“There's a seat for you at the table.”

That's what Lisa Devine wants every young woman coming up to know.

DeVine, vice president of program integration for Leidos Dynetics, had a 20-year career as an Army officer, including stints as a paratrooper, and sat at tables many of us would find difficult to understand.

“If someone were to jump out of a plane, I think at least there would be a fear quotient,” Devine said with a laugh.

“But you know the military trains you to overcome, to have confidence in your training, to have confidence in your colleagues, to have confidence in your own skills.”

While Divine may be downplaying her obvious fearlessness, she fully acknowledges her steely determination.

“I grew up in New York, the third of eight children, and I really wanted to go to college,” she said. “But there was no way my parents could afford to send me to college.”

Still, Devine applied for an Army scholarship and was accepted.

“I was one of those people who was going to get there no matter what,” she said.

The Army told her she was going to study engineering. After her graduation, Devine began serving in the Army, which took her all over the world. Devine said her personal experience has made her realize that people have far more in common than differences.

“When you live all over the world and live in communities, people are not that different from each other,” she said. “Everyone wants their children to be healthy. They want to be successful at work. They want to live in a strong community.

“We don't see any nefarious acts in the world.”

After the birth of their second child, she and her husband looked for a place to put down roots.

“I always heard about Huntsville, but I had never been here,” Devine said. “So when our second son was born, we flew from Korea to Huntsville. We were here for about three or four days and said, 'Oh, we're going to raise our family here.'”

Alabama welcomed Devine and his family with open arms.

“When we came to Huntsville, we had the Redstone Arsenal, but we didn't see many people in uniform in the area,” Devine said. “But it was surprising to us how welcoming, generous and open the whole community was.

“So you didn't feel anonymous, you felt welcomed in the community.”

Mr. Devine has supported the Department of Defense for more than 35 years. In his role at Leidos, DeVine is focused on delivering strong business systems that support weapons technology development and prototyping.

“After being on the user side of the defense community, I truly feel like I am giving back by working as a defense contractor because I have a strong understanding and understanding of what the other side looks and feels like,” she said. Ta.she said

Never one to rest, Devine is also passionate about expanding the role of women in the military and engineering, two of her favorite fields.

“When I came in, about 14 percent of the military was women,” she said. “Thirty years from now, she'll probably be 17 percent or 18 percent female. And it's the same in engineering. When I went to engineering school, I was the only woman in my engineering class out of four or five.” did.

“It's amazing to me that we don't seem to have made much progress in 30 years.”

Devine has made it her personal mission to make both worlds more accessible for women.

“Because women have something to contribute,” she says. “They think differently. They have a different working relationship than men, so there's a seat for them at the table.”

With a mission to break down barriers, there is a lot that can be done, Devine said.

“Any kind of increased representation would be successful,” Devine said. “We want to show that it's achievable. We've launched an internship for high school students. We're working hard to help people see themselves in his STEM careers and in the Defense community. .”

Devine also wants more companies to offer support to women who take time to care for their families.

“Success for me would be like getting off the treadmill and stepping back on without a penalty,” she said. “So if a senior management position becomes available, you need to have that resume in place to win that role.”

DeVine believes that surrounding yourself with a supportive tribe is the key to success.

“My parents never made me feel like I couldn't do anything I set my mind to,” she says. “When I said I wanted to do something, everyone pitched in.

“Surround yourself with people who are your cheerleaders. My husband is often one of my biggest cheerleaders. Surround yourself with people who don't recognize barriers, only opportunities.”

In addition to breaking down barriers, Devine also plays an active role in the community. She works to support the Huntsville Botanical Garden and North Alabama Land Trust. DeVine is also an alumnus of Leadership Greater Huntsville.

And DeVine shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

“I love trying to solve difficult problems that have a positive impact.”