Page 60 - FCW, November/December 2019

Rising Stars
BRECKEN W. AUCHTERLONIE
Business Development Manager, SAIC
Health IT was not Brecken Auchterlonie’s original career
path. After receiving a degree in psychology and German literature, she moved to Germany to be a professional equestrian. A violent fall sent her back to the United States for an arduous recovery, and she said she eventually “stumbled” across a job opportunity at SAIC without knowing where it might take her.
“Riding professionally is very, very different from federal IT,” Auchterlonie said. “Not being able to ride anymore was a big change.”
The shift, though, has been fruitful. Barely a year into her job, she has
had two promotions, supported
a wide variety of programs at the Department of Health and Human Services, and helped grow SAIC’s business at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration. She also leads a cross-functional effort focused on IT modernization and data analytics at the Food and Drug Administration.
“Brecken is an incredible talent,” said Diana Ceban, vice president of SAIC’s Health Account. “Whatever you throw at Brecken in terms of
KEVIN E. BRISLEY
Manpower Analyst/Senior Human Resources Manager, Command, Control, Communications and Cyber Systems Directorate, U.S. Transportation Command
The U.S. Transportation Command made major organizational changes in 2018, particularly in the Command, Control, Communications and Cyber Systems Directorate, which leads the organization’s cybersecurity, big-data and cloud initiatives. Those changes significantly altered the directorate’s workforce needs, and Kevin Brisley’s leadership has been essential to adapting to those changing needs.
His efforts were both tactical and strategic. In the absence of a branch chief, he stepped up to provide administrative and program support leadership and ensured that ongoing recruiting efforts and manpower change requests stayed on course. He also drove wholesale organizational structure analysis and orchestrated
KAITLIN I. BULAVINETZ
Managing Director, Washington Cyber Roundtable
Kaitlin Bulavinetz, like everyone
at the small nonprofit Washington Cyber Roundtable, is a volunteer. According to colleagues, she always finds ways to pour her heart and soul into the work.
Executive Director Barbara George calls her “the backbone of the organization.” Bulavinetz serves as a logistics maven for seven to eight high-profile roundtable events per year, identifying speakers and handling all aspects of meeting preparation. She also works directly with members, manages the organization’s financials and acts as the marketing and social media lead.
George said Bulavinetz has helped
58 November/December 2019 FCW.COM
a task or a new project, she gets it done.”
But for Auchterlonie, sometimes it’s as simple as giving back to the community that helped her. “It seems perfect because [the health care I received in] this country is what allowed me to be happy and healthy and live my life the way I can today.”
dozens of policy and operational changes to ensure that the directorate is properly staffed for today’s missions.
Superiors praised Brisley’s critical thinking and risk management skills throughout the process and pointed to measurable manpower results. Reviews driven by Brisley resulted in the creation of 10 new data positions, and the vacancy rate for civilian positions — which had been as high as 53% — has dropped to 24%.