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 The way Joy Bryant sees it, a pair of
old brown shoes were the key to her career
taking off at the Boeing Corporation.
“At my first job interview with
Boeing, the gentleman interviewing me
propped
his feet on the desk, and explained,
as delicately as he could, that I would
be the first woman to work for the
division,” Bryant
said. “I think he was concerned
about whether or not I would fit into
that environment. Finally, at the end
of the interview, he asked me if I would
like to work for Boeing, and my answer
completely floored him.”
“I told him that I really didn’t
think so, because if Boeing didn’t
pay their managers enough to keep holes
out of the bottoms of their shoes, then
I didn’t want to work there.”
“I got the job.”
Bryant, ’88
MS, ’92 MBA,
earned two master’s degrees
from Florida Tech while she worked
for Boeing
at the Kennedy Space Center.
Today, she’s
the chief engineer for Boeing
NASA Systems. During the course
of her
Boeing career,
she’s been the company’s
first female launch conductor,
launch director and Expendable
Launch Vehicle
mission director. Her path has
shaped her perception on succeeding
in a male-dominated
profession.
“The bottom line is, don’t
let obstacles stop you. Some are real,
but others are
just imagined, based on our
perceptions. None are impossible to overcome,” she
said. “The best tools
for conquering obstacles include
hard work, having a
positive attitude and getting
the education you need.”
 After
earning a bachelor’s
degree from Auburn University,
Joy found the
advanced education she needed
from Florida Tech. She first
earned a master’s
degree in electrical engineering,
and followed that up a few
years later with a master’s in
business administration.
“Both of my advanced degrees proved
advantageous,” said
Bryant. “In my career
path, the first need is
advanced technical knowledge,
the focus of which is usually
deep and
narrow in scope. Later,
when I began to move into
management, I needed expertise
in general business knowledge
and understanding
contracts. These skills
were critical for me.”
As
the chief engineer, Joy
allowed that no day
is typical
for her.
She spends
much of her time traveling
to various Boeing locations,
including
Kennedy
Space Center. When she
isn’t on the road,
she spends her days working
on projects large and
small, from the stadium-sized
big picture to the most
nitty gritty task.
Overall,
her focus is
to help prepare Boeing
for the next stage of space
exploration.
“
We are moving toward
what we call the ‘Vision
for Space Exploration.’ This
includes the Crew
Exploration Vehicle,
or CEV,” said
Bryant. “That’s
an essential part
of that first block
in our quest
to return to the
moon—and to
eventually go to
Mars.”
When
not pondering the
exploration of
deep space,
Bryant enjoys
exploring the
ocean depths. An
avid scuba diver,
she lives
by a few
simple rules
that help
her keep her career
and personal life
in balance.
“I play as hard as I work. I keep
my sense of humor. And I make sure I
have time
for my family,
hobbies, travel, scuba and woodworking.
I also volunteer my
time with Habitat
for Humanity, and find that greatly rewarding.”
Throughout her
career at Boeing,
Bryant
has kept
her feet moving.
But, you
can bet there
are no holes
in the
soles of her
shoes.
Jay Wilson |
