For the last installment of this year’s series highlighting several female members of the Spathe family in celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the 19^th Amendment, we take the time to spotlight Spathe Systems’ Director of Finance, Diana Zweifel.

Diana has been with Spathe for a year now and has fit right into our fast-paced environment. Her duties at Spathe include reviewing financial reports, monitoring accounts and expenditures while preparing activity reports and financial forecasts for Spathe programs. She also heads the procurement efforts within Spathe by managing supplier relations, calculated source selection, and efficient procurement processes. As if it wasn’t enough, in addition to all of these duties Diana supports multiple processes improvement initiative within Spathe helping to make the business even more successful!

 “I enjoy working with numbers and spreadsheets, so this job is perfect for what I love to do. Being a part of a small business such as Spathe, really allows me to expand my possibilities to learn skills I can use in the future.” – Spathe Systems’ Director of Contracts, Diana Zweifel

What was day 1/week 1 like?

I jumped into the deep end! When I joined, there were all these moving parts and I had to have faith in my ability to learn quickly. That made all the difference in the world. Once I gained access to all relevant sites and applications, I started to familiarize myself with the existing programs at the time and created a new template for all program files moving forward. If I had waited, the window of opportunity to make a significant impact would have closed.

How would you describe your work environment?

The work environment is very friendly and collaborative. We are all encouraged to speak our mind and share our views on various subjects which is a nice change from what I’m used to. It has opened several doors of understanding different aspects of the job.  The work is consistent, and our team is made up of great people with great personalities.

why did you choose to work at spathe?

I chose to work for Spathe to support the frontline warfighter and support a bigger cause than the bottom-line. I also enjoy being part of a small business where I am constantly exposed to different aspects of a corporation.  I’m never limited to only my field.

 

What barriers, if any, have you faced as a woman in becoming successful in your field? 

In my experience, I’ve made it a point to remove any excuses as to why I could not progress within my field. To do this, I made sure I was exposed to the appropriate training, education, and experience to get ahead. While this sometimes requires more work, it has been truly beneficial to me in the long run. I have also had candid conversations with my leadership to ensure their expectations were clear and my expectations were identified.

 

You are another one of our amazing military veterans. Tell us a little about time serving.

I served in the United States Marine Corps for four years. I chose to serve mainly to help pay for my college education. I was able to get my bachelor’s degree during this time and then obtained my MBA when I got out of the service. I choose this branch mainly because of their discipline, character traits, and leadership. I was encouraged to take an “easier” route with another branch, but I really wanted to prove to myself and others that I could exceed anyone’s expectations.

 

Do you think women entering the military now are better off than women who started when you did? And why?

There is more of a global mindset now for equality than when I started. I hope that has opened doors and softened the mindset that women are the weaker/lesser gender. When I started my service, I had to continuously prove my abilities in every metric just to be compared equally to my male counterparts.

 

What advice would you give other women in IT and, separately, DoD/SOCOM fields?

I would say stay ahead of the curve; learn your field and expose yourself to different experiences and don’t limit yourself to what you think you can do; DO NOT refuse a task because it seems too minimal, too challenging or time consuming since every task will teach you something new. My biggest piece of advice would be to seek out help or advice from mentors and peers and focus on areas of opportunities that may exist from different points of view.