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Building a multi-generational security team
Tamara Hutchinson, a long-time teambuilder, has dedicated herself to every position she’s been in. Hutchinson began in the private sector before joining the Department of Defense. Hutchinson worked with Army Special Operations for over a decade, working on national security deployments.
“I started my career in a fast-paced environment,” Hutchinson says.
Hutchinson’s skillset gained recognition by a former boss, who recruited her to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). However, the role didn’t match the pace Hutchinson was used to. “The position they hired me for didn’t have much for me to do, so I was bored out of my mind. When I went to my boss, I suggested that security would be a better fit, and I was moved to the position of Director of Security, Office of Intelligence and Analysis,” Hutchinson says. “From there, I was able to build a team. And it was a time during a period where our office was deploying secure communications, phones, and classified networks all around the country, to fusion centers, which are state and local owned facilities.”
Hutchinson chose her current position as the Director of Private Sector Engagement, a position she’s held for more than 10 years.
“It’s planning, it’s executing, and it’s being responsive to my internal DHS leadership, but also our private sector stakeholders around the country as well. I travel a lot. Because you can’t do outreach and engagement sitting in your office, you have to get out and about and be where your stakeholders, your partners are those folks that who you’re trying to support. So there’s always that administrative kind of strategic piece that I’m responsible for, the planning, the budget, the HR, all of those things,” Hutchinson says.
Just because we’ve always done it one way doesn’t mean that’s the best.
Hutchinson reflects on what she would tell someone looking to start their security career. “My advice would be to jump in with both feet. The field is so large and diverse, it’s exciting. Build your network from the beginning. Surround yourself with people who have been doing the work for a while, but don’t be afraid to offer new ideas,” Hutchinson says.
Hutchinson encourages younger generations to voice their ideas, to not be afraid to share opinions even if they’re the youngest person in the room.
“Some of the best ideas about how we’re doing business now have come from some of my millennial employees. They come in with lots of good ideas, and I love it. I’m always open to hearing from them. I create and give them the space. I want to empower them to be comfortable with offering new suggestions,” Hutchinson says.
Hutchinson long career hasn’t been a stagnant one, and she works hard to keep it that way. “Just because we’ve always done it one way doesn’t mean that’s the best,” Hutchinson says. “To new people coming in, surround yourselves with a network of some people that have been doing it for a while, but definitely be open to share new ideas. Sometimes other people see better ways of doing things, and people see security as a field as just gates and guards but it is so much more than that,” Hutchinson says.
This November, Hutchinson will celebrate 20 years with the DHS. Aside from her work, Hutchinson prides herself on her ability to be a voice to the voiceless, to know when someone is too afraid to ask for help.
https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/100957-tamara-hutchinson-most-influential-people-in-security