Kelly first joined Lockheed Martin in 2001 as part of our Operations Leadership Development Program (OLDP) in Syracuse, N.Y., and completed two six-month rotations that left a lasting impression on her. However, after that year, she moved to Connecticut so she and her husband could live and work in the same state since there wasn’t a Lockheed Martin site in Connecticut at the time.
Fast forward 17 years, after Kelly took time off from work to raise her two children, and her husband saw our Chapter Next job posting and told her, “It’s like it’s written for you!” While Kelly initially brushed it off thinking that she couldn’t picture herself back in the professional world after 13 years, one of her old colleagues from the OLDP sent her the same job posting. That’s when it clicked that this opportunity may just be right for her.
Kelly is grateful for the opportunity to learn new things and takes great pride and satisfaction in knowing that she’s contributing something each day. For anyone else considering a returnship, Kelly’s advice is to go for it! “While it can be intimidating to put yourself out there, you never know where trying something new can lead,” she said. “The extra support that comes with training, mentoring and connecting with others having a similar experience is invaluable.”
