ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (June 23, 2016) -- If you were to ask any of her colleagues at the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command, or ATEC, they would all agree she deserves every honor and award she has received, but according to her, she is simply doing her job.
Christina Bryant, ATEC's recruitment and outreach manager, received the Governor's Volunteer Service Certificate in May 2015 for hosting the Team Aberdeen Proving Ground, or APG, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, Lego League qualifiers in 2014 and 2015. The Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism awards certificates to Maryland citizens to recognize their extraordinary volunteer contributions to the state and its people and for their work in helping to change Maryland and their local communities for the better.
She also received the Northeastern Maryland Technology Council, or NMTC, Rising Star Visionary award during the NMTC Visionary Awards Gala Feb. 25. The Rising Star award is presented to individuals that demonstrate the potential to be excellent, long-term contributors to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education or technology advancement.
Bryant received this award for her key roles in local, regional, and national STEM efforts supporting command STEM initiatives and Army STEM programs.
Recently, Bryant won the silver award in the category of Outstanding Professional, Technical, Scientific and Program Support during the Baltimore Federal Executive Board's, or FEB, 49th Excellence in Federal Career Awards' ceremony May 6. The FEB awards honor the extraordinary contributions of men and women who serve the American public.
According to her supervisor, Rachel Glassman, a human capital strategic manager at ATEC, Bryant was nominated for the award earlier this year due to her achievements in successfully establishing a command-wide strategic approach to reaching multidimensional and cross-disciplinary STEM competencies essential to supplying technical talent to the emerging fields in the Army's acquisition workforce
Her approach, Glassman said, provided STEM-literate talent for the research, design, testing and analysis work the Army conducts across every field.
"Christina revamped ATEC's Outreach Program to build stronger relationships with our nation's diverse communities," said Glassman. "She also supported efforts to sustain a STEM workforce during a period of constrained resources and in an environment of increasing diversity."
As recruitment and outreach manager, Christina Bryant manages ATEC's STEM initiative. An initiative which she said is essential in recruiting the next generation of talent for the Army's and ATEC's future workforce.
"As a nation, our need for STEM professionals to keep up with the ever-changing defense technological challenges surpasses the current future supply of personnel in STEM fields," Bryant said. "Many students are unaware of, or don't have the same opportunities as others do in education, nor the same availability of finances and resources."
Bryant believes ATEC owes it to those students to ignite and inspire the next generation of STEM talent by conducting STEM outreach in elementary and high schools and in colleges and universities.
"My vision for ATEC in support of STEM outreach is for each subordinate organization to have a thriving STEM outreach program unique to their own specific organization but which emphasizes the support given to Soldiers and highlights ATEC's facilities and capabilities," Bryant said. "This in turn better serves our communities and historically under-represented groups and encourages them to pursue STEM education to meet defense technological challenges."
Born and raised in Connecticut, in 1997 Bryant graduated from Amity High School in Bethany, a small town north of New Haven. She enlisted in the Army in 1998 as a private and served as a light wheeled vehicle mechanic at her first duty station at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and later became airborne qualified.
Bryant was a private first class when she left the Army in 2000 after being medically discharged.
During her time in uniform, Bryant said the Army's core values -- loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage -- took on real meaning for her and were instrumental in shaping her character.
"I saw joining the military as an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself," she said. "It also provided me with many physical challenges, which I enjoyed, and a chance to travel."
Before leaving the Army, Bryant had started working toward her undergraduate degree and took evening courses at Campbell University's satellite campus on Fort Bragg.
In 2004, she completed her degree requirements through Campbell University's distance learning program and earned a bachelor's degree in business management.
In 2005, she returned to the Army as a civilian and accepted a position at the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, or CPAC, at APG, in their human resources, or HR, department. For two years, she worked as an HR specialist in the civilian personnel system.
In 2007, Bryant accepted a position as a management analyst at ATEC's Aberdeen Test Center, or ATC, in their HR department. For three years, Bryant continued to increase her knowledge of the civilian personnel system but from a military organization's perspective.
In 2010, she was promoted to recruitment and outreach manager with ATEC Headquarters.
"My position as recruitment and outreach manager has changed significantly over the past six years," Bryant said. "Originally, I was brought on board to attend local career fairs to recruit ATEC's future workforce."
Bryant went on to say the change in her position came at a time when she was ready to broaden her knowledge in other areas while still using her HR experience as a foundation.
Eventually, the recruitment process changed with the adoption of the Pathways Program, said Bryant.
"The Pathways program is a collection of paid internship programs that provide students opportunities to explore federal careers," said Bryant. "All Pathways applicants are required to go through USAJOBS, which is the Office of Personnel Management's official website for listing civil service job opportunities with federal agencies."
Bryant said before the Pathways program was implemented, public job announcements were posted on ATEC's website to attract summer students and interns. An announcement on USAJOBS was not required.
Along with this new change in the recruitment process, ATEC was also facing numerous budget reductions. Bryant said the budget reductions meant ATEC would have to adjust its recruitment methods and come up with alternative ways to make recruitment efforts more efficient. As a result, Bryant said she began targeting career fairs attended by multiple universities instead of traveling to individual career fairs.
Additionally, due to reductions in resources previously allocated to recruitment, Bryant said she realized she would also need to transform her position.
Bryant said the idea on how to transform her position was born when she first learned of the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center's, or CERDEC, STEM outreach program.
"When CERDEC employees relocated here (APG) from New Jersey in 2008, they also brought with them a robust STEM outreach program," Bryant said. "In 2011, CERDEC invited ATEC to participate in one of their STEM outreach events."
Bryant said ATEC's participation in CERDEC's STEM event was the start of its very own STEM outreach program and the shift in focus and transformation of her position to STEM outreach and recruitment.
With the addition of her new duties in STEM recruitment and outreach, Bryant said it was important she understand both the academic and career-related needs of all her external customers which consisted of students in elementary through graduate school, college career advisors, and the deans heading university departments.
In 2011, Bryant proposed that ATEC host TEAM APG's FIRST Lego League, or FLL, qualifier as an opportunity for the command to host a STEM event on APG. The first qualifier was held January 2012. Since the first FLL qualifier, ATEC now hosts one annually at its headquarters building.
Bryant said when she conducts demonstrations at STEM outreach events, she strives to focus current technologies on ATEC's testing mission by incorporating phases of test and evaluation into her demonstrations to make students aware of the role it plays in STEM-related fields.
Although Bryant said she is used to singlehandedly managing the many moving pieces involved in ATEC's STEM recruitment and outreach program, until recently she had relied heavily on former colleague, Ashley Wettig, to fill in the gaps and assist with STEM outreach events. Wettig, a former workforce development specialist for ATEC, now works for the Army Research Laboratory as a HR specialist.
"I helped Christina wherever and whenever she needed it," said Wettig. "For some programs, I was her 'right hand man' so to speak."
Wettig said one of her major roles had been assisting Bryant with ATEC's annual FLL qualifier events.
"By reaching out to younger generations and getting them interested in STEM, Christina is building a bench for the future," Wettig said. "The hope is by getting them interested early, they will continue that interest, graduate with a STEM-related degree, and hopefully, come work for the Department of Defense."
Bryant's passion and determination to push for growth of the STEM initiative throughout ATEC, as well as regionally and nationally, are all factors that have contributed to making her career as successful as it is today.
"Christina is an innovator and a champion for recruitment and outreach," said Glassman. "She consistently demonstrates excellence by raising the bar for others to follow."
Although, Bryant, a very humble and down-to-earth person, said having her accomplishments in the spotlight have at times made her feel uncomfortable, she does, however, encourage anyone climbing the ladder of success to take advantage of any available opportunities for career growth and development.
"You never know where those opportunities will lead or guide you," said Bryant. "Even if those opportunities don't work out, at least you tried."
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