Angela Gonzales, Manager of Project Development for Pattern Energy in New Mexico, has a rich history of advancing energy projects in the state.
“Pattern is in New Mexico for the long haul,” Angela says. “Pattern hires people in New Mexico, we’re sitting in our new office in Santa Fe, and the company really is dedicated to the people and the state.”
Angela Gonzales
Born and Raised New Mexico True
“I was born and raised in Santa Fe. My family and I still live here,” she says with a smile. “I started college at UNLV but eventually moved back to New Mexico and finished at the University of Phoenix.”
After school, she had a variety of jobs that young people often do — she even worked at a ski resort, though the reality was a lot less glamorous than it may have seemed.
“I was a ‘liftie’,” she says. “My friend and I worked the chair lift at the Santa Fe Ski Basin, and if you don’t know, you are outside the entire time. We nearly froze, but eventually we were transferred to an inside job, which was better.”
Pattern People in New Mexico
Angela Gonzales is a Manager of Project Development for Pattern Energy in New Mexico, and her role is a continuation of work she has been doing in our state for a long time.
“Pattern is in New Mexico for the long haul,” Angela said to me after we got settled. “Pattern hires people in New Mexico, we’re sitting in the office we’ll open when it’s safe, and the company really is dedicated to New Mexico.”
Career Growth
After she thawed out, Angela got her first “serious, business job” working for the New Mexico Finance Authority, where she met and worked with a future Pattern colleague, Jeremy Turner, Director of NM Project Development.
“It was an awesome job interacting with the legislature, as the Finance Authority is basically a bond bank for projects in the state,” she says. “New Mexico does an incredible job with bonds to raise money for state development, and I really enjoyed advancing projects that created job opportunities in my own backyard.”
Angela was eventually recruited to join Jeremy when he made the move to the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority (RETA), where work on Western Spirit Wind, a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership and eventual Pattern project, got its start.
After a successful run at RETA, Angela and Jeremy struck out on their own as consultants, starting their own business, Forever Energy Consulting. They continued to champion Western Spirit and were introduced to Pattern Energy.
“Western Spirit is great project,” says Angela. “New Mexico gets jobs with great pay operating clean, wind power, and we sell the excess energy to states further west that need it. New Mexico gets the jobs, and the revenue from other states.”
Western Spirit Wind, New Mexico.
Over the years, their relationship with Pattern deepened. Jeremy and Angela officially joined the Pattern team in 2020, and haven’t looked back since—they’ve been too busy developing other Pattern projects in New Mexico.
Talking about her role at Pattern, Angela shared, “Now I work with state officials, the state land office, and have an outward facing role, which has been rewarding professionally and personally. I really enjoy the work I do,” Continuing, “I enjoy going into our new office in Santa Fe and spending time with my coworkers. It is also always great to get out in our communities and represent Pattern at local events.”
Working on SunZia Wind and Transmission
Angela worked on SunZia long before she began working at Pattern. The project was in the works for years, and Angela is one of the lucky few who got to witness it from concept to construction.
“I wish people understood the magnitude of SunZia,” she says. “It is really hard to wrap your head around the scope of this project, let alone the amount of energy it will generate. For example, the Hoover Dam has a generation capacity of 2,080 megawatts. SunZia has a generation capacity of 3,500 megawatts.”
For a project of this scale, it’s really important to have people like Angela to help keep the train on the tracks, so to speak.
“My role in SunZia was on the development side,” she says. “I worked with local governments and state agencies, and made sure local stakeholders were always informed on the latest updates with the project. I was also a trusted, local source for people to come to when they needed information.”
“It was an enormous undertaking to get the project to construction, and we were only able to do it because the Pattern team, community members, landowners, state and federal agencies, environmental organizations, and so many others came together. Like they say, it takes a village.”
Angela’s work bringing SunZia to life in New Mexico continues today. “Seeing the project actually in construction makes my heart happy,” she says. “The best thing about working on SunZia is there is never a typical day. One day I could be going to a commission meeting, the next day I could be attending a county fair, and the next day I could be working with landowners. Every day is full of something new and exciting.”
Family Life
Angela and her husband have a daughter, Nicole, who recently graduated from NMSU. Their dog is a chihuahua and dachshund mix, BB, who is big in heart (if not size). For some good old fashioned New Mexico fun, they enjoy the Albuquerque Isotopes, red and green chile, the people and the weather.
“New Mexico is a great, great place to live, and we love it here.”
Getting to work on such an important energy project right here in her home state is one of the things Angela loves most about her work at Pattern, and we’re so grateful to have her on our team.
“I have a vested interest in this state and want nothing but the best for it. If you are from New Mexico, like me, you know that we have deep roots and are very sensitive when it comes to our land, people and cultures,” she says.
“Pattern not only cares about our environment and our people, but we also go above and beyond to make sure that we are doing the right thing, respecting the land, the people and our rich culture.”
“It feels great to be part of a project that not only is good for New Mexico but is great for the entire US. This is the largest renewable energy infrastructure project in US history, and it’s located in New Mexico. How amazing is that?”
Family Disney Trip in 2019.
Meet BB