At Amentum, we celebrate our people, our cultures, and we recognize the value of diversity and inclusion. In March, we’ll focus on Women’s History Month while shining a light on one employee at a time. Today’s Q&A is with Alyson M. Gibson, Senior Security Manager, National Security, Corporate/Legal/Security.
How did you come to join Amentum?
I started working for Amentum back in 2010. The company I was working for lost the contract I was on. The best decision I ever made was coming on board with Amentum!
What is your professional and personal background?
I have been happily married for the last 19 years and blessed with an amazing 13-year-old son. The last 18 years of my professional career have been spent in the Security field. I started as a Security Monitor on an Intel program and worked my way to becoming a Contract Security Officer and then a Program Security Manager. Two years ago, I was promoted to Senior Security Manager supporting several contracts in the Intelligence business line through onsite security management and oversight.
Describe the work you do and how you think it makes a positive impact.
As a Senior Security Manager, I provide program management insight, security management, and operational oversight across Amentum’s Intelligence Community portfolio spanning multiple agencies and mission-critical contracts. I provide Contract Security Officer (CSO) oversight and management of security staff for several contracts, supporting 1,000 (+) personnel throughout the Intelligence Community. I also oversee a team of seven Security professionals that spans over the Mission Support and Critical Operations sectors of the Intelligence business line. This team of Security professionals ranges from junior-level to mid-level Contract Security Officers providing direct onsite support for our customers mission while also supporting the corporate security infrastructure. I also support new contract pursuits as a security Subject Matter Expert (SME) to include solutioning, writing, and reviewing.
The work we do has a great impact on our customer’s mission. Focusing on our customer’s mission by working as a partner with them is very important to me. One of the areas I focus on is Security education. I collaborate with our customer to make sure our workforce understands what they are required to report and how they are to operate at customer locations. Another area of focus has been processes and procedures. Ensuring we have documented how and why we do work is important for our people to be able to work with ease and gives our customer confidence that we know how to do the job safely and securely. Supporting our people and our customer will always be my number one priority.
What are some of your accomplishments and/or what has been your proudest career moment?
Over the course of my career there have been many things that have made me proud to be a part of the programs and people I have had the opportunity to work with. When I was on the DIESEL program, we were asked by the customer to provide security support to a new location. This required us to quickly hire and train over 100 new staff. Being a part of that transition allowed me to really grow as a manager. The opportunity allowed me to grow into a Program Security Manager and made me realize how much I love mentoring and managing. I would say the greatest accomplishment for me has been this last year. While we moved through the transition of becoming “One Amentum, “ I was given the opportunity to construct an onsite security team. I have to say, being a part of this team and watching how each member has grown in the past year, and helping to shape the security structure on these programs has been priceless. The entire team that I have the privilege of working with is some of the best Security professionals I have ever worked with. When I sat back at the end of 2023 and looked at what we accomplished, it made me so proud to see what we were able to do in just a year’s time. I am looking forward to continuing to grow the Security culture and the team in the next year.
What do you enjoy about working for Amentum?
What I enjoy most working for Amentum is the people.
I get to interact with all levels of the business line, and all different departments in the organization (Recruiting, Operations, Trade craft employees, etc.), and interact with Amentum employees on the programs. It’s a pleasure to experience the diversity of all the people and departments on programs I support. I love being able to help people no matter if it’s a security concern/question or not. The customers we support and the mission are as so important and I really enjoy being able to make even the smallest difference towards their mission.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about so many things. I am passionate about helping people. I want to do whatever I can to help someone. I love to strategize and find solutions. To me, that’s how you really help people. I am passionate about Security. I truly love what I do! Having the opportunity to support the customer and make even the smallest difference to their mission is an opportunity that I am so grateful for.
What’s your career advice?
Get involved and don’t stop learning. The more you know the bigger impact you can have. Don’t be afraid to take some risks and do things a little outside your comfort zone. Sometimes the greatest rewards come from the smallest risks. Love what you do. When you are passionate it will resonate and I truly believe you will be more successful.
What does safety mean to you or do you have a favorite safety tip?
“See Something, Say Something” applies to both Safety and Security. I think Safety and Security have a unique relationship in how important they both are not only to each other but also to the workforce. We should always make sure our people leave to go home to their families the same way they arrived, safe and secure.
What’s the best invention in the world and why?
I think the telephone is the best invention in the world because it connects people. As technology has advanced so has the telephone and now we can not only connect our voices to our friends, family, and coworkers all over the world, but we can connect through video chat right from our phones.
Anything else you would like to share from a personal or professional perspective?
Communication is the bedrock of all relationships. Make sure to always communicate with your coworkers. It is so hard to be successful when there is a lack of communication. The best way to ensure a healthy relationship and success is to treat others the way you want to be treated.
Considering this monthly observance, tell us more about yourself.
I spend as much time with my family as I can. I am a workaholic and I tend to throw myself into my work. I don’t watch too much TV but when I do it’s either old comedy shows (like the Golden Girls, Reba, Friends, or Everybody Loves Raymond) or the Investigation ID channel. I like all kinds of music and will listen to whatever is right for the mood.
