“The skills that I brought forward include programming skills, data risk management skills, database integration skills and similar items. While on the job however, we did have to leverage new skill sets and learn it on the job to include business process management via tools and leveraging web services to talk between different database systems.”

“I have the best of both worlds. I have my home here in Washington D.C. and I do travel frequently, usually four or five times a year. I’ve been to 56 countries. I don’t think there is any other place I could do that.”

“The Department of State offers the ability to do something for my country, and that was the most inviting aspect to it all. It’s very difficult to live in Washington and not be a part of the political scene, and I think that once you connect you begin to understand what Washington is all about and that was what drew me to it.”

“I was particularly drawn by how pictures and visual information is transmitted throughout the world and I was excited to have a part of that visual diplomacy and that lead me to the Department of State.”

“I highlight best practices in my inspections and evaluation. By doing that I think I make this place, the Department of State, a much better place to work.”

“It’s like a whole different life for me, a whole different journey. It’s been challenging but it’s been fun at the same time. I’ve gotten to do things I’ve never dreamed of to work in a place. I would never have dreamed that Hillary Clinton would have been my boss.”

“I would definitely encourage anybody, no matter what age, to definitely look at the State Department because as I’m a great example, I don’t have the political science or international-type background. I studied sociology, business and Russian and the State Department has a variety of different types of people different backgrounds that really promote different thoughts and work experiences.”