Stevan Pearce joined 4-H in 1957. He was the State Swine Record Book Winner and attended National 4-H Congress in 1963. He was elected president of his 4-H club, and in 1965 he helped to establish the State 4-H Council, becoming vice president. In 1966, he was selected as the State and National Achievement Record Book winner and awarded a scholarship and Presidential Silver Tray given by Lyndon Johnson. Pearce joined the military and was stationed in the Philippines flying missions into Vietnam. He graduated from NMSU in 1970 with a Bachelor in Business Administration degree in economics and completed his master’ degree in 1991 from Eastern New Mexico University.
In 1989, Steve and his wife purchased Lea Fishing Tools, Inc., an oilfield service company, and expanded the company ten-fold in the first ten years of ownership. He was first elected as a State Representative in 1996 and serves on the Appropriations and Finance Committee and the Agriculture and Water Committee. In 1999, he was elected minority caucus chairman and was selected as the Outstanding Legislator by the New Mexico Technology Showcase for his understanding of economic development through technology. Pearce was president of the New Mexico 4-H Foundation from 1994 to 1998. He continues to serve on the board and is one of the strongest fund-raisers for the Foundation.
