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Belinda Edwards |
Finding Her Niche
Belinda Edwards
February 2009
When she was 10, a trip to the local bowling alley changed Belinda Edwards' life. Fascinated by the installation of an automatic pin setter—a machine programmed to carry out tasks humans once performed—she discovered machine programming. She starting researching how computers worked and then a couple of years later wrote her first computer program while attending Loyola College's "College for Kids" program in Baltimore. Her career in computers was born.
An information systems engineer in MITRE's Center for Integrated Intelligence Systems, Edwards came to MITRE in 2004 following 13 years in the commercial and government sectors. She spent her first year and a half with the company supporting multiple initiatives for three different sponsors, all within the Department of Defense (DoD), at MITRE's Bolling AFB site in Washington, D.C. The first project focused on database development and migration; another required a product assessment of a government-off-the-shelf network analysis tool; and the third included functional testing and monitoring of the delivery and completion of contractor tasks.
MITRE's Bolling AFB site, Washington, D.C.
Located in Southwest Washington, D.C. across the river from Arlington, Va., the Bolling Air Force Base site houses 15 MITRE staff at the DoD's Defense Intelligence Analysis Center. Under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC), Bolling AFB will become the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling-Naval Research Laboratory, D.C.
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Edwards then moved on to support a Web-based workspace where analysts, warfighters, and decision makers can rapidly access and employ intelligence information. She also assisted with the development of data standards that will be used for analysis by the defense and the intelligence communities. "This fiscal year, my primary projects focus on business continuity planning [BCP] and on customer and requirements management for my DoD sponsors," she says. "The BCP task focuses on the refinement of the mission-recovery plan, in the event of natural and man-made disasters."
"My current roles vary greatly and can range from drafting policy documentation and participating in business planning exercises to interviewing analysts on software applications under development," she says. "But what I enjoy most about my job is the opportunity to build and broaden my network within MITRE as well as within the sponsor location. I appreciate the opportunities I've had thus far to move around the sponsor environment—to learn and understand the business rules of each organization and the interplay between them."
Edwards' many work accomplishments were recognized with a Technology Star Award at the 13th annual National Women of Color STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) conference in October 2008.
East of the Potomac
Shortly after coming to MITRE in 2004, Edwards relocated to Bolling AFB. She spends four days a week there and one day at MITRE's McLean, Va., campus. This schedule has allowed her to support her customer while maintaining a connection with her MITRE colleagues. She explains, "I need to be here at Bolling to effectively gain an understanding of my sponsor's mission and how it relates to the overall DoD mission. Also, this is the best way for me to immerse myself in military culture—it's very different from my experiences in the commercial world. Within the public and non-profit sectors, interpersonal relationships drive everything. If a sponsor doesn't know you well, you must take the time to nurture that relationship to produce a fruitful outcome for both the sponsor and MITRE."
She enjoys working at Bolling and admits that its proximity to her home was one reason she came to MITRE. "It was one of several factors that brought me to MITRE," she says. "Another reason was MITRE's repeated placement on FORTUNE'S '100 Best Companies to Work For' list. The company's emphasis on continued education was significant as well."
MITRE's commitment to education encouraged Edwards to participate in the company's Educational Assistance Program. She's pursuing her master's degree in computer systems management, with a focus on software development management, from the University of Maryland University College. "I feel fortunate that working at MITRE has provided an opportunity to work on my master's degree," she says. "It doesn't leave me with much free time, but when I do have time off between semesters, I enjoy Latin dancing, specifically salsa, cha cha, bachata, and merengue. I also like to attend jazz concerts and sporting events. Come on March Madness!"
—by Kay M. Upham
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