Booz Allen Hamilton Senior Vice President Angela Messer shared her perspectives as part of the “Combat to Corporate Panel” at the US Army Women’s Foundation 2nd Annual Symposium and Luncheon on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. The event was held on Capitol Hill at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC.
With more than 200 in attendance, Messer talked about the exciting, and sometimes daunting, transition from combat to corporate America and the profound value it brought to her having experienced it first-hand. A former US Army Officer herself, she converted from the regular Army to an individual ready reserve status before eventually coming to Booz Allen. In her current role Messer leads Booz Allen’s Army business, helping bring solutions that make a difference.
The West Point Military Academy graduate offered sound wisdom on the parallels between the two career choices. “So much of what military women learn and experience on active duty is transferrable to corporate life.” Messer continued, “Corporate America is looking for talented individuals who are smart, innovative, responsible, team players and team builders; these are the same kind of traits that the Army values and so does Booz Allen.”
Messer talked about two of her Booz Allen colleagues who have made the leap in equally successful fashion. Senior Associate Autumn Kosinski made the shift after serving as a Navy officer for more than six years to now leading an effort to design a new software application for the Navy Expeditionary Force. The same can be said for Senior Associate Kalle Smales, who after retiring from the Air Force desired to join a company where she would be able to lend her expertise in defending our nation in the missile defense market.
Messer explained that identifying the best company and cultural fit to make such a switch can be a complex process. But she added that the process can be simplified by clearly recognizing what is fundamentally indispensable to one’s career. Messer said, “For me personally, I searched for a company that shared the same core values, was focused on recruiting top talent and one that recognized the value that diversity of thinking brings to the work place.”
story posted April 27, 2010
