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Career Development ProfileAnne Petersen, PhD
Dr. Anne C. Petersen, currently the Senior Vice President for programs at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan, has held positions in academia and government. At the Kellogg Foundation, she is responsible for providing overall leadership, including the development of effective programming strategies, teamwork, policies, philosophies, and organization-wide systems to accomplish the mission of the Foundation—"to help people help themselves." Petersen comes to these activities with a broad range of experience, developed throughout her career across different disciplinary areas. Petersen developed an interest in math in high school and liked it so much, she majored in it in college. Having assumed that she would become a math teacher, she got turned on to computers through a college job at the Institute for Computer Research. Petersen took a position as a mathematician with the National Security Agency (NSA) near Washington, DC and interned in computer systems. While at NSA, she began graduate work at Johns Hopkins University, where she became interested in statistics. She then decided to go to graduate school at the University of Chicago, where she got her PhD in measurement, evaluation and statistical analysis in 1973. After graduate school, Petersen moved from assistant to associate professor in the University of Chicago’s department of psychiatry through the 1970s and early 80s. In that position, she frequently served as statistical consultant for research projects. "I had done quite a lot of statistical consultation in graduate school and in my first position, but I felt like a bit of a plumber – fixing and patching after data had already been collected. One of the projects I was working on focused on adolescents and I became very interested in adolescent development and started reading up." Petersen’s discovery of psychology and her subsequent research has produced more than a dozen books and nearly 200 articles, with an emphasis on adolescent development and gender issues, including research methods, mental and physical health, and higher education issues. She was interested in gender issues, both as a substantive topic area and because she was a woman researcher when this was still unusual. "Gender issues were inescapable at the time because of the women’s movement. And with my interests in math, I was atypical." With others, Petersen formed a group called "Chicago Women in Research" which had so few women at the time, they could meet in each other’s living rooms. They supported each other by networking and by sharing tips on collaborators and funding opportunities. Petersen then served as Department Head of an interdisciplinary department: Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State. After serving a five year term as Department Head, Petersen was recruited as Dean of a new college at Penn State. Staying at the same institution made it possible for her to continue her research. In 1992 she accepted a position as Vice President for research and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Minnesota. Her background in different disciplines and different work settings had her well prepared for this challenge. In 1994, Petersen took a leave from academe to accept a Presidential appointment and Senate confirmation to become deputy director and chief operating officer of the National Science Foundation, then a $3.6 billion federal research agency with 1,300 employees, near Washington, D.C. in Arlington, Virginia. In this position, she worked closely with the National Science Board, the National Science and Technology Council, White House officials, and senior NSF Management on national science policy. "I’ve been fortunate to have opportunities open to me. I’ve weighed each opportunity in terms of what I would learn and what I could contribute, and have not been disappointed with any of them. In fact, I’ve often learned a great deal more than I anticipated! Overall I’ve learned a great deal about organizations and people – how to make things happen and how to support people to pursue their passions and make contributions. I’ve also learned about how to make lemonade when you get lemons. Most situations are not ideal – they require shaping or tweaking to find a fit between your interests and what seems possible in an institution. Frequently, by doing that, great things can happen. And if a situation seems to be a poor fit with my talents and interests, I move on." Petersen is well prepared for her work at the Kellogg Foundation. She started participating in activities that provide service to the discipline and to society early in her career and has worked with and consulted with a number of foundations, including consulting with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Lilly Endowment Inc. She also helped establish professional societies (the Society on Research on Adolescence) and has served on a number of National Academy advisory boards and study sections. She advises others, "Volunteer! For example, when just out of graduate school, I commented to an officer of an organization that I had been volunteering to play various roles but had not been asked to do anything. She asked me what I most wanted to do. I told her that a research conference was needed. So I launched the first of what has become an annual tradition. I came to appreciate the transformative role that a well-designed workshop or conference could play with a field. It’s important to step forward to accomplish what you think is needed – whether that be networking, developing particular groups or individuals, or pursuing a particular project." "I’m convinced that reaching leadership positions requires a great deal of grit and determination along with a tough skin and a lot of luck. And helpful mentors are essential—I have had some good assistance along the way." Petersen believes that doing everything "right" might not be enough. It’s important to be outstanding in your work of course. And every field has explicit and implicit rules—both of which are important. Mentoring is essential to learning the implicit rules. "If there aren’t senior women mentors in your work unit or department, look for some in related fields or look for supportive men. Good mentors enjoy being helpful and will enjoy your success. There is a great deal to be gained and little to lose in this process."
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