By Carol Clark | Los Alamos Daily Post
July 17, 2025
SANTA FE —The Albuquerque Journal has announced that the New Mexico State Land Office has won a Top Workplaces award, ranking 3rd among midsize organizations (with between 150-499 employees).
It marks the 3rd consecutive year the State Land Office has been named a Top Workplace, ranking 1st in 2023, and 2nd in 2024. In survey responses, employees consistently used words like “inclusive” and “supportive” to describe the agency.
The State Land Office won the Top Workplaces USA Award from USA Today in March 2025, for the 2nd consecutive year. Over 2,220 organizations participated in anonymous employee surveys as part of the national contest. The State Land Office was the only organization from New Mexico to rank in the top 25, regardless of size or sector. The agency was the top-ranked government agency in its category.
The State Land Office also previously won a 2023 and 2024 Woman-Led Organizations Award as part of the Top Workplaces Culture Excellence national awards, given to outstanding organizations whose most senior leader is a woman. Energage is a human resources and technology research company that partnered with both USA Today on the national award and the Albuquerque Journal on the regional award.
“We would not have been able to do any of the good work we’ve done over the past six years at the State Land Office without the dedicated employees here,” Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard said. “Any workplace award is directly due to them and the effort and attitude they bring to their jobs every day. Our employees are our greatest asset. I couldn’t be prouder of each and every employee who works here.”
Energage’s Top Workplaces Awards are based solely on employee feedback to an anonymous survey that measures 15 characteristics that are proven to predict high performance and are critical to the success of any organization.
According to the most recent survey, 95% of employees would highly recommend working at the State Land Office. 92% of employees believe the agency operates by strong values, and 95% feel the agency prioritizes their well-being.
The agency ranked in the top 5%, in the government sector benchmark for:
- Clued-In Employees;
- Employee Appreciation;
- Leaders In-The-Know; and
- Innovation.
Over the past several years, Commissioner Garcia Richard has instituted agency-wide policies that invest in employees and promote fairness, including prioritizing diversity in leadership positions and correcting pay equity disparities. The State Land Office’s mission is to earn money for schools and other public institutions by responsibly leasing state lands for energy production, commercial development, and agriculture, among other uses. The State Land Office has continued to earn record-breaking revenue consistently since 2019, exceeding $2.56 billion last year alone, as these cultural changes were implemented.
This article originally appeared in the Los Alamos Daily Post.