Veronica Kazaitis

"My father was in the U.S. Army, so I've always felt connected to the importance of the defense and intelligence mission. I studied finance in college, and, when I graduated, was fortunate to start working in the defense industry supporting the Intelligence Community. I focused on growing and learning—both personally and professionally—every day...After working for a few defense contractors, I found my way to Parsons where I now lead the business development and strategy for the company's Cyber and Intelligence portfolio. We're doing truly INCREDIBLE things every day!"

"I love listening to our partners in the IC and DoD share what they're focused on, where they see the future going, and what they need to get the job done. The trust that you build with your customer in this role, where they know that they can call on you, is the most rewarding piece of my job. Every day the people in the IC are focused on making a positive impact to our soldiers around the world, and it's our job to help them be successful."

"Embracing Open Source [will be the top IC trend] in the year ahead. Open source is one area where competition is a good thing. Competition promotes innovation, discovery, and additive government value, while only government-owned and developed capabilities risk being trapped in legacy, historical approaches. While there are many benefits around leveraging open source, one that keenly sticks out is the collective development capacity of often highly-skilled engineers who are passionate about the tools they build. They want to make an impact. These projects are often reviewed by hundreds of volunteer engineers and organizations with corporate image and missions at stake. The question is, is the IC ready for adoption? "

"[I would tell someone considering a career in the IC to] jump in! Don't be afraid. If you're committed, you will work with the absolute best people in the entire world—all focused on making the world better. There is a sense of camaraderie within the IC where, if you're focused on the mission, everyone is on the same team."

Favorite TV Shows: Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Nell Scovell and Sheryl Sandberg. One of my favorite quotes from the book is "There is no perfect fit when you're looking for the next big thing to do. You have to take opportunities and make an opportunity fit for you, rather than the other way around. The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have."