As vice president of the Technical Solutions Group for Engility, a $2 billion government contractor, Gay Porter serves as chief technology officer and leads strategic efforts to turn innovation investment into practical solutions. Porter has played a pivotal role in making Engility a top provider of highly complex, mission-critical systems.

A recognized federal technology industry leader, Porter has over 30 years of experience growing and leading successful businesses dedicated to government service. She now leads a cross-matrixed team, specializing in Engility’s primary capability areas – high-performance computing (HPC), cybersecurity, enterprise modernization, and systems engineering and integration.

Porter connects the technical workforce with communities of practice, communities of interest and outreach activities, including technical webinars, the 50-member Technical Fellows program and the Annual Internal Technical Trade Show. Previously, she headed Engility’s Federal Civilian Health division. Porter leads with enthusiasm and a positive outlook that inspires others to strive for greater excellence.

“Establishing the Technical Solutions Group at Engility has been an enormous accomplishment and honor,” says Porter. “In this role, I manage a group that touches every aspect of the company, and I have a tremendous opportunity to create connections that foster innovation and progress.

“I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by influential leaders throughout my career, and I always knew I wanted to follow in their footsteps,” relates Porter. “To me, it’s only fair to pay their influence forward and continue to foster the next generation of Engility leaders by recognizing value in others and working with them to grow their confidence.

“I advise my younger colleagues to use every experience as a learning opportunity and recognize that careers evolve over many years,” counsels Porter. “Every step taken toward your goals, no matter how small it seems, must be worked for and learned from. That is what ultimately creates success.”

Porter summarizes, “I believe that the best ideas come from diverse perspectives, and can result in a much richer and more powerful solution to the problem at hand.”