Professional Development for Women and Minorities

2023 BEYA (2707) How to Mobilize Your PhDs to Drive Diversity and Grow the Business Presented by Booz Allen Hamilton

There are a lot of personal and professional reasons why folks strive for a Ph.D. but a fair generalization is the aim to change the world for the better. Other fair generalizations are that many PhDs leave academia because they don’t find the institution conducive to tangibly change the world and that there is very little guidance on how one can utilize their Ph.D. skill sets in jobs outside of academia. At Booz Allen Hamilton, we have made it a mission to bring together our over 1000 doctorate employees (and our many other engineers willing to roll up their sleeves) to collectively help with the firm’s bigger VoLT Strategy by (1) generating R&D that will advance client products and services, (2) building strategic partnerships with high-level government officials looking to solve their “Ph.D.-level hard” problems, and (3) ensuring that diversity remains paramount as business imperative. We look forward to talking about our experience with you and really look forward to talking with the audience about ways we all can work together in changing the world for the better.

After this panel, the participants will be able to:

1. Better utilize their PhDs/hands-on engineers towards research opportunities that can help your organization’s bottom line
2. Build a pipeline to help both attract more PhDs to join your organization and help members of your current organization in attaining a Ph.D.
3. Build strategic partnerships with outside entities that can lead to further business

Speakers:

Charles Johnson-Bey, Senior Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton

Dr. Christina Leggett, Nuclear Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton

Dr. Kalena Stovall, Chemical Engineer, Booz Allen Hamilton

Dr. Sean Guillory, Booz Allen Hamilton

2023 BEYA (2706) Am I Invisible? Overcoming the Challenges of Being Seen and Heard Presented by Raytheon Technologies

Have you ever felt like your seat at the table was two feet lower than everyone else’s or every time you showed up virtually or in person, you felt invisible?  Or maybe you’ve been subjected to the hypervisibility that comes along with being the only minority in the room and dealt with how to “blend in” affecting your ability to be authentically seen and heard. Either way, the challenges associated with visibility for minority populations are real and are being experienced everyday. Can we really overcome the challenges of being seen and heard in today’s culture? 

In this forum, we will hear from individuals who will share their experiences and perspectives about being seen and heard, despite the microaggressions, marginalization and unconscious biases that exist in the workplace.  Their experiences will shed light and give voice to those who have been silently waiting to show up in ways that pierce the darkness of invisibility and inspire all of us to open our eyes and ears to those who have been challenged with being seen and heard. Just know that you are visible, even if others refuse to remove their blindfolds.

Speakers:

Charles Everett, Executive Director, Raytheon Technologies

Dawn Charleston, Director of Supplier Quality and Compliance, Raytheon Technologies

Amanda Goodson, Senior Director, Raytheon Company

Robert Griffifths, Vice President, Raytheon Technologies

Ceah Justice, Head of Global Employee Engagement, Raytheon Technologies

2023 BEYA (2709) Invent and Simplify: A Deeper Look Into One of Amazon’s Leadership Principles Presented by Amazon Global Robotics

At Amazon, invention and innovation are two sides of the same coin. Both require breaking through the constraints of convention and apparent technical limitations. Invention requires you to imagine a future where things are markedly different, and then to imagine what it would take to get there. Innovation takes an existing process or product and blows apart the constraints that make it behave the way it does today and imagine what it could become. This seminar is an intimate conversation with some of Amazon's top Senior Principal Technologists to discuss their role as individual contributors and how they have used their expertise to invent and innovate to optimize the output for their respective organizations.

Speakers:

Stephanie LaBoo, Director of Mechatronics Grocery Automation, Amazon

Bryan Liles, Senior Principle Engineer, Amazon

Joshua Thomas, Regional Director Sub Same Day Business, Amazon

Chris Musoke, Director Design Services, Amazon Global Robotics

Jovonia Thibert, Director of Mechatronics Grocery Automation, Amazon

Tia White, General Manager, Amazon

2023 BEYA (2716) You Belong in the Room: Build Confidence in Your Truth Presented by Huntington Ingalls Industries

Learning Objective:
Exploring an array of messages received from family, friends, media, and society may cause some to question their knowledge, skills, and abilities. These messages can also lead to struggles with confidence and self-limiting thoughts on the roles they apply for. Historically, minorities and women have received messages that they are not capable of achieving the heights of success; they must work harder than others; or their natural hair, choice of style and clothing are not deemed professional. In other words, they “don’t belong,” or they must fit in to succeed. The pressure to compete can cause some to internalize these messages. They may succumb to perfectionism or feel like they are carrying the weight of their whole race or gender on their shoulders.

These experiences can become internalized leading to negative self-talk and reduced confidence. “Can I listen to the music I enjoy in the comfort of my office or cubicle?” “Will I be judged for growing up in a low-income neighborhood?” “Will I be deemed unprofessional for wearing cultural attire to work?” This fear of judgement and perceptions based on messages or experiences can cause some to hide aspects of their identities at work (covering), code switch, and in some cases, morph into a completely different person during work hours.

Learn from and interact with a multi-generational panel of industry leaders as they share experiences, challenges they’ve conquered in their careers, the power of owning your diversity, and advice to build confidence in your truth.

After this seminar, participants will be able to:

a. Identify and learn skills to combat negative self-talk when it appears.
b. Learn skills to navigate societal norms and interpersonal barriers.
c. Understand what it means to bring your authentic self to work and walk in your truth.

Speakers:

Randy Johnson, Senior Director for Research, Development, and Process Technology, Huntington Ingalls Industries

Lauren Bruner, Senior Director for Strategic Planning, Huntington Ingalls Industries

Sondia Christian, Director of Business Integration, Huntington Ingalls Industries

Stephanie Simmons, Director, Huntington Ingalls Industries

Dr. Dorian Newton, Apprenticeship School & Pipeline Training Program Manager, Huntington Ingalls Industries

Marcus Jackson, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Huntington Ingalls Industries

Emmanuel Onafeko, Systems Engineer, Huntington Ingalls Industries

2023 BEYA (2714) A Day in the Life of an Air Force Engineer/Scientist Presented by the U.S. Air Force

This six-member panel will discuss the importance of scientists and engineers (S&Es) in accomplishing the mission of the Department of the Air Force. This diverse panel will address the exciting challenges as well as note the personal and professional fulfillment they experience by working alongside their military partners. Two senior leaders will share their visions of the important roles that S&Es have in advancing our technology in defense our nation; the importance of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility; commitment to public service; and share important points in their careers. Three S&Es will show exciting highlights from projects they have had as well as paint a picture of their work-life balance, impacts of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in their careers, and their own personal professional and personal fulfillment serving as S&Es in the Air Force.

Speakers:

Karen Hudson, Chief, Avionics Engineering Division

Dr. Marcus Smith, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Officer, Air Force Research Laboratory

Damon Brown, Engineering Technical Expert, USAF / 402 Electronics Maintenance Group

Jacqueline Janning-Lask, Director of Engineering and Technical Management and Chief Engineer, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center

CDR Heather Pringle, Air Force Research Laboratory

Jessica Peterson, Technical Director, Flight Test Engineering

2023 BEYA (2713) Crown Jewels Analysis for Industrial Control Systems Presented by The MITRE Corporation

Learning Objective: Understand how to identify operational technology assets that are most critical to the accomplishment of an organization's mission.

MITRE's Crown Jewels Analysis (CJA) is a process and corresponding toolset for identifying assets that are most critical to the accomplishment of an organization's mission. The capability has been recently applied operational technology and associated control systems (electrical, water, building automation, etc.) for government sponsors. CJA captures not only mission-level impacts, but also task- and function-level impacts, useful for developing mitigation strategies and operate-through procedures. The seminar will cover CJA, its applications, and the mission-decomposition approach to uncover vital mission dependencies for assessment and mitigation planning.

Speakers:

Cedric Carter Jr., Mobile, Embedded, and Cyber-Physical Security, Principal, The MITRE Corporation

2023 BEYA (2402) A True Commitment to Sustainability: The Emergence of the Green Circular Economy

Learning Objective: To understand the measurable value of ‘circular’ innovations and advocate for adopting circular sustainability in manufacturing, product development, and the global supply chain ecosystem. No matter the type or size of the idea or organization, from startups to enterprises, collective sharing is required to accelerate innovation and answer the global resource challenges facing our health and environmental equities. This natural ral resources continue to deplete; our international markets are migrating towards circular systems of sustainability (i.e., the emergence of the Circular Economy as described by the World Economic Forum). The session explores the circular economy, which has been described as an ecosystem of global innovation formulated to advance our capabilities of converting waste and natural resources into sustainable ecosystems to offer an alternative to traditional “take-make-dispose anywhere” environmental practices by advocating for innovative waste and resource cycling, and remanufacturing to reduce waste, cost and environmental impacts on our planet. The natural and human resources powering Industry are global; from raw materials to distributed products, the world has reached its peak and must embrace sustainability, environmentally friendly “green” recycling, and remanufacturing. Industry 4.0 has boosted the Circular Economy. An economy designed to provide continued use and recycling of waste and mitigate urbanization, mass migration, climate impacts, food security, global supply chains, and weather-related events.

After this seminar, the participants will be able to:

1. Understand the strategy and value of circular innovation and its positive impact on our planet and well-being.
2. Identify the values and benefits of innovative recycling and remanufacturing goods and products.
3. Identify the best practice approaches towards developing an organization-wide circular strategy and culture.
4. Understand how sustainability can be implemented into the core design and development process to produce measurable green outcomes.

Speakers:

Donna Bell, EVP - Product Creation, Engineering, and Supply Chain, Lordstown Motors

Andre Welch, Director of Federal Affairs, Ford Motor Company

2023 BEYA (2802) Job Readiness Certification – Behavior and Business: Best Practices in Business Etiquette

Professionals understand that etiquette in business is a critical factor in making decisions. Success in any industry relies on relationships with coworkers, clients, suppliers, or investors. When you are well-mannered and considerate in dealing with others, you create interesting, productive, long-lasting relationships. This course will discuss accepted business behavior and its importance in business correspondence.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to answer the following questions:

1. What is the definition of etiquette?
2. What are the guidelines for making effective introductions?
3. What are the three Cs associated with making a good impression?
4. What are the three steps in giving a handshake?
5. What is one technique you can use to remember names?
6. What are two ways to minimize nervousness while in social situations?
7. What are the two differences between a formal and an informal letter?
8. What color connotes dominance and power? Vitality and harmony?
9. Etiquette can help businesses improve in what four areas?
10. What is (are) the difference(s) between a formal and an informal letter?
11. What are the differences between these dress codes: dressy casual, semi-formal, formal, and black tie?
12. What are the basic guidelines in international etiquette?

Speakers:

Sondia Christian, Director of Business Integration, Huntington Ingall's Industries

Victor Brown, IBM

Celena Noel, Managing Consultant, IBM

2023 BEYA (2450) Let’s Talk Open Source: The Future of Global Platform Development is Here

Learning Objective: Develop an understanding of how and why technology and innovation are rooted in the global open-source community. The critical success factors used to measure market activity are rooted in two fundamental measures (speed and sustainability); how fast the market can be served with sustained scaling is a constantly evolving practice as more open-source projects launch physical and digital solutions. For instance, a smartwatch development kit can be purchased for as little as $25; this includes open-source operating systems, open-source development frameworks, supply chains, and open-source software. For example, Mastodon is a federated social platform designed to connect online communities without an intermediary platform. The platform is a “distributed” architecture that disrupts traditional social media and empowers each organization to have its version of popular social platforms with total access to all features, functionality, and,t importantly, the data generated from social activities on a distributed platform. This is a significant shift in technological advancements brought on by Industry 4.0 and a globally connected community of independent professionals, novices, and corporate, non-profit, and government resources. The future of open source is yet to be determined; what can be stated with confidence is that open source is the accelerant in a globally connected community and impacts all aspects of research collaborations, development costs, talent acquisition sources, micro-patents, and micro-licensing of intellectual property.

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Understand how open source is leveraged by large and small organizations to reduce cost and increase the speed of delivery of goods, product,s and services.
2. Examine the type of open source development practices changing how talent acquisition is sourced, compensated, and reta,ined.
3. Explore the advantages of using open source to reduce costs and leverage community support.
4. Examine the limitations of internal development vs. open source development.

Speakers:

Madeline Augustin, BDS Technology Strategy Sr. Manager, The Boeing Company

Markeeva Morgan, Senior Manager, The Boeing Company

David C Williams, Assistant Vice President, AT&T

Kindra Porter, Bell Textron

2023 BEYA (2705) Becoming Everything You Are In A Post Pandemic Environment Presented by The Boeing Company

In today’s environment, we are facing a fundamental technological change that we haven’t seen in decades. The coronavirus pandemic has changed how we live, learn, connect, and work. Forbes states that due to the Covid-19 pandemic “2020 became 2025 on the digital acceleration timeline”. The digital revolution is here as seen by the accelerated rise in remote working, distance learning, virtual communication, and online experiences. This digital transformation has made cloud computing, data & analytics, mobility, and digital experience key areas of focus for every industry. Ted Colbert, 2022 Black Engineer of the Year, spearheaded the creation of the Digital Twin Initiative that launched Boeing on the path to Web 3.0. But along with the technology plan, Boeing needs the workforce that can rise to this challenge. Today’s Post-Covid workforce has record breaking pay for digital occupations while simultaneously experiencing a tech industry downturn resulting in widespread layoffs. Preparing, recruiting, retaining, and optimizing that workforce has its own challenges. Join Boeing leaders as they discuss being everything you are in today’s environment.

Speakers:

Evelyn Moore, Director of Engineering & Chief Engineer - F/A-18 & EA-18G Programs, The Boeing Company

David Cade, Vice President - USGS Business Transformation, The Boeing Company

Mark Cleary, Executive Director, The Boeing Company, BR&T Materials & Manufacturing Tech

Dr. Pamela Obiomon, Dean of the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University

Bernice Billups, Director - Boeing Global Engagements, The Boeing Company

Manuel Tiggs, Vice President - 737 Manufacturing Operations, The Boeing Company