Meet Booz Allen Consultant and American Red Cross Volunteer Deborah Yates
Title: Associate
Joined Booz Allen: 2006
What type of work do you do at Booz Allen Hamilton?
I’m an IT quality assurance manager whose primary client is the Department of Homeland Security. I ensure products and projects are in compliance with the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) process or other standards of quality.
Tell us about the organization for which you volunteer and why you chose to support it.
The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by a Congressional Charter that provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. The Red Cross responds to two to three disasters in our local region every day and 75,000 disasters nationwide each year. I’ve been volunteering for the Red Cross for almost four years. After I saw the devastation from Hurricane Katrina on television, I took Red Cross disaster services, health, and safety classes and became certified as a health instructor in 2005. I now serve at the Red Cross Regional Disaster Coordination Center (RDCC) in Fairfax, Virginia, which is the central coordinating site for disasters and large-scale public safety events in the Washington, D.C., northern Virginia, and Maryland area.
What type of volunteer services do you provide to the organization?
I started by helping the RDCC develop and integrate structured processes into the organization. I now have a weekly shift there as a disaster duty officer, coordinating Red Cross services within a 150-mile radius, primarily for victims of local emergencies. For example, when there is a fire in an apartment building, we coordinate with other Red Cross teams to care for the tenants.
I donated 400 hours of my time to the Red Cross in the past year, and received a $750 Volunteer Service Grant from Booz Allen. I took vacation from the firm to act as RDCC operations lead during the 2009 Presidential inauguration, when we coordinated Red Cross public safety services such as logistics support to preposition shelters and partnered with the D.C. police and National Park Service to staff first-aid tents. Red Cross teams of medically trained volunteers worked with first responders to offer assistance on the Mall during hundreds of incidents, including heart attacks, injuries, and, in one case, the birth of a baby. At the same time, the Red Cross continued to provide assistance to dozens of local families who experienced fires, floods, and other emergencies on January 20 that were unrelated to the inauguration.
How has Booz Allen supported your volunteer commitment?
My manager and project team have been very supportive and helpful with all my volunteer activities. I pre-planned with my team for the four days I took off for the inauguration to ensure client commitments were met. Through flexible scheduling, Booz Allen has also enabled me to participate in fundraising events for Red Cross. The firm is an ongoing corporate supporter of the Red Cross. When I was making the decision to join Booz Allen, I examined many aspects of the firm. Booz Allen’s support of the community and nonprofits is generous and consistent, and aligns with my own beliefs about the importance of community involvement. That philosophy was a critical factor in my decision to join Booz Allen.
How are you able to leverage your skill set as a Booz Allen consultant to assist this organization?
I’m an analyst by nature, and my volunteer work allows me to evaluate issues, recommend solutions, and create standardized processes that can be used to train others. I use my analytical, project management, and strategic planning skills whenever I’m working with the Red Cross. Maintaining flexibility under pressure is also critical, both to meet the varied needs of Booz Allen’s clients and the changing demands of my volunteer work.
Has your volunteer experience helped you with your professional development?
My Red Cross team is constantly changing and has little common background. This diversity creates interpersonal and communications challenges. Just as I tailor my approach to different Booz Allen projects and clients to best address their unique needs, I approach different groups of volunteers differently to ensure we meet our goals. Being a consultant at Booz Allen and volunteering at the RDCC can be like herding cats: Situations are occasionally stressful and can turn chaotic. But when I’m calm and logical, everyone around me is, too. We all start from the same point—a genuine desire to act in good faith and deliver the best product or service—and from that point, we can solve the most difficult challenges.
What have you learned about yourself as a result of your volunteer experience?
I’ve learned how critical communications are in all situations, whether it’s work, volunteer activities, or family. More importantly, I’ve affirmed my belief that when I enter a situation expecting only the best out of people, they rarely disappoint me.
profile posted February 18, 2009
