Diverse CEO by DiverseCEO

tion of Commerce Future 50 Award. IDL also won seats as a prime contractor on many large government contracting vehicles, including CMS ESD, a $4 billion, 10-year IDIQ (indefinite delivery, indefinite quanity) contract.

Even CEOs Work for Others

Arlington, Va.-based contractor CACI acquired IDL in 2012; Ambegaoker remained until March 2014. She then went on to co-found CENTERPOINT, Inc. serving as chairwoman and CEO alongside co-CEO Ed Silva. “When we were going through the acquisition, I realized I had not worked for anyone in my professional career, and I thought I would never have to work for someone,” she said. “But then I realized, even as CEO of your own organization, while you don’t have an everyday boss per say, you work for your people, your clients and your organization.” CENTERPOINT provides federal government-tailored enterprise mobile solutions, cybersecurity lifecycle management and IT governance. The two partners look forward to working together. “I have known and worked with Baly for over 10 years. During this time, I have come to know her many attributes that I value in a

business partner: great leader (with a leadership style different from and complementary to mine), intelligent, confident, ethical, persistent, liked and respected by our peers, fun and one of the most trustworthy individuals I have ever known,” Silva said. “In essence, we have similar values, but different skills that complement each other’s.” Another way that Ambegaoker has always worked for others is as a champion for women in business. An active member of the National Association of Women Business Owners and Wisconsin Women’s Board of Directors, Ambegaoker has seen first-hand the stereotypes woman and minorities face in the business world. “When my business was just starting out, there was no such thing as a glass ceiling. I wasn’t seen as a threat, but as you start to expand and [are] getting into the boardrooms and climbing the ladder, it does exist—not just for women, but for minorities as well,” she said. “It’s important to stay positive and keep an eye on your objective and goals. I never opened up a conversation to a customer saying, ‘hire us because we’re small and woman-owned.’ I never wanted to compete like that. We are good at what we do and let our work speak for us.”

Back to What She Enjoys In her new role, Ambegaoker said she will be doing lots of marketing, business development and networking and looks forward to helping CENTERPOINT grow. It also leaves her more time to further her education. She’s currently pursuing her MBA at New York University (NYU). “With two CEOS, it’s interesting, because jointly we share a lot of the same efforts. For me, I am going to be going back and doing what I enjoy,” she said. “I like making new friends and talking to businesses about how we can help them. I like learning a lot and leaning about different agencies and areas.” Ambegaoker said that her business philosophy has been the same since she first opened up shop more than 20 years ago— “be passionate about what you do.” “Once you are passionate, you end up being good at it and it doesn’t matter what it is,” she said, noting that cybersecurity is a long way from her original architectural dreams. “I never worked for the money—that just sort of came. It was always important for me to make a difference and enjoy doing so, and doing well for the country.”

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