Her Story
About Carrie
Carrie Duncan Cuevas is a Community Relations & Engagement Specialist at Ingalls Shipbuilding, a Division of HII, where she focuses on building strong partnerships with nonprofits, community organizations, and local stakeholders across the Gulf Coast. In this role, she leads community engagement initiatives, coordinates events such as partner workshops and youth scouting programs, and manages sponsorship intake with a strong emphasis on relationship-building and meaningful connection. She is widely recognized for her ability to translate communication skills into trust, engagement, and long-term community impact.
Carrie has been working in communications since December 1998, when she graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Broadcast Meteorology. Originally a communications major, she was inspired to change her path after her father shared an article about Mississippi State’s then-unique broadcast meteorology program. She graduated in just three and a half years, eager to begin her career, and often jokes that she went from getting in trouble for talking too much in school to being paid to talk for a living. Her broadcast career began along the Gulf Coast and led to more than 21 years at WLOX-TV, where she became a trusted and familiar presence in households across the region.
During her tenure at WLOX, Carrie served as Chief Meteorologist and played a key role in severe weather coverage, including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and winter storms. Her most defining professional experience came during Hurricane Katrina, when she announced the critical storm track shift during Friday night football coverage and remained on air for seven consecutive days as the station provided continuous lifesaving information. When communication systems failed, she helped establish phone banks, encouraged the use of text messaging for emergency updates, and advocated for multilingual messaging in Vietnamese and Spanish to ensure all communities were reached. That coverage contributed to major industry recognition, including Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Carrie is an advocate for mental health awareness, shaped by her own early-career experience with depression and the support of a talent coach who helped her reframe it as something manageable and treatable. She credits this perspective with strengthening both her resilience and empathy. Known for her authenticity, curiosity, and lifelong commitment to growth, she continues to expand her career interests, including exploring opportunities in public relations and media relations within the financial sector. Across every stage of her journey, Carrie’s work has been grounded in communication, service, and a deep belief in the power of human connection.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Carrie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my ability to communicate effectively and build genuine relationships. Since starting my career in 1998, I’ve learned how to turn words into impact whether in broadcast journalism at WLOX or in my current role at Ingalls Shipbuilding, where I work closely with community partners and nonprofits. My experience during Hurricane Katrina, when our team stayed on air for seven days to keep the public informed and safe, reinforced my belief that communication is about service and responsibility. Over the years, I’ve carried that mindset into every role, focusing on connection, active listening, and leading with kindness. Ultimately, my success comes from staying true to myself and using every conversation as an opportunity to make a meaningful difference.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from Lou, a talent coach with Talent Dynamics, who helped me understand my depression early in my career. She told me, 'If an ice skater fractures her ankle, you don't have to keep it wrapped and baby it forever. She just has to treat it.' That advice helped me see that my mental health challenge wasn't a bad thing, it was just something to treat and manage. I was so relieved to finally understand what and why I was feeling that way. That perspective shift was life-changing for me and helped me move forward in my career with confidence.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My best advice would be to always be kind, but also remember that your job is not personal and it should not be personal. It is business, and sometimes in business people can get harsh and things can be harsh, but you cannot take that personally. That has been one of my big things that I've been trying to learn, especially with a career shift so late in life. Another thing I would tell people is to build connections. That is going to help you open doors. It won't keep a job for you, but it will help you open doors. And if you just do things and don't expect things in return, you will live a much richer life. I always tell kids when I speak to them to be curious and listen actively and ask questions. Don't just take something at face value. You can't believe whatever's on the internet. You've always got to ask, but if this person thinks this way, what would the opposite side think? Look at things from both sides so that you can be more well-rounded. Even if you don't agree with the other side, you need to know what they're thinking and why. I think growth for me and just learning, I always feel like when you stop learning, you start dying.
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