Her Story
About Catherine
Catherine McHenrySloan is a Program Manager in the aerospace and defense manufacturing industry. She has been in aerospace and defense manufacturing of one kind or another since 2008. She started out her career in software development and retail software, more on the sales side, some PR. She relocated back to New York State and joined GWLISC, where she managed a particular account and fell in love with supporting aerospace. The category of aerospace and defense is both large and deep, ranging from parts that go on a commercial aircraft to parts that go on a tank. While she is not an engineer, her role is typically as a program manager, part of a machine that creates the parts that go in those planes. She took a degree in philosophy a long time ago and never took an MBA, learning business by doing business. For a time, she was a consultant to other emerging businesses, helping them develop business plans and take-to-market plans. In the software industry, she received a Cody Award in 1990, an award given to fellow software companies like the Oscars of the industry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Catherine
01What do you attribute your success to?
It's a combination of hard work and good situations. I try very hard to work with good companies who are servicing customers that I believe in. I'm not interested in working for shady companies. I try good situations, and I try to deliver the best performance that I can. If I feel like the role is no longer having me grow and stretch, I'm not afraid to change it up.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Do nothing that you're not willing to have on the front page of the Wall Street Journal tomorrow. It stuck with me. It was advice when I was in public service, but it stood. You could boil an awful lot of great ethical choices down to, are you ready to have it on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, you know, pick your favorite flavor of media outlet.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Trust your voice and trust your abilities. You may be the youngest voice in the room. I've certainly been that a lot in my career, but I always trusted my abilities, and I spoke up when I felt like something needed to be said. Trust your abilities. If you know you are not capable, then certainly sit quiet in that meeting and listen and learn. But if you know you're capable, and you know you have the ability, then speak up.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Currently, we're in a war environment here in the United States, so that's a challenge. All supply chains supporting defense are being crunched for time. So that is both a real challenge and an opportunity for the companies who can respond in time. For the demands given by this administration, those are the ones who are extraordinarily successful. So, it's a risk-reward opportunity there.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
It's always a balance between your work and personal life. Within my work sphere, being honest, you know, integrity matters. Integrity matters with your coworkers, it matters with your employees, and it matters even more with your customers. You can have a solid negotiation with a customer, but it doesn't begin and end with a marketing tagline. It begins and ends with integrity.
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