Meet Angela

Angela Wallace is a senior leader in Booz Allen’s global defense business, where she applies 30 years of engineering, architecture, and technology experience.

Angela has extensive expertise in technology development and systems engineering. She leads teams of Booz Allen subject matter experts, including engineers, scientists, digital and cyber experts, analysts, and technical acquisition and wargame specialists. She and her teams address complex challenges for defense clients. Through her leadership in our employee-led Native American Network and Women in Engineering and Science council, Angela helps foster an inclusive and diverse environment.

 Prior to joining Booz Allen, Angela provided technical support for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Advanced Space Technology Program working on antenna systems, miniature parallel processors, and optical data bus design. She assisted with communications technologies integration, planning, and testing for the Pegasus and Taurus rockets, supported NASA’s Advanced Communications Technology Satellite high-data-rate terminal, and DARPA’s Insertion into MILSATCOM products of Advanced Communications Technology (IMPACT) program.

 Angela holds a bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of South Alabama and a master's in electrical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Is this the job you wanted when you grew up? I didn’t know this job existed. Math and science led me to electrical engineering, which I loved. I am grateful that I found this path. I work on assignments focused on advanced capabilities including satellite communications. SATCOM is really important for the Department of Defense’s deployed troops. They often don’t have access to fiber or cellular. SATCOM can be their only way to communicate. I apply my engineering, management, and leadership expertise in developing and implementing strategies, evaluating risk, and ensuring quality delivery. My role today requires all of these skills.

Why is Booz Allen an ideal place for career growth? Everyone likes the environment that we provide for entrepreneurship and growth. You can find a problem, solve it, and grow the business. I was able to do that with advanced technologies. Booz Allen provides a great infrastructure for leaders to grow a portfolio within the company and complement it with adjacent technologies and capabilities so that we can anticipate and solve even more complex client challenges.

How do you keep your team motivated during times of change? As we all know, when there is change, there can be anxiety. We help employees look beyond their immediate concerns, and remain calm and confident, so that they can recognize their own full potential, and make better informed, long-term decisions.

What are the biggest challenges your clients are facing? Our clients are developing strategy and solutions to enable the nation’s warfighters and keep citizens safe—while facing dynamic, advanced and persistent threats. How can our clients face these threats, keep pace with technology development and applications, and be resilient—all in a constrained budget environment? Those are big questions we’re helping our clients answer.

Have you always had an entrepreneurial spirit? I think that comes from growing up in a small town. I had to be resourceful and creative. As a teenager, I had an early leadership opportunity and started a small cottage business. Over 8 years, I taught many children and adults to swim. I enjoyed being responsible for a small business and have drawn upon that experience often.

What do you consider your strengths? I believe in quality. I want things done right and done well. I want to make sure that people are recognized and rewarded for what they do.

How do you help people get recognized at Booz Allen? Sometimes people are shining, and they don’t even know it. I like to recognize the moment. A client might be sharing thoughts on a job well done or I may see an example of strength and authenticity in one of our multicultural activities. I want to celebrate those accomplishments with the individual and with the firm. 

What fascinates you about emerging technology? Understanding emerging technology is really important for the firm and our clients working at every level in the DOD. It helps guide investments, meet growing threats, and improve the quality of lives. Engineering, cyber, digital, and analytics technology helps not only deployed troops but everyone across the nation.