Amazon’s Women in Operations Leadership Summit: How She Overcame Challenges, Found Her Own Voice, and Owed Her Career Development

In early 2012, a then-Lieutenant, I walked the stage at Michie stadium at West Point, accepting both a diploma and commission into the United States Army. My near-ten year journey since then has been met with a fair share of challenges, not unlike many women who serve in the military. From serving in an Airborne Infantry Brigade in Europe where women represented less than 10% of the military unit’s headcount to competing alongside Armor and Infantry captains at Fort Benning in 2016, as combat arms positions were opening up to women, I realized early on how important it was to recognize the power of my own voice and find a seat at the table.

I once erroneously thought that I needed to mask my femininity when in uniform in order to “blend” in with my male counterparts in order to earn their respect and gain equal footing. My hair neatly pulled back into a simple bun and my office space free of pictures that expressed my personality, I was more android than transformational leader. Not wanting to be seen as weak or inferior, I downplayed my feminine side. However, I quickly realized how foolish my approach was after observing some senior females in my organization own being a woman in the military. They were wives, mothers, and fearless military leaders, with unapologetic pink notebooks and all. I was impressed and inspired. Their ability to confidently express their unique female side gave them strength and grace, and they were widely respected by their male peers. They were the women I aspired to become.

I leaned into my unique self and strived to become a more empowered female leader. That isn’t to say there weren’t their fair share of trials and tribulations of being an active duty Army officer, a Veteran, a Reservist and a Military spouse. There were, but I met each trial with strength and confidence, never letting my gender hold me back from achieving my dreams. My challenges have defined my story.

Being a guest speaker for Amazon’s Women in Operations Leadership Summit enabled me to thinking about my story and impact, and how I uniquely lead as a women in not only in the military but in Amazon operations. Most importantly, it provided a space for me to communicate my experiences on “owning my career development,” something that is a common challenge for women who have faced a glass ceiling or have been told ‘they can’t do something’ because of their gender.

This event captures the voices and unique stories of women from a broad cross-section of career paths. From discussions on authentic leadership, finding a seat at the table, owning your career development, the power of community and more topics, women from across Amazon Operations will share their personal and professional experiences.

This event will enable women leaders to share their perspectives in the workplace that particularly impact and affect them. Each session will be a space where stories can be told and heard, and a platform to explore the power created when that happens. We are also strongest when we come together as a community and share our stories. As such, every speaker session is followed by a live breakout session, enabling you to have a seat in a small group session where an Amazonian will moderate a discussion on the topics brought up in the previous session.

Events like this inspire me, and I wish that I had more opportunities earlier in my career to hear the stories of strong, empowered women earlier in my career to know that her-voice is her-strength.

The Women in Operations Leadership Summit focuses on “the Power of Her Story.” It is a two-week virtual event for women (primarily military members, veterans, and military spouses) on topics of female leadership. Leaders from inside and outside Amazon will share their personal stories and discuss the challenges of being a woman in the workplace.

Registration is live here: https://rly.pt/WomenInOps

All are welcome to register.