All-female panel shares their rise to leadership during annual observance

RICHMOND, Va. -

A diverse group of female leaders in the central Virginia region shared their stories during a panel discussion in observance of National Women's History Month, hosted for Defense Logistics Agency Aviation employees during a March 19 event on Defense Supply Center Richmond.

This year's theme, provided by the National Women's History Alliance, is "Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion." The event was coordinated by DLA Aviation's Equal Employment and Diversity Office in conjunction with the Supplier Operations Original Equipment Manufacturer Directorate.

The panelists included several local community leaders, a member of the Virginia National Guard and two Aviation leaders. They were: Danielle Bowers, owner of the Lifestyle Realty Group, LLC, a veteran-, female-, and minority-owned realty team based in Petersburg, Virginia; the Honorable Sheriff Vanessa Crawford of Petersburg; Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 D'Juana Goodwin, Virginia National Guard's G-1 personnel chief; Gowri Mandgi, division chief, Procurement Programs at DLA Aviation; and Martha Tuck, director, Procurement Process Support at DLA Aviation. The U.S. Army Women's Museum also provided a display exhibit featuring women in service.

Throughout the event, each panelist shared their stories of their career journey and how they advocate for others to follow in their success.

After joining the Army National Guard at 17, Bowers said she was excited to be part of the 3647^th Maintenance Company within the Virginia National Guard. However, after completing her job training, her platoon sergeant stuck her in a back office, filling out paperwork, because they didn't think a female should be out in the maintenance bay.

"I experienced some challenges (there) as a woman, as a minority female," she said. "It was like, 'you're a girl, you're joining the Army at 17, and you don't know anything.' At least, that's how they made me feel at the time, but what it really did was prepare me for the many additional challenges I was going to face later on in life.

"Being discounted is not a good thing, and I think the other women (here) can relate with me that when you are climbing that ladder and doing everything you can to achieve your goals, you face so many different adversities," Bowers continued. "The biggest excuse is that you're a woman. But we're proof here, and many of you are proof that it isn't the case, and it isn't what matters. As long as you have the right mindset, you're going to achieve anything you want to accomplish."

While in the National Guard, Bowers sought ways to achieve her goals. She continued her schooling at Virginia Commonwealth University, went to ROTC and Officer Candidate School, and worked in banking customer service. After experiencing a miserable situation with different real estate agencies when buying her first home in her early 20s, Bowers decided to become a real estate agent to help others as she wished she had been treated. In her first year, she outsold all other rookie agents in her company. She then set her sights on being one of the top three sellers, who were recognized with their pictures featured within the office on a top board.

"Our industry is dominated by men, and there weren't a lot of female real estate agents," she said. "They were constantly being overshadowed by the males there. I wanted to be on that top board. I was tired of seeing the same faces over and over. We (need to) all focus our energy on what we want and constantly imagine and envision the things we want in life. I made it to the top board every month, every quarter and every year."

Bowers was also recognized as one of the top 100 real estate agents in Richmond out of about 7,000 in 2021 and 2022. During this time, she realized she wanted to do more to encourage diversity in real estate, so she opened her own brokerage company in Petersburg with an inclusive team.

No stranger to receiving accolades, the Honorable Vanessa Crawford was sworn in as the first female sheriff for the City of Petersburg in 2005. Since then, she's been reelected every four years, making her the longest-serving elected official in Petersburg. Other achievements for her include: first female to run an all-male facility in the Virginia Department of Corrections; only African American female sheriff in the United States from 2014-2017; and unanimously elected by the National Sheriff's Association as the Sheriff of the Year for 2022. She also served as a leader of many associations, such as Virginia's Sheriff's Association, Virginia Correctional Association, and Virginia Sheriff's Institute, among many others, and was selected for many awards honoring her dedication and community service efforts.

"The journey toward success is not always a smooth path, but it is always a worthwhile accomplishment," she said. "Every action I ever took was driven by a desire to make a positive difference, no matter how small, in the lives of the citizens (I serve for), those who are disenfranchised.

"For those navigating their own journeys, I can offer you these words of encouragement: believe in yourself and embrace your unique qualities and talents," Crawford continued. "There's a potential to achieve extraordinary feats and surpass all expectations. Success is not instantaneous; it requires dedication, hard work and a resolute spirit."

Being the first to achieve a goal is often a hard step to overcome, but Goodwin managed to do it on her own terms, even without the knowledge she was making history.

"I made history when I pinned on chief warrant officer 2, and no one knew," she said. "Same for CW3 and CW4. When I was selected for CW5, that's when people started to say something about being the first African American CW5 in the Virginia National Guard. I was happy to make that history, but I didn't realize it while it was happening."

Goodwin said she made it as far as she did by doing the best she could at any job the Army threw at her during her 40 years of service and keeping her head down, pushing forward. Now, as the personnel chief for the Virginia National Guard, she takes time to mentor new Soldiers, so they are also successful.

After joining the Pathways to Career Excellence program as a newly naturalized citizen, Mandri said DLA offered terrific opportunities.

"For a newly minted U.S. citizen, it was like a dream come true to get into the federal government and have an opportunity," she said. "How many jobs will take the time to spend two years teaching the job and help you get your certification?"

One thing Mandri refers to often is a quote by Katherine Graham, the first American female of a Fortune 500 company: "To love what you do and feel like it matters, how could anything be more fun?"

"I really kind of live my life that way," she said. "This has been a great opportunity for me, and I love what I do."

Finding a job that matters is essential to one's success, said Tuck, who loves informal mentoring and seeing her fellow team members receive accolades and promotions. She said she is quick to give recommendations to others looking to succeed, including taking challenging assignments.

"I looked for projects that were hard, ones that had never been done," Tuck said. "You may not want to take every volunteer project, but there are some projects out there that are worthwhile. Get that knowledge. No one can ever take away your education or the knowledge that you have, and when you start gaining the knowledge you also gain competence."

Other recommendations from Tuck included: "always follow your heart, take the job that works for you, and listen to your conscience."

The five panelists answered various questions from the event moderator and the audience, sharing mentoring tips, keeping a healthy work-life balance, and continuously helping others succeed.

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