Alumnus profile: Bob Peterson

Bob Peterson

Bob Peterson’s journey through life

has taken him many places. He was born and raised in the small town of Plentywood in northeast Montana, near the borders of North Dakota and Saskatchewan, Canada. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1971, with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and history; he went on to receive a master’s degree in engineering administration from the U in 1975. He spent time in Tonga with the Peace Corps and later worked for more than 30 years for King County (in Seattle), most recently as a tribal government relations officer.

Education at the U

“When it was time to apply to college, I was encouraged by my parents to look at other universities, other states, and other environments,” said Peterson. “I considered Washington, where my mother’s family were territorial pioneers, as well as Minnesota, where the Peterson family homesteaded. The University of Utah won the day, with its mountains and deserts and generally warmer climate and, of course, the university’s reputation. I learned later that my mother had attended the University of Utah in 1946. I wonder if that had something to do with my choice!”

Peterson says his education at the U instilled a foundation for learning that has continued throughout his life. “I was always curious and read a lot of history, law, and philosophy, and the U’s environment and teaching ethic helped me to think broadly and seek the positive in the world.” He also appreciated the different teaching methods that he observed in the Math Department. “The teaching was rigorous, thorough, creative, and thought-provoking,” he said. While he didn’t do any specific mathematics research at the time, he did work on applied numerical analysis, operations research, and computer applications during grad school. “I recall late nights at the Merrill Engineering Building waiting for a keypunch machine to become available,” he said. On campus, he lived two years in Bailiff Hall (which no longer exists) and then moved off campus, working in the housekeeping department at the Hotel Utah Motor Lodge on North Temple (now demolished). Later, he worked full-time at Kennecott Copper’s Bingham Canyon Mine. It was a supportive workplace, and the mining, industrial, and civil engineers who were his coworkers encouraged him to work on an engineeringrelated graduate degree, so he began graduate studies at the university. Bob Peterson

Stint in the Peace Corps

While working at Kennecott, Peterson realized he wanted to do more with his life. Fortunately, Kennecott was willing to provide a leave of absence to Peterson to allow him to join the Peace Corps.

“Joining the Peace Corps allowed me to broaden my personal focus from a single extractive industry, like mining, to the larger world of different cultures and peoples and aspirations,” he said.

In 1976, he was assigned to Tonga PCV Group 17 as a development analyst in the Kingdom of Tonga’s Ministry of Labour, Commerce, and Industry. He was also assigned to teach part-time an introductory economics course at ‘Atenisi University. The work of a development analyst included evaluating foreign aid proposals, providing guidance on facility siting, and working with local officials on price controls.

By this time the Peace Corps had an affiliated agency—Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA)— so in late 1977 and early 1978, Peterson was able to

transfer to a VISTA position, again as a development and policy analyst, in Kodiak, Alaska. He worked with the Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA) and six island native villages on rural subsistence and energy issues, as well as building a village health clinic.

Career with King County

He met his wife, Susan, and her two children in Kodiak, and they became a family. In 1980 they moved to Seattle, where Peterson served as director of an intertribal engineering and planning consortium (Puget Sound Association of Cooperating Tribes). In 1984 he accepted the position of tribal general manager for the Suquamish Tribe in the Puget Sound area. Further broadening his work in tribal advocacy, he testified to congressional subcommittees on tribal government and contracting issues.

In 1988 Peterson accepted a project manager position with the King County/Metro Wastewater Treatment Division, working on water quality issues with tribal governments. He subsequently established and directed an agency-wide Tribal Initiatives Program, while advocating tribal positions and treaty rights within a local county government.

Peterson says his education at the U, as well as his work in the Peace Corps and in Alaska, gave him the skills and experience to work successfully in tribal relations. “The U gave me the necessary technical skills,” he said. “Then working within a monarchy in Tonga and with the Kodiak Area Native Association’s tribal villages in Alaska gave me the confidence to move into Pacific Northwest tribal affairs.”

In 2018, Peterson retired from the King County/Metro Department of Natural Resources and Parks as a tribal government relations officer. In honor of Peterson’s outstanding work, the King County Executive issued a proclamation declaring June 1, 2018, as “Bob Peterson Day.”

Today, Peterson and Susan (also retired from King County after 26 years) live in Mount Vernon, Wash. They enjoy their eight grandchildren and keep busy reading, writing, and teaching adult GED math classes through the Skagit Community Action Program. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last May. Susan and Bob Peterson

Peterson, wrapped in a tribal blanket, celebrating his retirement from King County. The tribal custom of “wrapping a blanket” signifies support and love from the tribe as if wrapping their arms around the person.