WOMEN OF COLOR AWARD WINNERS 2013
With the support of family and many mentors whom I met as I was growing up, and throughout my career, I learned to believe in me, and I did my best to get where I wanted to be. By giving back, I use my experience to help others.”
Pamela Jones
Lead Software Engineer & Project Manager Northrop Grumman Corporation
P
amela Jones’s lifelong social responsibility coincides with her corporate career. From the moment she set foot outside
University of Maryland after receiving her bachelor’s degree in Psychology, she was committed to doing something that would impact her community. “My father was a physician and my mother was an educator. My parents showed me through their deeds, the importance of giving back to the community; the importance of uplifting others by showing them the opportunity to improve their skills and potential.” Shortly after going to work as a systems engineer/marketing representative with IBM, she was touched by the paradox of homeless people rummaging through trash in search of leftovers from the area’s well-to-do tech professionals out on lunch. So Jones partnered with a local soup kitchen to organize a monthly community food program. She has divided her time between community outreach and professional achievement ever since. Jones has twice gone before members of Congress to promote the need for greater emphasis on and funding for initiatives that promote women and minorities in STEM and was invited to help write a congres- sional bill that would mandate STEM-related curriculum for all K-12 schools. Other community efforts include working with inner city school children through the Discover-E STEM pro- gram, implementation of the Computer Lab at the Robinwood Community Center to teach children computer skills through a partnership with Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems African American Task Group, training female professionals on the soft skills needed to advance their careers in the male-dominated STEM arena, and the development of a STEM-based youth men- toring and training program with the Black Professional Men Organization. Jones earned a second undergraduate degree, a Bachelor’s of Science in Information Systems Management, before obtaining a Project Management Certificate from the University of California at Irvine. Over the course of her twenty plus-year career, she has worked as an independent consult- ant, help desk/site support representative, web developer and Livelink administrator /software developer before finally being promoted to her current position as lead software engineer and project manager with Northrop Grumman Corporation.
L
akela Lofton has architected an exemplary STEM career. For years, the imprint of her stellar leadership has positively
impacted the corporate culture at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) where she serves as nuclear engineering manager. Lofton has a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Hamp- ton University and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Institute of Technology. Lofton’s career began in Nuclear Fueling Engineering as an associate electrical engineer. Her skill set immediately set her apart as a leader in her group. Within two years, Lofton was recognized as one of US Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine’s “30 under 30 who made a Difference in Engineering.” In the two years following, Lofton was promoted to Construction Supervisor and then to the position of Refueling Cranes Engineering Supervisor. While in this position, Lofton standardized a refueling process that improved the reliability of the cranes at a time when the company and her team were faced with consistent equipment failures which hampered productivity and increased delays. Later, Lofton served as Principal Nuclear Engineer and that same year was honored by Northrop Grumman as a “Woman That Makes a Difference in the Shipyard.” In 2011, Lofton was appointed Project Manager for Kesselring Site Proposal at Ballston Spa, New York. There, she and her team developed a winning proposal worth $590M, a feat that allowed NNS access to new similar opportunities. The Kesselring project was nominated for the NNS 2012 Model of Excellence Award. One of the most valuable aspects of Lofton’s expertise is her ability not just to ascertain challenges but to provide solutions in the form of research, improvements and new processes. The imple- mentation of one such process stands to save Kesselring more than $5 million and save the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program $11 million. She is a woman who is committed to departmental and organizational excellence.
Cynthia McCollum Professional Development Counselor U.S. Army Materiel Command Logistics Support Activity
C
www.womenofcolor.net
ynthia McCollum’s career has spanned 18 years and result- ed in more than a dozen performance awards. McCollum
has provided the Army with distinguished service, coordinating affordable, top-quality professional development and techni- cal training programs. Outside of her service with the Armed
WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2013 43 SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Lakela Lofton Engineering Manager Newport News Shipbuilding- Kesselring Site
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