{"562701":{"#nid":"562701","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Connecting with Georgia Tech\u2019s \u2018Queen Bee\u2019","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EFrom managing the President\u2019s Residence, to fundraising, to serving in the Association of American Universities, to mentoring, and public speaking \u2014 sometimes even in Spanish (in which she has her Texas A\u0026amp;M master\u2019s degree) \u2014 Georgia Tech\u2019s first lady is one busy bee. The \u201cQueen Bee,\u201d that is.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EExceptionally warm, jocular, and irrepressibly charming, the Seattle-born, Kansas City-raised Val Peterson prefers not to be addressed as \u201cMrs. Peterson.\u201d Instead, she says, \u201cJust call me Val ... or Queen Bee.\u201d As the Institute\u2019s first lady of the past seven years, the mother of four biological and nine foster children, today, also proudly considers herself \u201cmom\u201d to Tech\u2019s more than 25,000 students, which is why she happily lays claim to the moniker Val P., the Queen Bee.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EBut the nurturer that is Val P. is as much Val, the connector. She zealously embraces her role as a \u201cgreat cheerleader for the Institute,\u201d and, in so doing, fervidly connects with all things Tech \u2014 down to the four closets of self-made outfits that are each some combination of white and gold, black and gold, or navy and gold. Her clothes have been the topic of many a conversation that has facilitated one of things she most enjoys: \u201cI specialize in making connections; it\u2019s one of my favorite things. I am a connector. I love to find out where people\u2019s passions lie and where their passions connect with Tech.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ERead on to find out more about what makes the Queen Bee buzz.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p4\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you enjoy most about being Georgia Tech\u2019s first lady?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EI enjoy fundraising. That\u2019s what I spend most of my time doing. I go where I think I add value. If I\u2019m choosing whether to accept this invitation or that, I will always take the fundraising opportunity. My family says that I can talk to rocks, and that is a wonderful skill in fundraising, especially in this job, in my support of Bud.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p4\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhich cause within the fundraising realm are you most passionate about?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EI love the Tech Promise program! Bud and I give our personal philanthropy in support of this program. We just finished the capital campaign in which we were supposed to find $1.5 billion, and we found more than $1.8 billion. So proud! Our goal specifically for Tech Promise was $50 million, but when we finished the campaign, we had more than $60 million. \u003Cem\u003E(Editor\u2019s Note: Fundraising for Tech Promise continues to be one of Georgia Tech\u2019s highest priorities in the post-campaign period.)\u003C\/em\u003E Tech Promise just fits in with who I am because I love to take care of the underdog. I love to tell people about Tech Promise because it\u2019s such an inspiring story. I\u2019m so thankful to [President Emeritus] Wayne Clough for starting it right before we got here so we could carry on his good work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p7\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETalk about your involvement in foster care.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThat conversation could actually be a separate interview because it\u2019s so big, but we basically had nine children over 11 years, after the last of our four entered the public school system. I was at the point where I didn\u2019t want to work anymore, and I didn\u2019t want to get any more degrees; I just wanted to stay home and be a mom. Today, I have one young lady who says to me, \u2018Of all of my moms \u2014 and I have a lot [biological mother, stepmother, mother-in-law, foster mother] \u2014 you\u2019re the best.\u2019 She makes me cry when she says that.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p7\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s your favorite place on campus and why?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EIt\u2019s the President\u2019s Residence at Tech because my family is here. Half of our children have lived here, and my father [who passed away four months ago] lived here.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAlso, the arch on North Avenue is another of my favorite places on campus. I think it\u2019s so pretty; it\u2019s a neat way to enter the campus. That archway is just filled with hope as to what you\u2019re going to find on the other side.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p7\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are the top three things on your bucket list?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EI want to zip line with my family. I want to lead a Tech tour for the Alumni Association. And, I want to be a grandmother \u2014 which is coming Jan. 8, 2017! Man, these kids are 33, 35, 37, and 39 ... I\u2019ve been waiting forever!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p7\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow do you and President Peterson unwind together?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EWe walk. On nights that we don\u2019t have Tech events, we walk on campus and meet the most interesting people.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p7\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you had to choose one thing that makes you the most proud of Dr. Peterson, what would it be?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EHis vision! I recently accused him of RUNNING into the future with Georgia Tech!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p7\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you want your legacy as First Lady of Georgia Tech to be?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EFor our students, I want to be known as their Georgia Tech mom, while they\u2019re on this campus, and I want our marriage to be a model of a relationship to which they can aspire. For our faculty and staff, I want to be known as a sincere supporter.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EFor the administration, I want to be known as a member of the team. But most of all, I want to be known as an amazing fundraiser for our incredible, cutting-edge, life-changing university!\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EFrom managing the President\u2019s Residence, to fundraising, to serving in the Association of American Universities, to mentoring, and public speaking \u2014 sometimes even in Spanish (in which she has her Texas A\u0026amp;M master\u2019s degree) \u2014 Georgia Tech\u2019s first lady is one busy bee.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From managing the President\u2019s Residence, to fundraising, to serving in the Association of American Universities, to mentoring, and public speaking, Georgia Tech\u2019s first lady is"}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2016-08-15 11:09:24","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:22:19","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-08-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-08-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"562711":{"id":"562711","type":"image","title":"Val Peterson","body":null,"created":"1471273987","gmt_created":"2016-08-15 15:13:07","changed":"1475895367","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:56:07","alt":"Val Peterson","file":{"fid":"206803","name":"valpeterson.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/valpeterson.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/valpeterson.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1392326,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/valpeterson.jpg?itok=bwQgokyV"}},"562721":{"id":"562721","type":"image","title":"Val Peterson","body":null,"created":"1471274008","gmt_created":"2016-08-15 15:13:28","changed":"1475895367","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:56:07","alt":"Val Peterson","file":{"fid":"206804","name":"valpeterson2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/valpeterson2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/valpeterson2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1187488,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/valpeterson2.jpg?itok=H3oYf4fw"}}},"media_ids":["562711","562721"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.president.gatech.edu\/","title":"Office of the President"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"172261","name":"first lady"},{"id":"1271","name":"President"},{"id":"3918","name":"profile"},{"id":"11258","name":"val peterson"},{"id":"4152","name":"whistle"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brigitte.espinet@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrigitte Espinet\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}