Meet Booz Allen Consultant and Multiple Sclerosis Society Volunteer Shelly Davis
Title: Senior Associate
Joined Booz Allen: 2001
What type of work do you do at Booz Allen Hamilton?
My primary Booz Allen client is the Department of Homeland Security, and I help support them with services that include critical infrastructure protection and vulnerability analysis.
Tell us about the organization for which you volunteer and why you chose to support it.
Since 2005, I’ve been volunteering for the National Capital Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Multiple sclerosis is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, and this organization works to eliminate multiple sclerosis by advancing research, reaching out to individuals and families living with MS, advocating for the needs of people with MS, and mobilizing millions of people to do something about MS now. I was diagnosed with MS in 2004, and my grandmother is also living with MS.
What type of volunteer services do you provide to the organization?
I’m the Booz Allen team captain for Walk MS, the largest fundraiser for our chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. It’s a one-day event held every spring in six locations in the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Participants raise money by pledging to walk three to eight miles. I recruit walkers and team members for the event and encourage them to raise donations, and I also hold other activities to support the work of the society.
How has Booz Allen supported your volunteer commitment?
Since I’ve become involved with Walk MS, the firm has become much more involved as well—Booz Allen now sponsors the whole event and provided us with T-shirts to wear last year. I’ve been very fortunate that Booz Allen allows me the flexibility I need for my volunteer work. My colleagues have also been generous and each year many of them join me for Walk MS. Since I started leading the team in 2005, we’ve raised over $36,000, and $12,600 of that was just last year. In fact, our Booz Allen team is consistently one of the top fundraising teams in the Washington, D.C. area.
How are you able to leverage your skill set as a Booz Allen employee to assist this organization?
As a project manager, I have a functional role that includes team building, problem solving, good communications, and oversight. Those same skills are very much in demand for my volunteer work. In addition, both my job and my volunteer role have helped me strengthen my skills in networking.
Has your volunteer experience helped you with your professional development?
For me, living with MS is a fact of life, but I don’t want to use it as a crutch. I’m dedicated to my team and to my work and contribute as much as I can to both. I’m taking a master’s program in management of information technology at University of Virginia, and it’s already helped me in my job; the topics are relevant, combining business strategies with IT to deliver better value to our clients and the company. I’ll graduate in May 2009, but to complete the program, I’ve often needed to tap into the resolve I developed at my job and by being a volunteer.
What have you learned about yourself as a result of your volunteer experience?
I’ve learned how fortunate I am to enjoy the work I do and the people I work with. I’ve noticed how many genuinely giving people we have at Booz Allen—people who are not just sitting on the sidelines, but are actively engaged in giving back to those in need. My team has helped so much when I occasionally must curtail my hours to avoid overextending myself. I’ve also had to take off one weekend a month to travel to Charlottesville to complete my master’s degree, and my supervisor and co-workers have been extremely understanding about my schedule. It’s a true group effort, and I’m committed to being part of this team.
What is the primary message you’d like your Booz Allen colleagues to know about your volunteer commitment?
There are so many ways to take a leadership role in life and at Booz Allen, whether it’s related to your career or in a volunteer role. Everyone should realize they do have time to make a difference, no matter how limited that time is. Don’t look at Booz Allen as just a place to work—look at it as a place to be.
profile posted March 2, 2009
