A cybersecurity program manager's reflections on her career journey
As the program manager for a high-profile cybersecurity team that serves the U.S. Army, Laura Israel truly makes a difference every day. She provides business oversight to both the technology and operations teams as they scan for cyber vulnerabilities and respond to attacks. Her nationwide team of 150 people requires high-level clearance and significant certification requirements.
“Our team plays a significant role in the protection of our defense networks," she says. “We're on the front lines of what you see on the news pertaining to national security. When there are cyberattacks, we're the people looking for those attackers, so our mission is essential to national security."
In past cyber program management roles, Laura has successfully managed as many as 300 people supporting similar programs with crucial missions. So, it's frankly alarming to learn that her talent and utter capability nearly went untapped when she first entered the field in the mid-90s. In fact, she says things didn't start clicking until about 15 years into her career.
“It was challenging to be a woman in technology. Even if you did get invited into roles, you were often treated like an administrator," she says. “Almost immediately, I noticed that I'd have to work a lot harder than my male counterparts to be taken as seriously even though we had the same degree. It took quite a few years. Patience was key."
During the long road of proving herself at work, Laura ended up as a single parent for about half of career journey. While she aimed to perform like a diligent team player with a solid work ethic, she also had to learn how to balance her home life and career—a difficult hurdle for a single mom, especially one breaking new ground in technology.
“The key was finding and working for a company that supported flexibility either way," she says. “I found my place and evolved my career within the culture I was looking for, working hard under the type of leadership I needed. The culture at Leidos worked for me. I had coverage and support from the people here, so I latched on to that."
Once Laura found fertile soil to plant her career, she jumped in with both feet and took risks because she had the support to drive those opportunities.
“Earlier in my career, I experienced such immediate challenges that I almost lost confidence in myself," Laura says. “Once I got into the groove with good leaders, though, they saw in me what I had nearly forgotten was there and pushed me into positions that I might not have tried for. I began to trust myself again, and my mentors' confidence in me helped me land my first breakout roles."
Her mentors' impact on her career inspires Laura's own leadership style. She makes sure that new leaders receive training on how mentorship and coaching are essential parts of their job. This, she says, ensures a pay-it-forward leadership mentality in which each new generation of leaders learns to create safe, supportive environments.
“The successes are my team's. The failures are mine," Laura says.
She further spotlights her perspectives on leadership. “Even when our work is especially challenging, our team is a safe place because everyone feels supported. Any team's success stems from good leadership and a cohesive culture, not just technical skills," she explains.
One way Laura fosters a healthy culture on her team is by nurturing inclusivity. In fact, she invited Tashi Carper, head of global inclusion and diversity at Leidos, to talk with her team about unconscious bias.
“Tashi helped us learn to become aware of our own unconscious bias—how it can affect the ways we think and act," Laura says, noting that her team invited Tashi back to work with smaller groups. She's grateful to work for an employer that promotes this type of inclusivity. During her tenure at Leidos, Laura has had several significant life experiences that forced unforeseen changes.
“Through it all, my leaders were right there supporting me while still guiding me to seek my next opportunity. In fact, my last two roles came about because my direct leaders and even their leaders were looking out for me," Laura says, explaining that leaders at Leidos constantly ask how they can continually improve things for people. “Leidos truly makes the effort to offer a full career to each employee, training leaders to foster employees' growth. We want our employees' careers to remain here as long as they want. You could work for this company for many years in any number of roles. There are so many internal opportunities and paths you can take."
At Leidos, we actively work to foster an inclusive workplace. We hope to empower employees from many backgrounds to build upon their varied experiences and perspectives. Diversity is valuable, helping our teams perform better and our organization become more innovative. To this end, we're hosting a Leidos Collaboration Event focused on cybersecurity. It will be held Wednesday, March 23, 2022, from 12:00-2:00 p.m. EST.
To learn more about opportunities in cybersecurity, register now.
