Beyond the Firewalls
How a Black woman in defense contracting turned institutional bias into fuel for excellence and empathetic leadership.
To be a Black woman in the senior ranks of defense contracting is to become an expert in navigating unspoken rules. It means walking into a classified facility (SCIF) or senior leadership briefing and immediately realizing you are the only woman, the only person of color, or both. It means facing the subtle but persistent need to justify your presence and prove your expertise more quickly and thoroughly than your peers.
Over the years, I've sat at tables where my voice was overlooked until a male colleague repeated my exact point. I have had my leadership authority undermined and my technical judgment questioned in ways my male counterparts have not. These aren't always overt acts of aggression; they are the quiet, exhausting headwinds of institutional bias.
You learn to read the room—not only for security threats, but also for allies. You learn to be strategic, not just with your technical recommendations, but with your very presence.
I Never Lose. I Either Win or Learn.
In these environments, I quickly realized that my technical expertise was my armor. My voice could be ignored, but data could not. My opinion could be questioned, but my results were undeniable. So, I leaned into a quote from Nelson Mandela that has become the bedrock of my mindset:
"I never lose. I either win or learn."
When I faced a professional setback or a toxic work environment, I didn't see it as a loss. I saw it as a lesson. When my authority was questioned, I didn't get angry; I got certified. I earned my CISM and my CASP+. I let the metrics, successful ATO packages, and flawless compliance reports do the talking for me.
Doubt from others became fuel for my own growth. I learned that consistent, high-quality execution is a language that everyone, in every room, is eventually forced to understand.
A Leader's Job Is Not Just to Manage Deliverables
Those experiences have fundamentally shaped my leadership style. Because I know what it feels like to be unsupported, I am fiercely protective of my team. Because I know what it feels like to have your hard work go unrecognized, I make it a point to celebrate their wins.
A leader's job is not just to manage deliverables; it is to build a culture where talented people want to stay.
In the high-stress world of RMF and cybersecurity, burnout is one of the greatest threats to mission success. You cannot secure a network if your team is demoralized and looking for the exit.
That is why I believe in leading with empathy. It means fighting for your team's morale as hard as you fight to meet a deadline. It means creating the kind of inclusive, supportive environment that you may have had to find for yourself.
