Our people: A passion for the arts

My name is Natalie Daggett. I grew up in a small Indiana town northwest about 20 miles from Indianapolis. As a young child and through my teen years, I knew that my passion was in the arts. After high school, my path led me to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where I received a bachelor of music in music education and then continued at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana for a masters' in arts administration. While I was receiving my masters', I interned for a small nonprofit arts organization in Sanibel, Florida. After graduation, I was offered a full time position with the organization and made the move to Sanibel in 2004 where I stayed for seven years. It was in Florida where I met my husband, and when he got orders in 2009 to Clovis, I soon followed in 2010, now working as the director of institutional advancement at Clovis Community College.

How did you end up at CCC?

I found CCC after seeing a billboard advertising CCC Cultural Arts Series and reached out to Series Director Christy Mendoza to see how I could get involved. After I began volunteering, the opportunity opened up at CCC as director of resource development, which entailed being the administrator of the Cultural Arts Series and executive director of the CCC Foundation. In 2015, my husband decided to end his active duty contract and we decided to stay. At that time, I was then promoted to director of institutional advancement where I additionally also now manage the marketing, recruitment and career services departments.

What would you do if you won $1 million?

If I won $1 million I would put some aside in savings, especially for my son's future education, and then set aside the rest to travel with my family and friends to places I would love to visit and explore, especially in Europe.

What's your idea of a perfect day?

My perfect day would start with a really good cup of coffee and enjoying the morning with my son and husband. I would then treat myself to a really nice spa service. For the rest of the day, I then would plan to spend time with my family and friends. Perhaps we would visit the beach for a fun day in the sun or ski in the mountains or explore a museum or cook a great meal while enjoying a really good bottle of wine and laughter.

If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?

If I could have a superpower, I would like to teleport so I can get to places quickly. One of the most challenging parts while living in Clovis for me is trying to get to spend time with my family and friends as it usually involves a full day of travel to get to the Midwest or east coast. If I could teleport, I would save a lot of time traveling and get a chance to spend more time with them.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was a child I wanted to work for Disney, particularly in the music department or in the orchestra. I always thought it would be an amazing opportunity to be a part of the music of some of my favorite Disney films.

What are you reading?

I just finished reading the "Crazy Rich Asians" series, which I absolutely enjoyed. It was well-written, lighthearted and provided a good laugh, which I needed after a long day at work. I enjoy reading as much as possible and most days, I will wrap up my day with a good book and cup of tea. And on those occasions I haven't gotten a chance to visit the library to check out a book on my "to read" list, I always love turning to the Harry Potter series to read again as they always whisk me away on a magical adventure that I never grow tired of being a part of.

If money were no object, what would you do to make eastern New Mexico a better place?

I would love to see Clovis MainStreet as an arts and entertainment district and help get our three amazing theaters out of the renovation stage. Once in operation, these theaters will really offer the community various arts and culture enrichment opportunities.

What's an accomplishment you're proud of?

Lately I am most proud of becoming a mom to a handsome, creative, strong willed 4-year-old boy; being a graduate of the Leadership New Mexico Connect 2019 class; leading the institutional advancement department at CCC with a talented and creative team of individuals who are always thinking how can we make CCC better for our students and community; and knowing that since becoming the executive director of the CCC Foundation, we have doubled the amount of scholarships awarded to our students, which is especially impactful to know we are helping more students achieve their educational goals.