WashingtonExec has awarded SAIC Senior Vice President of Business Enablement Sandra Hinzman with the Longevity Award, which recognizes executives who have made outstanding contributions to their companies throughout the years.
Hinzman has been with SAIC for over 30 years. She got her start at SAIC at its original headquarters in the San Diego area in 1991 and was introduced to the company by her sister who already worked there. In April 1992, Hinzman joined fulltime.
“I fell in love with both SAIC and San Diego and made the move from Northern Kentucky to Southern California in early 1992,” she said.
After working as a temporary employee in several positions, Hinzman found her home as the contracts secretary in a SAIC subsidiary called Science Applications International Technology. Thirty years later, she said the people and the “cool work” has kept her at the company.
“I have lifelong friends who started as coworkers. I continuously met diverse and engaging people that I have enjoyed working with throughout my career,” Hinzman said.
In addition to the “amazing” people, she values SAIC’s continuous new and interesting customer missions that she could move around to assist. Hinzman began her career supporting contracts with the Army and gained experience learning other Defense Department agencies, federal civilian agencies, and commercial and international projects.
“Where else can you work on important missions that go to the bottom of the deepest oceans all the way to exploring outer space?” she said. “Intriguing projects of national significance always kept me engaged!”
Throughout the years, Hinzman said she’s honored to have had a front-row seat to SAIC’s evolution. When she first started, SAIC was employee-owned and led by founder Dr. Robert Beyster. Hinzman watched as SAIC transformed into a publicly traded company and placed on the Fortune 500 list.
In 2013, she even played a key role in the “spinoff” of the SAIC known today.
“It was my pleasure to serve as a leader in the new entity, and along with my colleagues, work hard to return it to the Fortune 500 list,” she said. “It has been a wild roller coaster ride, and I have learned so much.”
In fact, Hinzman has soaked up all she’s learned thus far, embraced new opportunities, received her master’s degree and moved across the country for a second time to advance her career. Through these experiences, she has been promoted to increasing levels of leadership and responsibility.
“I take great pride in having started where I did and working my way to my current role as a senior vice president,” she said.
Hinzman has held key roles supporting SAIC’s strategic transactions and engaged on some of SAIC’s most challenging contractual and business issues. She has supported significant acquisitions that nearly doubled SAIC’s size, while navigating the combined organization through government shutdowns, a pandemic and a reorganization.
“But I would submit my most significant impact is never saying no to any task asked of me, and creatively resolving issues,” Hinzman said.
Today, she leverages her experiences and perspective to share her institutional knowledge.
“Past performance is not always an indicator of future success, but where I can impart examples of challenges we have overcome, I do,” she said. “I strongly believe that coaching and mentoring help others grow, and I try my best to offer my support in that way.”
Her most significant mentorship moments involve letting teammates know they’re safe to make and learn from mistakes. She believes companies should create an environment where employees can use challenges to coach others.
“We all need to be able to fail, learn and grow from our experiences ⏤ both the good and the bad ones!” Hinzman said.
And upon reflection, Hinzman advises her younger self to take it all in; invest time and effort in nurturing relationships with coworkers and customers while developing work skills.
“Grow your network and put fear to the side,” she said. “Embrace the new and the uncomfortable ⏤ and it’s more fun!”