Paving the Way for the Next Generation of Female Leaders

Feminine Flair

Clark said her undergraduate experience underscored the importance of speaking up and proving that she and her female counterparts could compete in a challenging military environment. During those days, Clark looked to the female military 'superstars' of the past for strength and guidance, though she noted that at the time, female role models were few and far between.

"When my class came to the Air Force Academy, women weren't allowed to fight or do any kind of combat missions and really had not been fully adopted into the force," Clark explained. "There were some superstars who had made it, but we really didn't have the numbers to feel as if we were part and parcel of the military."

One of those 'superstars' that Clark received inspiration from was Grace Hopper, an American computer scientist who coined the term 'software bug' and served as rear admiral in the U.S. Navy. Hopper managed the development of one of the first compilers that led to the creation of COBOL, a high-level computer programming language that is still in use today. In computing, a compiler is a computer program that translates computer code written in one programming language, or the source language, into another language, called the target language, that facilitates the creation of an executable program.

The fact that Clark had relatively few female role models to rely on as a military officer actually enabled her and others to set a precedent for future female military leaders – one in which women were able to embrace the qualities that made them unique instead of merely blending in with their male peers.

"Women solve problems differently and approach things differently," Clark said. "When I was a colonel in the Air Force, I could then look at other women being recognized as being very good at problem solving, building consensus opinions, and doing their homework ahead of time."

Future Focused

Clark praised GTRI for its dedication to celebrating women's achievements. Specifically, Clark noted GTRI's 'entrepreneurial spirit' has provided a space for her and other women to lead teams, build their own programs, and contribute to the strategic direction of the program.

GTRI offers six employee resource groups (ERGs) that drive opportunities for employee engagement, professional development, education, training, recruitment, retention, and community outreach. One of those is HER@GTRI, which exists for employees who identify as women.

Clark encourages young women who are eager to become leaders in their own field – whether at GTRI, Georgia Tech or elsewhere – to embrace the qualities that make them unique, while remaining mindful of the female trailblazers who came before them and made it all possible.

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,800 employees supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $700 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.