Ten Booz Allen employees have been named Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) Modern-Day Technology Leaders for 2019, joining more than 100 Booz Allen employees who have received this award since 2005.
US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine selects BEYA Modern-Day Technology Leaders, recognizing mid-level professionals who are shaping the future of STEM in their careers and communities.
Today, April directs and supports research for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid on quality improvement initiatives in hospital facilities serving special populations. She has more than 20 years of experience researching and advocating in areas from men’s health to equitable neighborhood redevelopment.
April is motivated by the transformative power of complex analytic solutions applied to social policy problems. She views practices such as data science, municipal management, and philanthropy as complementary—potential partners whose collaboration could people’s lives.
Relationships with clients and health industry experts are important to her. Passionate about business development, April is working to connect disparate groups like the U.S. Department of Defense with minority-serving academic institutions to create new opportunities.
Throughout her career, April has published research and editorials in scholarly health journals. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Harvard University.
“If we are to change the world, we must rewrite our expectations and change what we tolerate, wanting better for others than we want for ourselves. Hope is our weapon.”
For more than 9 years, Brandon has been a part of the security and defense industry. Currently, he works as a system engineer supporting the F-35 aircraft, ensuring the weapons and supporting systems are built to export standards. In 2018 alone, the systems Brandon worked on helped the export of $7.7 billion in aircraft to eight countries.
Working in the defense industry has allowed Brandon to affect immediate change to our world’s landscape. His calculations and flow diagrams can lead to tangible defense support for our warfighters.
His background includes integrated security solutions, and global security and engineering solutions. Brandon holds a master’s degree in engineering management from George Washington University.
“The future is the betterment of human-kind with every widget invented and data bit analyzed. As an engineer, I’m proud to be part of that community of individuals who will determine what the future will be.”
For close to 20 years, Crystal has honed her project management skills, with emphasis on government and corporate data migrations. Today, she works on the CDM (Continuous Diagnostic Mitigation) program established by Congress, supporting the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity efforts. Her daily mission focuses on strengthening the cyber posture of federal networks and data by extending cyber solutions into federal cloud and mobile environments.
Crystal and her team, working on cybersecurity efforts, are currently protecting 80 percent of the federal .gov networks on more than four million devices. And she is just as impressive working on volunteer and industry efforts.
Diversity in STEM is an important part of who Crystal is. Even as a new employee, Crystal became chair of the African American Forum-Recruiting and Retention committee and a board member of the firm’s LGBTQ forum. She also led the firm’s diversity and recruiting efforts at the 2018 DEFCON conference, supporting the diversity hiring initiative for STEM candidates.
“The future looks like me: A world of innovative leaders that is inclusive of communities of color, women, and LGBTQ with a seat at the table.”
Imagine working alongside some of the brightest cyber, analytics, digital, and engineering minds in a facility that sets the standard for SoCal tech workspaces. The Booz Allen El Segundo office is amazing–not only does it showcase technology of the future, but it offers views of the beach. Freddie works here to bridge the gap between software, architecture, and cybersecurity to provide a better end-to-end solution for clients.
Freddie’s mission is to change the technology domain and the way organizations pursue software development operations. His latest focus is in enterprise cloud solutions and how to bridge the gap with legacy systems, by providing solutions that reach end users quicker than with standard stovepipe rollouts. He utilizes his military and operational background to better engineer solutions that users are excited about adopting.
As technology moves rapidly, Freddie works to stay relevant and has currently attained 14 certifications. He shares his experiences as a mentor, as a guest lecturer at universities, and is a CyberPatriot instructor at a local Los Angeles high school.
As a former cyber operations officer for the military, he wants to continue providing critical cyber capability to support the U.S. government. Freddie feels that we need people who are cyber professionals, mastering many technologies, to think architecturally, and solve upcoming challenges.
“The future is unknown and that is opportunity!”
Currently leading a diverse portfolio of cybersecurity projects, Malcolm is helping to shape a new path for cyber and information assurance. He ensures that computer systems are compliant, protected from hackers, and that cybersecurity vulnerability risk is minimized.
He has 14 years of technical experience supporting cyber and information security projects for the government, military, healthcare industry, and the intelligence community. As a Navy veteran, he understands the importance of commitment. Malcolm developed his keen sense of analyzing threat data by, initially, tracking submarines as a Navy sonar technician.
Malcolm is also a consummate cyber professional, holding certifications including CISSP and Security+ and completing training such as Metasploit for Enterprise Penetration Testing. His position allows him to support the next generation of cybersecurity risk management professionals—those who will lead and protect our future.
“The future is a collective collaboration that begins inside of us.”
With more than 24 years of experience in program management, Marvette is focused on information resource management, program operations, and financial analysis. In her current role, she optimizes complex organizational processes by integrating systems of people, information, and services to create increased efficiencies and duplicable methods.
Through her efforts leading the Booz Allen Women’s Forum, Marvette is focused on building and mentoring the next generation of leaders. She understands the importance of women and girls in STEM fields to provide diversity of thought to challenges of today and tomorrow. To empower middle and high school girls, and spark interest, Marvette has organized immersive days to expose girls from at risk communities to the opportunities of STEM/STEAM.
Today, the work Marvette does expands her abilities, and contributes to her being a collaborative technology leader. Leading by example, she inspires young women to believe in themselves, take risks, and to change the world because diversity of thought is requirement, not an option.
“The future is filled with unlimited possibilities if we are destiny-driven but legacy-focused.”
For more than 20 years, Stephanie has built expertise in IT program management. She is a subject matter expert in system engineering, with a specialty in software and hardware testing, and she supports a diverse group of local, state and Federal Government agencies.
Stephanie has managed large scale test engineering efforts for federal cybersecurity initiatives. Currently she is serving as a system engineer, where she provides technical analysis and engineering services in a consulting capacity. Stephanie’s contribution to cybersecurity efforts are important in our country's national and international strategies to combat threats of cyber attacks.
Passionate about inspiring tomorrow’s leaders, she has volunteered with organizations to include Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girls in Technology, FIRST Robotics, and Black Girls Code.
“Cybersecurity is essential in our economy and society; the future will remain a continuous challenge.”
Supporting the health market, Taalib has served as a project manager, data analyst expert, IT integrator, and data analytics tool architect. His work includes a predictive assessment tool for cost avoidance and quality improvements in healthcare. Using geospatial information and predictive analytics, Taalib leads the effort for a decision support tool which has applications for public health, disaster mitigation, and infrastructure planning.
Currently, Taalib is leading a team of data scientists, econometricians, and business analysts to predict the impact of legislation on government programs that help at risk populations. He helps government operate more efficiently, allocate resources more equitably, and discover opportunities.
Taalib is committed to raising up leaders at work and in his community. He runs a mentorship program for new and mid-career employees. Every year, Taalib supports the Greater DC Diaper Bank with a diaper drive. He is also leading a financial literacy program for 5th graders at a Washington, DC school.
“The future is about asking the ‘50-year’ question. What challenges will the world face 50-years from now and how are we preparing the world for those challenges?”
Troy spends his days investigating potential cyber threats, managing Booz Allen’s customer response and incidence handling function. His job is the first line of defense for the firm for cyber incidents, and his team works 24x7x365.
To combat the shortage of skilled cyber talent, Troy helped launch and internal training program, focusing on various attack aspects and the defensive side of cybersecurity. He is helping to build the next wave of support, through mentorship and training, for the Department of Defense and commercial clients.
With 25 years of service supporting military campaigns across the globe, Troy is a former active duty member of the U.S. Air Force, continuing his service in the reserves. He is pursuing his master’s degree in cybersecurity at University of Maryland University College.
“The future is for unconventional leaders, who leverage emerging technologies to facilitate solutions.”
Walter leads information technology projects for the patents business unit at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He coordinates the efforts of software developers to deliver solutions that support the agency’s mission of fostering innovation.
Supporting an agency whose primary focus is innovation, both now and in his prior role as a patent examiner, helps him to appreciate the power of an idea. Walter’s collaboration with business and technical stakeholders directly impact the 8,000+ patent examiners who process patent applications from inventors.
Walter has 15+ years of experience supporting the government and military. He is certified both as an Agile software professional and a Project Management Professional. He holds a master’s in systems engineering from George Mason University.
“The future is full of remarkable discoveries. A diverse population of innovators will achieve advances that the world will enjoy for generations!”
