Tester
2
Women of Influence
Thursday, March 12, 2015
How Pax professionals are making a difference
(Second of a four-part series for Women’s History Month)
In last week’s Tester, we introduced you to 10 NAS Patuxent River women who are making a difference in their communities. This week, meet five more.
THE VANGUARD Cam Donohue
THE SCORE KEEPER Capt. Nora Burghardt Program Manager Aircrew Systems Program Office (PMA-202) As bookkeeper and statistician for St Mary’s Ryken High School girls’ basketball team and the Chosen Few AAU basketball team, Burghardt travels to all games, maintaining the score book, taking stats and providing analysis for games and players. This analysis contributes to coach game plans and provides valuable recruiting information. Burghardt is also a mother of four daughters — an Air Force maintenance officer; a logistician with the Navy’s MH60R/S Multi-Mission Helicopter Program Office; a pharmacy technician; and a high school senior.
Airborne Spacing for Terminal Area Routes (ASTARS) Flight Demonstration Program Manager and Airborne Systems Flight Support U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) Whether it’s advancing the USNTPS curriculum through development of innovative System of Systems testing, or launching a local nonprofit, Donohue is passionate about enhancing her professional community. Her nonprofit, STEM-ING, includes more than 100 volunteers, who encourage middle- and high-school girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. She does all this, and more, while pursuing a master’s degree in national strategic studies.
THE ACTIVIST Jackie Heiner UH-1Y Principal Deputy Assistant Product Manager for Logistics U.S. Marine Corps H-1 Light/Attack Helicopters Program Office (PMA-276) An active member of NAVAIR’s Women’s Advisory Group and a professional mentor, Heiner ensures the command’s workforce is educated about a mother’s right to lactate at work. She has promoted lactation law awareness as part of NAVAIR’s supervisory training. Away from work, Heiner serves on a ministry team at her church and supports Tiara Troopers, an after-school girl’s running club at Carver Elementary School in Lexington Park, Md. She is also a recruiter for the Naval Acquisition Development Program.
Meet more Women of Influence in next week’s issue of Tester. CREDITS: Written by Paula A. Paige Emily Strotman Gary Younger U.S. Navy photos by Kelly Schindler Adam Skoczylas Steve Kays
THE CHANGE AGENT Adrienne Somerville Community Management Program Manager Command Strategies, Force Planning and Analysis Department, Corporate Operations Founder of the Carolyn E. Parker Foundation, Somerville established the nonprofit with the ethos “The elderly will be supported, the youth will be educated, the hungry will be fed, the unclothed will be covered, and the impoverished will be restored.” She supports Spring Ridge Middle School’s Young Girls Empowerment Club by delivering afternoon meals, providing mentorship, hosting college/career panels and conducting vision board workshops to broaden the minds of today’s youth.
THE CHALLENGER Lisa Nyalko Deputy Program Executive Officer Program Executive Office for Tactical Aircraft (PEO(T)) With a background in engineering, Senior Executive Service member Nyalko has amassed many awards over her 28-year career. Rather than allow the accolades or her SES rank to define her legacy, Nyalko says one of her professional footprints will be her penchant for challenging the acquisition status quo. When it comes to acquisition planning, “don’t just pick up the same source selection plan and copy it,” she says. “Think about your requirements. It makes execution easier.”