Meet the People Behind the Innovation in 2019

Meet three of the people who used their backgrounds to innovate, inspire, and drive change around the world in 2019.

Lifting, learning, and growing

Shana Millspaugh is no stranger to pushing her limits. When she’s not supporting Booz Allen’s Space Security and Defense Program (SSDP), she’s a mother, military spouse, and competitive weightlifter.

Millspaugh won Gold for her weight/age category in the 2019 Worlds Championship in Montreal and took Silver in the 2018 World Masters Championship in Barcelona. Despite this winning track record, the prospect of failure is Millspaugh’s greatest fear. “But it also motivates me to move forward and grow,” she said.

She recalled one competition where she failed to lift the target weight. “The following week I went to the gym to lift that failed weight every day. It was a teachable moment for my kids. It shows them that hard work and dedication can help you reach your dreams,” she explained.

Serving her country, mentoring the next generation

In the Navy, Kimberly Page launched missiles in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, then worked as a communications officer for USS John S. McCain. Fifteen years later, she continues her Navy service through client delivery as a chief systems engineer and as a military spouse.

Page shares her knowledge by leading Booz Allen’s International Council on Systems Engineering professional certification process and teaching the prep course for becoming a Certified Systems Engineering Professional.

“I enjoy mentoring future generations of technical talent by helping them understand systems thinking—not just how to build the systems right but also to build the right systems,” she said.

Growing teams through inclusivity

An active member of GLOBE, Booz Allen’s LGBTQ+ employee business resource group, Ashely Fagan has worked at Booz Allen’s McLean, VA office for 12 years. In this time, he’s served in a variety of roles within national security, including currently as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, and he earned a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in national security.

Being involved in GLOBE exposed him to different areas of Booz Allen’s business and helped him make greater connections. “It’s enriched my professional experience and friendships across the firm,” he said. Fagan has found great mentors along the way as well, connecting at GLOBE-hosted leadership panels.

Fagan believes in paying this support forward by helping others build their careers. “Diversity––the LGBTQ+ community and beyond that––is one of the things I look for and consider as I’m growing teams.” Ashely truly embodies Booz Allen’s core tenet of creating an “environment of inclusivity promoted from the top down.”