THP 30: Shilpa Chakravarthy

Program: Technology Management
Current Position: Lead Systems Engineer | Boeing Intelligence and Analytics
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
LinkedIn: Shilpa Chakravarthy

What is one thing you would change about your field and why?

Navigating through the unique pockets of culture at the Department of Defense (DoD) as a female engineer can prove to be challenging. I would like to see a shift forward in the diversity ratios within the DoD. While the community has made significant leaps in diversity and inclusion in the past few years, I still think there is room for improvement. This can be achieved with not just monthly brown bags or training, but embedding a diverse group of employees throughout the workforce to realistically affect change.

What has been your most unique learning experience and why?

Taking improv classes as a shy college student turned out to be not only a unique learning experience, but a versatile one as well. Improv taught me how to perform under pressure in front of a public audience, increased my trust as a team player, and helped me think better on my feet. I have leveraged these principles and have directly applied them to current and previous work environments.