The Executive - Fall 2014

products that would help defend our nation and advance freedom around the world. Such empowerment of women built momentum for the kind of inclusion we have today. It’s rewarding to see so many women carrying on the legacy of those women who helped build the modern workplace. Today, women represent more than half of the professional workforce, and the number of women leaders continues to rise. I’m proud of how far we’ve come and confident that there’s even more opportunity ahead.

5. Who was your mentor?

When I began my career at Lockheed Martin more than 31 years ago, mentoring and talent development played a huge role in getting my career on the right track. When I was a relatively new supervisor, the vice president of operations nominated me for the Lockheed General Management Development Program, which was a very selective program with only four employees of 21,000 applicants accepted.

It required the vice president to do more than just put forward my nomination. He had to commit to having a job for me when I graduated from the program. It was clear that he genuinely wanted me to be successful at Lockheed, and he went out of his way to support me. When I was accepted into the program, he mapped out where I should go and how long I should stay in each rotation to ensure my experiences were diverse and that I would be prepared for my next role. At the end of the two years, he promoted me into my first department manager role and I felt prepared to be successful.

That experience turned out to be one of many turning points in my career. And it was all because a vice president in my company recognized my potential and was willing to get involved.

6. What led to your decision to attend The University of Alabama?

My family lived nearby the school, so I was aware that The University of Alabama had an exceptional business program. It aligned with my academic strengths and career aspirations, and I was working full time in Tuscaloosa to pay for my college education, so it was a natural fit.

7. What is the biggest lesson you learned from your time at the Culverhouse College of Commerce? I enjoyed my time at the Culverhouse College of Commerce and learned many important lessons that I’ve carried with me throughout my career. I couldn’t point to just one lesson; however, the diverse and interesting people I met and their willingness to share their knowledge and experiences so openly was a highlight.

8. What is the best piece of advice given to you by a teacher?

There wasn’t only one. The faculty was top notch, and they consistently challenged me to remain intellectually curious and to perform my best on every project and assignment. Also, they showed me that great leaders never stop learning.

9. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

While my role at Lockheed Martin
doesn’t leave me with a lot of spare
time, my husband I and do love to
play golf, so we try to work that
in regularly.

I enjoy traveling with my family. My husband and two sons and I take a family vacation every year. It’s an opportunity to spend time together and explore a new part of the world.

10. What would you do differently? Because I feel very fortunate to have a supportive, loving family and a rewarding and fulfilling career, there isn’t anything I would do differently. The breadth of experiences I’ve had personally and professionally have allowed me to continuously learn and to grow as a wife, mother and business leader. I believe strongly that if you stay true to your values and surround yourself with others who share those values, you will rarely have regrets.

11. What are the latest books you’ve read?

I recently enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell’s “David and Goliath.” It’s all about ordinary people who have taken on huge, oversized challenges, some driven by emotion or passion, others just by circumstance. What you learn from these stories is that the outcome is not always what you might expect, and, sometimes, one person’s adversity or suffering can be a catalyst for positive change in the world. I gave copies of it to my entire senior leadership team as a reminder that challenges can be a good thing, and when we work together, we can overcome them.