Q&A: Farm girl wins Employee of the Quarter

Susan Baysinger was born and raised on a family farm outside the Quad Cities in Illinois. She earned both a bachelor's degree in history and political science and a master's degree in general education from Eastern New Mexico University. She also earned a master's degree in history and higher education at Southern Illinois University. She has been working for the City of Portales since 2008 as the capital projects administrator and was recently awarded Employee of the Quarter by the city.

Susan Baysinger: Courtesy photo

Susan Baysinger rolls dough in preparation for making pie at her home. Baysinger works for the City of Portales as the capital projects administrator and likes to bake in her down time.

What are some of the pros and cons of working for the city?

Working for the city provides me with the opportunity to help people as part of a team effort among dedicated employees. Public service is both a vocation and an avocation. I have great respect for my fellow employees who dedicate themselves to helping make our community a great place to live and work. I love Portales, but do miss seeing my family as they live so far away.

How did you get interested in local government?

I have always been interested in government and history. I majored in history and political science at ENMU. In addition, I enjoy helping people and customer service is a key aspect of local government. I've always read extensively and from the time I was very small. The things around to read were history books and political treaties and philosophers. I always admired Sandra Day O'Connor. She was one of my inspiration points for reading.

What was it like growing up on a farm?

I bottle fed a lot of sheep and calves, fed the chickens, drove a combine (a machine that harvests grain crops) and painted fences. I spent a lot of time with animals. I played games like hide-and-seek and did a lot of bike riding. There were also many bonfires and cookouts.

Susan Baysinger: Courtesy photo

Susan Baysinger writes an email in her office. Baysinger works as the capital projects administrator for the City of Portales.

You have two master's degrees in education. Have you ever considered teaching?

Yes. I taught while attending Southern Illinois University as a teaching assistant and tutored as an undergraduate at ENMU.

Do people ever think you're related to actress Kim Basinger? Do you like her work?

People have asked me that question since I was married. I always laugh and tell people that the spelling of the last names are different. I am not really familiar with her work.

What foods are you allergic to? What kinds of creative ways do you get around that?

I am allergic to many things. The wise thing to do in that situation is to read ingredients on labels and menus very carefully. I love to bake pies, cakes, casseroles and meatloaf. I make a lot of vegetarian dishes, a lot of rice and vegetable stir-frys.

What are some of the genres you read and who are some of your favorite authors?

I read a lot of history, science fiction and fantasy. My favorite authors are Orson Scott Card and Guy de Maupassant. I just like their inventive use of language and the twists in their plotlines.