ManTech Q+A Employee Spotlight – DiRee
Title: Vice President
Job Description: Senior manager for negotiating/resolving highly complex issues directly with top Army customers. Oversees 600+ direct/indirect employees/contractors with full P&L responsibility. Provides strategic leadership and direction for the Army Division program(s). Responsible for the ongoing significant financial/business impact for these programs.
Group: Defense Sector/Army Division
Time at ManTech: 9.5 years
What drew you to ManTech?
I joined ManTech when my former company was going through a major structural change that was negatively affecting my team’s ability to provide excellent service to our customers. Several of my peers had transitioned to ManTech and advised me that the corporate culture here was advantageous and supportive of top-tier program performance.
What is or has been the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
The most interesting job I had was my role as a middle school replacement teacher straight out of junior college. The class was composed of the school’s mentally or emotionally challenged students in grades 6-8, all in one classroom for the entire school day.
I spent 3 months learning from them how to better identify and distinguish between a person’s needs versus their abilities. There are lessons learned from that experience that have been beneficial throughout my career, including appropriately applying a person’s strength to the tasks at hand while you aid them in overcoming their challenge areas.
How do you balance career and home life?
Not as well as I should, honestly!
Given that our two young adult sons each have their own jobs, finding common times for us to do family events is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Nonetheless, I like to look for opportunities to spend quality time with each of the men in my household individually based on what they like to do (e.g., movie premieres, golfing, video arcades and unique restaurants). Then, I maximize my work time when they all have other commitments.
What advice do you have for prospective ManTech candidates?
I like to think of ManTech as a “get in where you fit in” company from a hiring standpoint. That is, while our primary skillset needs are often technical in nature, there are many other complementary skillsets and background experiences that we need to provide a complete solution for our customers.
If you have a technical aptitude or interest and are looking to pivot your career from a business services support role, you can accept a position that you are currently qualified for and then have the opportunity to upskill and transfer within the company.
What’s your favorite place in the world?
It may sound a bit esoteric, but my favorite place in the world is generally where I am or where I’m about to go.
I like to enjoy the moment and the people around me. If there is something preventing that from happening and it is out of my control at a given point in time, then I turn my focus on what is to come. That being said, I have travelled to some places that I enjoyed having experienced, to include my recent 7-day trip to Dubai, UAE. It is a spectacle to see at least once.
Who is your superhero and why?
Jesus/my mom. So, I say both because they shared several things in common: their births were celebrated on the same day of the year; each showed me unconditional love and made sacrifices for my betterment; each could seemingly work miracles in desperate situations; and, no matter where in the world I have been or what I may have gotten myself into, they were always there for me.
What does Securing the Future® mean to you?
Securing the Future has two meanings to me. Firstly, it speaks to ManTech’s focus on enabling our nation to be prepared to protect and defend our democracy in light of the changing global political and social climate; secondly it refers to our ability to offer top quality critical and effective cyber capabilities to accomplish that goal.