Crimson Phoenix’s Ross O’Rourke on Scaling a Mission-Driven Company in National Security
Link to episode. Ross O’Rourke didn’t set out to run a company. Like many in national security, he followed the openings in front of him and said yes to things he wasn’t sure he could pull off. The technical work came first. The leadership came later, once he could see where both the mission and
She Was 18, Had No Mentor and Accidentally Joined NSA. The Rest Got More Interesting From There.
Link to episode. Dr. Yolanda Reid didn’t choose national security. She had a competing offer from a pharmaceutical company and picked the National Security Agency because the scheduling lined up better with school. She was 18. She didn’t know the difference between the two industries. She just knew someone would pay for college. In this
When Opportunity (or the CIA) Calls, Say Yes Early and Figure it Out Later: Lessons from Mario Orsini
Security may be high stakes, but building a career in it isn’t always a straight line. In this episode of “Rookies to Rockstars,” hosts Camille Tuutti and Amanda Ziadeh sit down with Mario Orsini, vice president of security at Nightwing, to talk about the unconventional path that led him from a criminal justice degree to
Breaking the Code: How Aimee Dalton Built a Career in GovCon Starting with a Spiral Notebook
Aimee Dalton didn’t picture herself in defense. She came in as a junior analyst with a fresh MBA, a spiral notebook and zero clue what GovCon acronyms meant. Promotions didn’t silence the doubt — every new role started with I can’t do this and ended a week later with actually, I can crush this. Fast forward 22
‘Your Career Is Your Own’: How Amy Foy Learned to Lead, Ask & Grow
Link to this episode. Amy Foy didn’t wait for someone to hand her a career plan. Fresh out of college, she joined a leadership program that promised structure and direction. But when it ended, she realized no one was going to chart the next step. If she wanted a career, she’d have to build it
Beyond the Beakers: Michael Polmar Merges Science with Strategic Success
Listen to this episode. Michael Polmar didn’t plan on GovCon. He started as a chemistry major who loved science, broke more than a little lab glassware, and thought research was his future. Four years in, he swapped experiments for programs — and discovered he liked leading people and solving business problems even more. That pivot
Be Bold, Seen & Invaluable: Garry Schwartz Transforms His Military Mission to Industry Success
Link to episode. Garry Schwartz didn’t begin his career in a boardroom or even at an intern’s desk, for that matter. He joined the military just in time to spend his 18th birthday at boot camp as a kid seeking structure and a purpose beyond himself. Turns out, it was exactly what Garry needed. After
Ben Buckley Built His Career by Stepping Into Uncertainty—and Staying There
Link to episode. The first lie you believe early in your career is that everyone else knows what they’re doing. Ben Buckley didn’t. Trained as a biochemist, he walked away from medicine, pushed into technology without the “right” background and took risks that made sense only if you cared more about learning than comfort. What
From Airman to Intel Leadership: How David Guffey Built the Knowledge Base for a Career in GovTech
Link to episode. David Guffey’s trajectory wasn’t necessarily thought out. In fact, he mostly searched “for that next opportunity.” Once an Airman, guardsman and reservist, what began as a way to serve and see the world in the U.S. Air Force turned into a lifelong journey of learning, leadership and innovation. On this week’s “Rookies to
What ‘Suits’ Gets Wrong About the Law (and What Saul Goodman Gets Right), According to Jim Rittinger
Link to episode. Don’t believe everything you see on TV. Courtrooms aren’t stages for finger-pointing theatrics — and if you try that in real life, you’ll probably get tossed out. On this week’s “Rookies to Rockstars,” Amanda Ziadeh and Camille Tuutti sit down with Jim Rittinger, general counsel and corporate secretary at Empower AI. Jim
What Happens When You Mix a Technologist with a Soldier? You Get a CIO Like John Pisano
Link to episode. Few CIOs can say their careers grew in two worlds at once. For John Pisano, building an IT career while serving in the Army Reserve shaped a leadership style rooted in structure, resilience and a drive to solve hard problems with purpose. That dual path started early. John’s curiosity for technology pushed
How an $18K Job and a Missed Deadline Shaped Microsoft’s Heidi Kobylski into a Federal Tech Leader
Link to episode here. Heidi Kobylski didn’t start out in tech or business. She started out helping women rebuild their lives in transitional housing in Baltimore. The work was meaningful, but it also revealed something else: She wanted to create impact in a different way. On this week’s “Rookies to Rockstars,” Amanda Ziadeh and Camille
Fail Fast, Lead Bold: What Andrzej Gorski Learned as Employee No. 1
Link to episode. Quit the safety net. Andrzej Gorski walked away from a stable job to become employee No. 1 at a brand-new startup — no contracts or guarantees. That leap taught him the mindset he still has today: Fail fast, fail often, and keep moving. Now, he’s senior vice president of electronic systems at
Confident Connections: How John Hart Turned Networking Jitters Into Career-Defining Confidence
Link to this episode What happens when a finance analyst bets on himself and pivots into business development? In this episode of “Rookies to Rockstars,” Amanda Ziadeh and Camille Tuutti sit down with John Hart, executive vice president and chief growth officer at Agile Defense, to hear how he made the leap. John talks about
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