Appears In
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is delving into the inspiring stories of the trailblazing women who are shaping and advancing the world of IT for the Nation’s Veterans.
“One of the most impactful and important projects I’ve worked on was figuring out a way to get disabled Veterans into our research process,” shared Ms. Martha Wilkes, Accessibility Strategist in VA’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer. “We make sure that each Veteran has a fabulous experience at the session, but also…it is career-changing for everyone who participates in the sessions. Everybody who works here is getting exposed to working with folks with disabilities and that is making a huge impact on the work that we deliver on VA.gov.”
By aligning VA’s technology with our users’ expectations, Ms. Wilkes’ role is vital to moving VA closer to reaching our vision for digital transformation. She brings over 20 years of user experience and design to help VA improve accessibility beyond compliance on VA.gov and the VA Health and Benefits Mobile app. “We’re leading the government in usability testing,” Ms. Wilkes added, shedding light on how VA is creating the best IT organization in the federal space.
In OIT, we look toward women leaders willing to take on new challenges and open to creative solutions that ensure OIT employees have the tools they need to provide exceptional service to our stakeholders. With more than 15 years in the public sector and defense industry, we sat down with Ms. Khristine Tibayan, Chief Operating Officer in the Office of People Analytics within OIT, to better understand her team’s dynamic and how to lead collaborative efforts across VA.
“I came on board with VA about three years ago during the height of COVID, and it was it was very challenging,” Ms. Tibayan shared. “But I was very surprised coming from the private sector into the federal sector for the first time…it was about ‘OK, what can we do to connect with one another to get to know one another in this virtual environment?’”
Throughout our organization, we strive to create a collaborative environment where innovation thrives and that can happen when all workers — especially women — are empowered in tech roles. Women in OIT are streamlining processes and identifying creative solutions, and we are fortunate to have talented women leaders dedicated to delivering on VA’s mission.
“What I like about collaborating within OIT is that everyone comes from a different background and they are eager to share their experiences and eager to help,” she added. “’What can I do to make things easy for you? What can I do to help support you to your end goal?’ It makes working with people easier, whether [they’re] from different teams, different offices, or even different departments across VA and other agencies.”
Building a culture of inclusivity within VA tech teams is about recognizing and valuing individual talents. Despite strides made in recent years, women remain disproportionally underrepresented in the tech industry, including at OIT, accounting for only 26 percent of OIT’s workforce. However, we understand diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences are critical to better serve Veterans, their families, and caregivers — and we celebrate the women dedicated to advancing VA’s mission to create the best experience for all Veterans.
The significant contributions of women in tech have made our organization better and, in turn, they make Veterans’ lives better. To learn more from the trailblazers making an impact in OIT, join us for a Talking Tech via LinkedIn or YouTube on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. ET for an engaging conversation about innovation and excellence in the digital space at VA. You’ll hear from these leaders on how they and their teams are revolutionizing the Veteran and VA employee digital experience: Ms. Lynette Sherrill, VA’s Chief Information Security Officer; Ms. Luwanda Jones, Deputy Chief Information Officer for Strategic Sourcing; Ms. Nicole Letizia, Area Manager, Coatesville VA Medical Center; and Ms. Sherry Gregg, Area Manager, Beckley VA Medical Center.
Their stories inspire us to continue recruiting and retaining a diverse, inclusive, innovative workforce, as we create an exceptional digital experience for all Veterans.
