Her Story
About Brandy
After graduating high school, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I joined the Navy and went into the aerospace side, working on F-18 aircraft. That experience gave me about 20 years in the aerospace field. When I got out of the military, I went to college and graduated from Strayer University in 2020. I then started my civilian career with L3 Harris, where I had amazing mentors like Mark Rudicil and Bill Schubert. Bill was probably the most instrumental - he really took me under his wing, taught me about quality and how it all worked, believed in me, and gave me opportunities that opened a lot of doors for me. Nicole Burnett was another mentor who really helped me, teaching me about quality, budgeting, and labor. Today, I manage a department that covers four areas: institutional safety, mission safety, environmental, and quality. My days involve a lot of interactions with my team, meetings, managing budgets, and making sure the vision aligns for the company I work for, ensuring my department is successful in meeting the company's goals.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Brandy
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be confident. Do your research before you speak and make sure what you're speaking on is correct. But also, don't be afraid to ask the questions. Even in my role today, I think, oh my gosh, I'm about to ask something and I'm going to sound so stupid, it's a stupid question. But when I ask, a lot of times what I have found is that people haven't thought about that, and they're like, oh, okay. So don't be afraid to ask the dumb questions. Ask them. I can't stress that enough. And have confidence. I'm a woman in aerospace that's very dominated by men, so I'm not very quiet. I'm going to say what I need to say. I'm very assertive, and I believe that you have to be assertive to move up in your career.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
First and foremost, it's God in everything I do. I owe everything to God, so when I go into a room and talk to people, my value is how I want to be treated, and I treat those people that way, so maybe people see God through me and my actions and how I speak to people. Also, to be bold. I'm a woman in aerospace that's very dominated by men, so I'm not very quiet. I'm going to say what I need to say. I'm very assertive, and I believe that you have to be assertive to move up in your career.
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