Her Story
About Meagan
Meagan Kerr is an Opportunity Development Manager with six years of experience in the defense industry. She manages the company's CRM, identifies new opportunities, leads gate reviews, oversees proposal management, and conducts market analysis for the Navy and Coast Guard.
Kerr entered the industry as a recruiter at Expansia and advanced through roles as account executive, senior account executive, and business development analyst. She holds an associate degree in psychology and is completing a degree in project management at Charleston Southern. She also earned AutoCAD certifications in high school.
Outside of work, Kerr coordinated volunteer efforts including Wreaths Across America and food drives, as well as being a volunteer coach for the girls wrestling team. She credits her success to tenacity and a refusal to take no for an answer when solving problems. To young women entering the field, she recommends reading widely, joining professional organizations, and finding mentors.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Meagan
01What do you attribute your success to?
Kerr credits her success to relentless tenacity: when the path isn't clear, she works the problem until she finds her own way through, and she has never accepted "no" as the final answer. She is equally quick to credit the mentors who believed in her and guided her growth.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
MAC has taught me so much, but the message she always comes back to is this: you know more than you think you do. She tells me to believe in myself and not to worry about what everyone else is doing. Focus on yourself, because you're smarter than you think and capable of more than you realize.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice would be to read everything you can get your hands on and get involved with as many organizations as possible. Most importantly, find a mentor. In this field, success comes down to who you know and what you know, and having someone in your corner to answer your questions makes a night-and-day difference
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The government shutdown was one of the biggest challenges. Last year, almost all awards stopped and no one was receiving funding, so positions were cut across the industry. Awards are coming through again, but the upheaval has been hard to work through because you never know what's going to happen next.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty and transparency come first. Be a good teammate, no matter what. Strong communication matters most: whether you don't know what you're doing, need help, or see that someone else does, you have to be able to say so. Being open about everything builds the trust a team runs on.
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