Fort Belvoir, Va. –
Mentors are important at all stages of a career. Some would say the earlier you establish a mentoring relationship, the more successful you’ll be in your career. Ms. Stormy Meldrum, auditor at the Clearfield Sub Office of the Chandler Resident Office, which is part of the Northrop Grumman Corporate Audit Directorate (CAD), has been with DCAA just four years. In that time, she worked at the Promontory, Utah office for two years and now at her current office. Her goal is to continue to advance her career and work a variety of positions. Her sights are set on moving into a FAO Assistant for Quality or Technical Specialist position to gain a better understanding of various aspects of audits.
Ms. Meldrum was selected to participate in the Defense Civilian Emerging Leader Program (DCELP) in 2021. This program is for a select few who have shown great potential to become DoD’s leaders in the future. While in DCELP, she asked Kimberly Moore, Deputy Assistant Director of Policy, if she would be willing be a mentor for her through this training.
Ms. Kimberly Moore, then Deputy Corporate Audit Director for the Northrop Grumman CAD, visited the Clearfield office to meet with all the employees and it was during this visit Ms. Meldrum first met Ms. Moore. As Ms. Meldrum explained, “she made an impression on me; Ms. Moore struck me as approachable, smart and confident. These were all qualities I admired and as the DCLEP training is about developing my leadership skills; I hoped she would be willing to spend a year mentoring me.”
The answer was yes and during the program they met monthly to talk about leadership, training, assignments in the office, and Ms. Moore’s impressions she had from some of the training she had been in. Through this relationship, Ms. Meldrum learned a great deal from her about herself, her work, leadership, attitudes and planning. Additionally, her admiration and respect for Ms. Moore grew with each meeting.
Ms. Meldrum successfully completed the DCELP program. “I am so grateful that she was willing to spend the time on me. I am still incorporating her thoughts and words into my days. She inspires me to be confident, to trust my opinions, to be brave and embrace risk.”