and next-level leaders in the areas of contracting, budgeting, and project management. Another mentor was a female executive who offered me an opportunity to move into management. She explained there were few women in management roles and if I was successful in managing profit and loss, programs, and operations, then my career would be much more rewarding. She was right. So, my advice to the next generation is say yes more often and say yes to the stretch opportunities. In every culture in the world, parents are regarded as the first teachers for their children. What lessons did you learn from your parents? My parents were part of the greatest generation that ever lived, and they taught me a lot. My parents taught me the importance of having a strong sense of self-worth. My parents taught me the importance of having family and community, faith in god, and operating with integrity. My parents taught me the power of partnership in marriage and in business, and the importance of money management, having a nest , and making smart investments. They also taught me that everyone has value. It doesn’t matter one’s economic status or educational background. Every single person has value. So, many aspects of who I am and what I am about reflect that truth. I’m a first-generation college graduate, and my parents placed significant value on education. They also gave me the freedom to make unconventional choices such as pursuing a career in information technology, which for a woman at the time wasn’t as conventional as it is today. They had no concept of information technology, but they never said no. My parents gave me the stability to try new things and know that I had family support around me. Believe it or not, my father taught me auto mechanics, how a car operates, the engine components, fuses, how to check the oil, how to change the tire. My parents wanted their children, male or female, to be self-reliant.
construction. When he returned home, he married my mother and became an entrepreneur by starting a construction company. Talk about entrepreneurship at its best! Here is a man who pursued his dream. He leveraged the construction skills he learned in the military and built a thriving small business. I tell that story because it is an example of knowing it doesn’t matter where you start in life; you must have the audacity to define your own path to success and happiness. Tell us about a project you are excited to work on in your new role. The beauty of HHS’s mission is that it is about the health and well-being of the American people, so no matter what project, no matter how big or small, you will have an impact on the quality of life in our society. This is so critical for our country’s success. There are many projects that I am excited to work on in my new role— unaccompanied children at the border, Afghan refugee resettlement, the first government-wide volunteer deployment program, HHS telecommunication modernization program—but one specific project stands out: the 21st century workforce and workplace program, also known as our “return to workplace plan.” The program engages every element of the Assistant Secretary for Administration office. As part of the program, we are developing a return to workplace plan. This requires us to explore the hybrid work model of increased telework and remote work for HHS civil servants and implement safety protocols for workplace safety for employees,
contractors, and visitors. This also requires us to partner with 20-plus labor unions, evaluate positions across the department to see how they align with a hybrid work model, and assess budget and technology needs. At the center of this work is ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion across the workforce. Creating a work model that will support 87,000 civil servants in delivering on the HHS mission in this new normal created by the pandemic is very exciting. I, and the office I lead, are at the forefront of navigating new paradigm shifts in the workplace, and what comes with that is immense responsibility to workers as well as immense opportunity for innovation. This year, you are the Women of Color President’s Award recipient. I was hoping you could take me back to the moment you found out you were getting the award. What does this award mean to you? When I am at work, I am focused on the job at hand. I was at work when the Women of Color President’s Award recipient announcement was made, and it stopped me in my tracks. I take great responsibility to represent women and women of color to the best of my ability, and to be recognized among an amazing pool of accomplished women, and by the African-American community—the community of my heritage—is both humbling and joyful. Also, as a wife and mother of three sons who has for years juggled work and home, this award has made the many struggles and sacrifices that have come with that juggling act all the more worth it. S
My father was a solider in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. He entered the military as an 18-yearold with a background in farming and a 5th grade education. While with the Army Corps of Engineers, he learned 22
USBE & Information Technology | CLIMATE/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE 2021
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