From Thrill Rides to the Digital Battlespace

After studying government and music at Cornell University, Joanna Guy worked in grassroots advocacy and then for a global roller coaster company. Today she shapes marketing strategy for Booz Allen’s defense capabilities. She promotes solutions ranging from data-centric technology for allied mission collaboration to advanced virtual and augmented reality innovation for accelerated soldier readiness. Here she shares her career journey and the motivations and milestones along the way.

Looking for an opportunity to earn scholarships and make new connections, Guy got involved with the Miss America Organization during her senior year at Cornell. This led to a year of travel, community service opportunities, and the ability to connect with people from all walks of life in her position as Miss Maryland.

“It was an opportunity to learn what mattered to people in my community—through school visits and speaking with students across the state; through collaboration with community and business leaders to support organizations like Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Cindy’s Fund that help children with terminal illnesses and families struggling with cancer-related expenses,” she said. “I was curious and passionate about learning from a young age, and always driving toward career results. But the experience reinforced the importance of community involvement beyond career ambition. It also showed me the power to affect change with a platform.”

In the years following, Guy said, “A winding path revealed new passions.” She worked in the U.S. Senate, advocated for the Public Interest Research Group, and earned an M.B.A. at Duke. While traveling worldwide for Premier Rides, a global roller coaster engineering firm, Guy gained an appreciation for the advanced technology that powers today’s thrill rides. 

She was introduced to the impact of immersive technology in the roller coaster experience while on the “Soaring Over the Horizon” ride at the grand opening of Disneyland Shanghai. “I felt like I was truly flying over Mount Everest and the Taj Mahal. Imagine using similar immersive technology to prepare a battlefield medic for combat,” Guy said. “This is the type of powerful technology I see used to train soldiers and build virtual environments for testing in my work at Booz Allen. I’m especially passionate about this work because my grandfather was a Navy medic who spent 27 days on Iwo Jima. I want to support the warfighters who defend the nation’s freedoms.”   

Passion for the mission and technology were major drivers in the move to Booz Allen, but the company offered many avenues that spoke to her, including a chance to grow her career in an ethical organization where women are supported. “In our strategy sessions and events, I look around the room and see leaders like Judi Dotson, Andrea Inserra, and Mariel Cooley—women that are shaping the future of national security and defense,” said Guy. “It is energizing to see women leaders in these roles and work for a firm that consistently ranks at the top of lists like Forbes Best Employers for Women."

Guy has also found opportunities to continue her work in community service. While at Booz Allen, she contributes to fundraising efforts for the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia and volunteers with organizations like STEM for Her. She has also gotten back to her arts and entertainment roots. Through Booz Allen’s partnership with the non-profit organization Compass, Guy volunteered for 6 months with Theatre Washington, working with the arts group on innovative ways to fundraise and build their brand.

Guy said she’s looking forward to signing up again with Compass and to getting more involved with Booz Allen’s initiatives in areas like sustainability.

Guy credits much of her success to career mentors. “Mentors, role models, and teachers are critical to reflection and growth,” she said. “My aim is to adopt the habits and mindfulness practices of people I admire for the way they achieve their unique vision of success and treat others along the way.”

She encourages others to proactively seek out such valuable connections in their own careers.

“If you’re interested in something, apprentice. Be a lifelong student.” Guy advised.