Her Story
About Tina
Tina Gustafson is an accomplished Agile professional, project manager, and leader with more than three decades of experience across information technology, military intelligence, defense contracting, and organizational leadership. Her career began with 11 years in the U.S. Army, where she served in Air Defense Artillery, intelligence analysis, and automated systems security before becoming an instructor at Fort Huachuca. She later built extensive experience supporting the U.S. Department of Defense and other government organizations, accumulating more than 7,000 instructional contact hours and training thousands of military personnel. Her professional expertise includes Agile leadership, Scrum, software analysis and design, systems implementation and testing, business analysis, process improvement, and program and project management.
Throughout her career, Tina has served in increasingly senior roles as a Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Senior Management Consultant, and Senior Project Manager. She has supported organizations including Peraton, DAWSON, B.E.A.T. LLC, SAIC, and Engility Corporation, working with defense and healthcare-related programs and supporting organizations such as the Defense Health Agency. As a Certified Scrum Master and Certified Scrum Professional, she has spent more than nine years coaching teams in Agile and Scrum practices, including helping establish and strengthen Scrum teams during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her educational background includes a Master of Business Administration and a bachelor's degree in Behavioral Sciences from Western International University, both completed with honors.
Beyond her technology and defense career, Tina is deeply committed to service, community leadership, and animal-assisted healing. She served for nearly 17 years as a 4-H community and project leader, contributing hundreds of volunteer hours annually across youth leadership, horsemanship, outdoor activities, community service, and the arts. As President of Sunrise Equine Healing, she helps rescue horses and connect them with people who have experienced trauma, using equine-assisted approaches to support emotional and mental healing. Through her leadership of Sunrise AIH Ranch LLC and Sunrise Equine Healing, Tina brings together her professional experience, compassion, and lifelong commitment to service. Her career reflects a distinctive combination of technical expertise, Agile leadership, military and intelligence experience, community involvement, and a passion for helping both people and animals heal and thrive.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tina
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering my industry is to make a plan, but remain flexible enough to change it when circumstances require. One of my favorite books is General Patton’s memoirs, and one lesson that has stayed with me is to plan carefully, but be willing to throw the plan out the window when you enter the battle because everything can change. I encourage women to embrace those changes and remain open to unexpected opportunities, because the path they originally planned may not always be the best path for them.
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