September 19, 2016

Written by Crystal A.

I joined ActioNet in October of 2014 as a Project Controller on the CICDIM contract in Baltimore.  After working as an Executive Administrative Assistant in Digital Communications at HHS headquarters, I was very excited to switch my focus and see how planning and development culminated in innovative solutions for CMMI. I come from a family of ‘techies’ so it was a natural fit. My father is a Vietnam Veteran who served as a helicopter pilot, and my mother, an Army computer engineer from the island of Puerto Rico. My mother worked on computers that would easily take up an entire room, but she knew even back then, how technology would evolve.  With their encouragement, I began working in IT heavy fields; defense, aviation, and now, health care management all while continuing my own education in print and web design. After nearly two years at ActioNet, I continue to be impressed with the intelligent, dedicated people I interact with every day. The nature of our work is such that things are always evolving; requirements change, development is swift, and there is never a dull moment.  This past year, I’ve had the pleasure of working on the Innovation Center (IC) project. Working on IC has given me a lot of confidence to develop processes where none existed and collaborate with my  peers on subjects I once found completely daunting, such as QA Testing, and Earned Value Management. It was perfect timing however that granted me the opportunity to shift my focus yet again and work with the newly formed UI/UX Design team. I was able to return to my design roots! I consider myself to be very lucky to be surrounded by talented web designers, developers, writers, and usability analysts every day, and even luckier that they encourage my own personal growth on the team. ​