Alumni Profile: Joyce Doria
Today: Joyce is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), which is committed to protecting and preserving America’s national parks. In her role with the non-partisan, non-government organization, Joyce works directly with the board’s chairman and the association president. She chairs the corporate committee of NPCA Capital Campaign to raise endowments, and has also chaired several other committees. She has had a leadership role on a task force to bring alternative transportation to a portion of the Great Smokies National Park to address its air pollution issues.
Joyce Doria
Joyce also serves on two other boards for commercial organizations. “My short-term goals are to help them excel in management, client service, and business development,” she says. “My career at Booz Allen created skills these companies do not have, so I am still in a teaching mode.
“But my longer-term goal is to have fun in retirement, help family and friends, and make a strong contribution through our political system to protect not only our parks, but also our planet from threats of overdevelopment, global warming, excessive population, and all forms of war and aggression,” she continues. “I am hopeful that young people of today will see that we are on the edge of many global disasters, that they will put a stake in the ground and say no more, and will use their talents to solve global problems.”
At Booz Allen and Before: Joyce became a Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton in 1988 and Senior Vice President in 2000. She served on the firm’s Board of Directors, where she chaired the Audit Committee. After joining the firm in 1979, she supported commercial firms and nearly every military, civilian, and intelligence agency in the federal government. She consulted for the Secretary of State, the president of the Brookings Institute, multiple Assistant Secretaries and Commissioners of the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Treasury, Health and Human Services, and many more. Her key areas of expertise include strategic planning, organizational development and change management, human capital, performance management and measurement, and business process redesign.
She has testified before Congress in support of the Government Accounting Office (GAO) in management audits of the Library of Congress, Government Printing Office, U.S. Capitol Police, and Office of the Secretary of State. An accomplished speaker and writer, Joyce has presented at many conferences on challenges facing homeland security, cultural changes, executive development, and performance management.
Do you feel that Booz Allen provided you with a strong foundation for your current work? When I joined NPCA, I already had a long-term interest in our nation’s environment, parks, and wildlife and knew a lot about land management issues and threats to the national parks. It was natural that my interests and our Booz Allen work would lead towards NPCA.
I led Booz Allen projects in strategy for the EPA, Department of State, National Park Service, Department of Interior, Army Corps of Engineers, and others. I managed the firm’s Land Management Group with high-profile staff from various government positions. I created and managed the organization and strategy effort for Booz Allen’s government business, and our team completed projects for NPCA involving core values, training and HR development, and strategic communications. In each of these cases, we brought our professionals to NPCA, which considers Booz Allen a strong partner in developing plans for their organization.
As I approached retirement, we passed the baton to Senior Vice President Dave Aldrich, who has sponsored events and dedicated the firm’s resources to endow the NPCA award for park ranger of the year. Other Vice Presidents such as Chuck Jones, Maria Darby, and Doug Carter have also been involved with NPCA projects.
What were the primary skills and strengths you developed while at Booz Allen? As a Senior Vice President, business leader, and member of the Board and Booz Allen’s Government Leadership team, I developed a good background for running organizations, including a knowledge of structure, finance, resource management, geographic distribution, marketing, HR development, presentation skills, and much more. As a result, I am frequently called upon to address groups and add strategy to NPCA programs. As with any good Booz Allen consultant, versatility was essential to my success, and it remains essential to my post-Booz Allen success.
What advice would you give to a new employee starting at Booz Allen? There are many components to success at Booz Allen, and many are attitudinal. The basic component is a given: Raw intelligence and strong education—that’s what we hire people for. Beyond that are several traits that contribute to success: Hard work, curiosity, dependability, ambition, the ability to be a team player and strong contributor, and street smarts, a Booz Allen trademark. As one moves up the ladder, a consultant needs to be “known for something”—become expert at something you love to do. Then work all your management and leadership skills to run projects and a business. Be eager to learn and eager to teach. Managing consultants is heavily a job of teaching consulting skills, knowledge, experience, and savvy to the next levels.
What was an especially rewarding or insightful experience you had at the firm? Years ago, when I presented a critical, competitive proposal for a complex Navy job, I stuck to my position in the face of more politically savvy advice, because I knew my position was the right choice for the Navy. We ended up losing the competition to another firm that gave the client the answer they wanted to hear. When I returned from the presentation, I ran into the senior vice president in charge of Booz Allen’s defense effort. I told him we would not get the contract. He asked if I would have done the job and proposed the same solution again, given the result. I replied yes, knowing that answer could be career ending. He smiled and said, “That’s what I wanted to hear.” Two years later, the other consulting firm failed at the job, and we got the new contract to do it the right way.
I’ve had many good experiences at the firm. When I first came to Booz Allen, there were less than 300 people in the Washington, D.C. area. We had a softball league in which everyone played, including the vice presidents. I wasn’t the greatest, but my team was a league winner one year (I still have the souvenir softball). When we moved to McLean, I created what was then called “The Fun Initiative” to bring people together. That program expanded to the many events Booz Allen now has at the McLean campus and regional offices. People who play together often work well together.
What did working at Booz Allen teach you about yourself? One of the most important things I learned from my experience at Booz Allen was to dare to be who you are. Recognize that you are good—often very good—at what you do, and have the self-confidence to seek your aspirations. Most importantly, have the courage to express what you believe in, and protect your integrity as the key to your reputation and self respect.
profile posted September 10, 2008
