How many years have you worked at Lockheed Martin? 18 years
What is your current position? Sr. Program Manager for Sniper and LANTIRN International Programs
What are your day-to-day responsibilities? I’m responsible for the cost, schedule and technical performance for the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod sustainment contracts for four countries.
Why Do I Volunteer
The easy answer is to give back to the community that I live in and hopefully to make a difference in someone’s life. While the previous statement is true, I have specific reasons I volunteer in several main areas: Heart of Florida United Way (HFUW), Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Initiatives, employee resource group events and the American Heart Association. I volunteer for the HFUW because nearly 50% of the households in our community struggle to make ends meet. I feel very fortunate that I have my health and I don’t struggle financially from paycheck to paycheck so the time I give can hopefully make a difference in someone’s life. I’ve been very involved in the Month of Giving during the past several years to communicate to employees the importance of giving their time and their donations to support the important work of HFUW and Mission United.
I have degrees in engineering, so I’ve been a longtime supporter of STEM initiatives. While working for Lockheed Martin in MN, I became involved with the non-profit organization that managed the FIRST Lego League in MN. The FIRST Lego League is a STEM program for 4th through 8th graders. I started as a volunteer judge and recruited more than 20 other LM employees to volunteer at the tournaments. More than 3,500 students were involved in the program in Minnesota. During this same time period, I received a call from a local elementary school looking for a Lockheed Martin employee to mentor a couple of 4th grade students who excelled in Math. This request lead to partnering with the school to start a math mentoring program for elementary aged students with 30 fellow employees volunteering with me. Since transferring to Orlando, I have volunteered for STEM activities sponsored by the company including Engineers in the Classroom during Engineers Week. This year I also had the opportunity to volunteer at Otronicon, CODE Quest and STEM Goes Red events. These programs could not happen without volunteers and I’ve heard first hand from students (and their parents) that it encouraged them to pursue STEM careers.
When I started my career at Lockheed Martin, I wanted a way to get involved and get to know my fellow employees, so I joined the Diversity and Inclusion council. We have come a long way with recognizing the diverse workgroup and ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and are included. Today, I continue to support our journey as the Allies for Inclusion Orlando site lead. As an Ally it’s important for me to partner with and volunteer to support the ERG events so they can be executed successfully such as Transgender Dynamics in the Workplace speaker, CommUNITY Rainbow Run and Come Out with PRIDE. It’s not about taking the pledge to be an Ally, but taking the actions to demonstrate you are an advocate to build a culture of inclusion across all employees.
Last but not least, this year I became a volunteer for the American Heart Association. I’ve suffered from hypertension for years but recently learned that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. Through my volunteering with the American Heart Association I not only hope to continue my education on heart disease but to educate women and men on the signs and prevention of heart disease.
Do you wish to work with talented, motivated and caring people? If so, a career at Lockheed Martin might be for you.