforeseen twist that took [her] career to an interesting place.” This is where she met Dr. Robert C. Dickeson who needed someone to help with the process of implementing campus-wide projects successfully. The two eventually co-founded Academic Strategy Consortium, a consulting practice focused on higher education, where Johann is now Senior Counsel.

But every story has to start somewhere, and Johann’s began before she arrived at New Mexico Tech.

Johann has always been smart but a woman’s intelligence and inner strength were not something to be valued in her small hometown of Starkville, Mississippi. So she “fled the south” in 1979 to make the southwest and New Mexico Tech her new home. She has not looked back since.

“Tech changed the trajectory of my life. I would not be the person I am today if I had not gone to Tech, it’s where I became the person I was supposed to be.”

Her first Bachelor’s Degree, earned in 1984, was in Petroleum Engineering. “It was my Dad’s dream to be an engineer. I wanted to make him proud, I also thought it would be fun.” An eventual downturn in the Petroleum Engineering industry, along with encouragement from her academic advisor Jimmy Killingsworth, led to her earning a second Bachelor’s Degree in Technical Communication in 1986. In addition to two degrees, her time at Tech included working for the head of Campus Auxiliary Services, Rhonda Savage St. George. “She was one of the first people who showed me how women could be powerful. I got to see a woman be tough. She had my back and I could always count on her support.” Johann also interned with the Technical Communications Department, wrote for Gold Pan Alumni Magazine (among other campus publications), and worked as a Residency Advisor in the Housing Office.

Outside of student work and academics, Johann talks of her incredibly fond feelings she still has for Tech. It’s where she fell in love with the desert, hiking, and outdoor pursuits, made lifelong friends, and met her husband of 36 years. But despite the many positives, things were not always smooth sailing. The ratio of men to women on Tech’s campus today is currently three to one; while Johann was on campus in the 1980s the ratio was a staggering seven to one.

“Women got an overwhelming amount of attention on campus, not all of it positive. There was a lot of conversation then about how men were smarter and how women were not capable of careers in STEM. It wasn’t a great place for women to be.” Despite this, Johann had the inner strength to persevere and “forge a cadre of strong relationships with other women on campus,” many of whom are still dear friends.

These experiences - along with her background in communications and educational consulting - are precisely why she is now spearheading fundraising efforts for the new Women’s Center. Her initial desire was born of the simple idea to make Tech a better place for the women who follow in her footsteps; a place where women do not have to worry or be burdened in the same ways women were in the past. She hopes that the Center will be a safe space for women on campus, a place where women get support, with additional resources and education.

Her lessons for women at Tech and in STEM? “Don’t limit yourself. You always need to be thinking bigger. And get comfortable talking about money - if you want to be successful in any career you need to know how to make the case for your value.” She also has thoughts on what men can do as allies of women as well: “Acknowledge that women bring a productive perspective to STEM. Our experiences and perspectives may be different, but they are worthy of being invited to the table.”

Johann now lives in Greeley, Colorado. When she is not working, or doing advocacy and fundraising work for the Women’s Center, she enjoys staying connected with her Tech classmates, tandem bicycling with her husband, hiking, reading, learning about current events (she reads five newspapers every day), and taking care of her many pets. She also runs a book club: Athena Scientifica. The idea is to create an interest in feminist books, to explore women in STEM, and engage people on campus.

Outside of her tremendous career, Johann has plenty of which she is proud. She has traveled and made friends all over the world, made a true difference globally, and has acted as a positive influence in many people’s careers and lives. She is a proud Techie and is committed to helping keep NMT a great STEM school for all, we are honored to call her one of our alumni.