The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards were announced March 28, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person May 10.
Next is Amy Dalton, chief performance officer at Two Six Technologies, and finalist in the Private Company
Chief Operating Officer category. Here, she shares key achievements, focus areas going forward, career advice and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2023?
2023 was a year of dramatic growth and strategic expansion for Two Six. My key achievements were investments and actions to support that growth while maintaining excellence in our core operations. Important successes included the scaling of our recruiting and onboarding of new hires, people initiatives including training and mentoring, build-out of new facilities, and full integration of our fourth strategic acquisition.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the mission?
As we continue to grow rapidly, my focus is on both: 1) Scaling our operations to enable outstanding delivery to our customers, and 2) Supporting and strengthening the outstanding people at Two Six. It’s the combination of these focus areas that is essential to our success as a company, and ultimately the success of our government partners’ critical missions.
Across all our operations functions, we’ve had to scale very quickly to support a company that now exceeds 800 employees and $250 million in annual revenues. It’s always a top priority to sustain continued excellence in the support of our program teams and our customers.
People and culture are also critically important. We need to continue to be successful at finding, hiring, onboarding, training and retaining exceptional talent. To stay focused on providing great support to our people and teams, we adhere to Two Six’s core values: Passion, Purpose, Innovation, Diversity, Flexibility and Grace.
What is your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
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- Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and that will challenge you
- People matter
- Leaders eat last
Fun Fact: What is something about you that most people do not know about?
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- I learned to surf on the North Shore of Hawaii last month
- The Army used to pay me to jump out of helicopters