Devina Dixon Allen

I attribute much of my success to two strong women who showed me what determination, resilience, and hard work look like.

The first is my mother. She became a single mother after divorcing my father, and someone in the family told her, “You’ll never make it without us.” Her response was, “Watch me.” She went on to build a successful career in real estate, become a vice president at Northside Realty, and work with Johnny Isakson and Vice President at Citicorp. She worked hard, created her own path, and never allowed someone else’s expectations to define what she could accomplish. She gave me that same work ethic, and I have passed it on to my 3 sons.

The second was a woman who lived near us. She had served in the military as a nurse, was also a single mother, and raised two sons. I always admired her strength and independence. Even at 80 years old, she was still the kind of person who would get on the roof of her house to sweep it herself. She believed in taking care of what needed to be done and not waiting for someone else to do it.

Both women taught me to be resourceful, to keep moving forward, and to take ownership of my life and my work. Their examples shaped the way I lead, the way I respond to challenges, and the way I define success.

The best career advice I ever received was this: if you want to grow, you need to be training your replacement.

That advice shaped the way I have led throughout my career. I have always made it a priority to mentor and develop someone who could step into my role, because strong leadership is not about making yourself indispensable. It is about building capable people, creating continuity, and preparing the organization for what comes next.

In many of my roles, my responsibilities eventually had to be divided among several people after I moved on, but the principle remained the same: develop others while continuing to grow yourself. Training my replacement has strengthened my teams, created opportunities for others, and been one of the most important factors in my own career advancement.

My advice to young women entering this industry is simple: do not let anyone tell you what you cannot do.

Women often underestimate their own accomplishments or question whether they are qualified, even when their experience says otherwise. When I received the invitation from Influential Women, my first thought was, “Why me? What have I done that would be impressive to someone else?” That reaction reminded me how easily imposter syndrome can cause us to minimize our own value.

I would encourage young women to look honestly at what they have accomplished, recognize the strengths they bring, and be willing to advocate for themselves. Self-promotion does not mean being boastful. It means being able to communicate your value, speak confidently about your results, and make sure your work is visible.

When there is something you truly want, go after it. Do not be afraid to take a different path, learn a new skill, or reinvent yourself. Careers are rarely a straight line, and reinvention can open doors you may not have imagined. Where there is determination, there is usually a way forward.

Networking and mentorship are also essential. I believe women need to do a better job of supporting one another rather than viewing younger or less experienced women as competition. Men have historically advanced by building strong networks and opening doors for one another. Women should be just as intentional about creating those opportunities.

Mentor other women. Share what you have learned. Make introductions. Recommend someone for the opportunity. Help another woman see her potential, and do not be afraid that supporting her success will diminish your own. There is room for all of us to grow, and we are stronger when we help one another move forward.

One of the biggest opportunities in my field right now is artificial intelligence and the many ways it can be applied to improve how we work. AI can take on some of the repetitive tasks, such as data entry, report writing, and routine analysis, so people have more time to think creatively, solve meaningful problems, and focus on work that can make a real impact.

At the same time, one of the biggest challenges is helping people move past fear and understand how to use AI responsibly. When the internet first became widely available, many people were afraid of it and focused on the ways it could be misused. Some of those concerns were valid, but the internet also created tremendous opportunities. I see AI in much the same way. With the right boundaries, safeguards, and human oversight, it can be used to accomplish some truly positive things.

This is an exciting time for me because I have had the opportunity to explore AI more deeply than I might have been able to while leading a full-scale delivery organization. I am currently participating in two AI learning challenges and continuing to build my knowledge through coursework and hands-on application. I am especially interested in how AI can strengthen planning, reporting, risk management, decision-making, and operational delivery while allowing people to focus more of their energy on innovation and results.

The values that matter most to me, both professionally and personally, are integrity, honesty, and keeping my commitments.

Those values were tested when a contractor failed to pay our business after 9/11, leaving us facing bankruptcy. Attorneys advised my husband and me to close the doors and file for bankruptcy, but we looked at each other and said, “That is not who we are.” We had made commitments to our employees, vendors, and creditors, and we believed it was our responsibility to honor them.

We sold our home, our farm, and nearly everything we owned so we could pay our employees and meet our obligations. It was one of the most difficult periods of our lives, and we had to start over, but we were able to move forward knowing that we had done the right thing and taken care of the people who depended on us. And it taught my sons some invaluable lessons.

That experience reinforced something I have always believed: integrity matters most when doing the right thing is difficult, costly, or inconvenient. Your word should mean something, and people should be able to trust that you will follow through on your commitments.

Honesty is equally important to me. I raised my three sons to understand that I would rather hear the truth, even when it is difficult, than be told something that is not true. I have carried that same principle into my relationships with employees, teams, and customers.

In leadership, I believe it is always better to deliver difficult news early, explain the situation clearly, and bring forward a solution than to delay the conversation or give people false reassurance. Trust is built through honesty, accountability, and consistency, and those values continue to guide the way I live, lead, and serve others.