Her Story
About Amy
Amy Garcia serves as a Management and Program Analyst for the Veterans Health Administration's Facilities Management Department, a role she has held for the past six years. In this position, she manages building inspections, regulatory compliance, policy development, staff training, and performance metrics tracking, reporting directly to the department head. Her professional journey in healthcare spans since 2005, beginning after her military service as an aviation mechanic and including early roles as a CNA and dialysis technician since 2010. She earned a bachelor's degree in business management with a minor in world religion, completed a master's degree in 2024, pursued paralegal studies, and obtained a Scrum Master certification.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Amy
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success is 100% attributed to the very strong women in my life that brought me up - my mother, my grandmother, my aunties. They are all very strong, independent women. I also credit my passion for continued learning and setting an example for my four children and grandchild.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Don't settle. Do what you have to do to make ends meet, but always follow what your passion is, because then it won't feel like work. Until you get there, you do what you have to do to make a living, but you'll know when you're living for what you're doing. I've had great mentors at different stages who told me to follow what I'm passionate about.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be persistent. Don't let people put you in a box. There are advantages to being a woman in a male-dominated field, like having smaller hands for reaching and torquing things that men have difficulty with. Know how to sell yourself and your skills. If you get in front of an interview, that's your time to shine and don't waste it.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Being a female in facilities management is a challenge because it's a male-dominated field. There's a notion that a woman couldn't do as good a job as a man. Job listings often want HVAC experience, and assumptions are made that males are more mechanically inclined despite my background as an aviation mechanic. It's been hard to advance and I feel a bit stuck.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family is most important to me. In work, I always do the best that I can regardless of the task, whether little or big, because even the little things have a big impact. I don't do anything halfway.
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