383 | New Mexico is Building America's Sovereign Wealth Fund with Jon Clark

Clark is an Albuquerque native and the state investment officer for the New Mexico State Investment Council, which manages a $67 billion portfolio—one of the nation's three largest sovereign wealth funds and on track to become the largest within 5–7 years. The SIC's returns are projected to surpass oil and gas as the biggest contributor to the state's general fund by 2043 and already provide over a quarter of K–12 funding and more than three-quarters of early childhood funding. Jon is committed to strengthening New Mexico's entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the SIC has invested $1.7 billion in New Mexico-focused venture funds over the last three years, fueling growth in advanced energy, deep tech, and aerospace and defense. These investments aim to attract billions more, create thousands of high-quality jobs, and elevate the state's standard of living. Before joining the SIC in 2024, Jon served as deputy and acting secretary of the New Mexico Economic Development Department, where he launched the Office of Entrepreneurship. He previously spent seven years with the Legislative Finance Committee as a fiscal analyst and chief economist, worked with the New Mexico Partnership on job recruitment, and supported technology commercialization at Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. He holds an MBA in finance and marketing from UNM's Anderson School and enjoys outdoor recreation across New Mexico.   This episode is sponsored by the coaching company of the host, Paul Zelizer. Consider a Strategy Session if you can use support growing your impact business. Resources mentioned in this episode include: New Mexico State Investment Council site Article on Sentate Bill 26 Rebeca Puck Stair Awarepreneurs intervew Rep. Meredith Dixon Awarepreneurs interview Paul's Fractional Services Pitch an Awarepreneurs episode