Her Story
About Autumn
Autumn Haagsma serves as Director of the Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education and Assistant Director of the Michigan Geological Survey, roles she has held for nearly four years in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In these positions, she curates and preserves geological samples, historical records, reports, and maps while managing their use for research and education, and she leads federally and state-funded research projects. Prior to joining the survey, she worked at Battelle, the world's largest nonprofit for research and development, in their energy division focusing on climate-related projects including carbon sequestration. Haagsma brings 13 years of experience in geology overall. She earned her Bachelor's of Science in Physics and Geology from Central Michigan University, her Master's in Geophysics from the University of Minnesota, and her PhD from Miami University in Ohio. She has maintained a long involvement with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, where she built a strong professional network. Haagsma attributes her success to support from family, mentors, and her network, along with hard work, persistence, and passion. She advises others, especially young women entering the field, to develop their own voice and values flexibility and a willingness to learn new things to open career doors.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Autumn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say support from others. Given my career-family-life balance, I definitely want to be able to do what I did without the support of my husband, without support of my family. I was the first in my family to go to college. My parents had no idea what that looked like, but they were very like, let's try to figure it out together. Finding my mentor, finding mentors, finding that network, really building up that support system is what has helped me be successful. And your hard work, and your persistence, right? And your passion, all of it.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
From a long-term mentor and friend of mine, she often reminds me to go slow to go fast. I love that. Go slow to go fast. I'm definitely the kind of person that will get excited and just want to go 110% into something. And she is great at reminding me, like, pause, look at the problem, put together a plan, and then once that is what do you... And you can go fast. And you can do so with confidence.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to really learn your own voice, and to come into your own voice. We hear a lot, especially as women, that the goal to have a seat at the table or to get into the room, and I have found that having a seat or being in the room really doesn't mean anything unless you have a voice. It'd be really hard to achieve. So I encourage people, even starting small, is like, you know, if it's just one or two people within your group, do they hear you? Do they listen and appreciate you? Start branching out and moving out, because once you enter that room or sit at that table, you need to have people that are ready to be quiet to listen to you, and that can be really hard to get to.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Flexibility. That's the enrolling to learn new things. You know opportunities come up, or like if there's a gap in a skill or a knowledge, being willing to jump in and say, hey, I'd love to learn that. You know, I will dedicate some of my time to figure that out or learn that, and then you become the expert in that empty spot or a niche, and it's it can really open doors. Showing your willingness to learn new things and do new things can really open it up for people.
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