Carrie Baquie

Athlete, Business mentor, Concerned citizen, Explorer, Foodie, Global soul, Life mentor, Parent, Project manager

I have worked for Rockwell Collins, an Avionics and Transportation Communications Company, in Annapolis, Maryland for 15 years. Our portion of the company is primarily responsible for the Messaging Network for Airplanes. We provide over 40 services to nearly 3,000. For many years, I was responsible for managing the deployment of new equipment for our mini-cell towers (called Ground Stations) that are the basis of our messaging network. I also worked to ensure Business Continuity of our primary commercial service; GLOBALink. This involved building bridges of communication across many different functional organizations within the company. Recently, I became responsible for managing the training of our Network Operators who monitor our network and keep it operational 24x7x365. During my career I have been fortunate to work with great colleagues who generally foster the best in me and others. At the same time, I have felt an absence of guidance in the progression of my career path. I am hungry to find peers to work with in consciously progressing our careers forward together. I also deeply value the importance of mentoring younger adults, particularly women. My original degree is in Biology. While I don’t use the science of that degree in my workplace on a regular basis, I am captivated by the natural world and the human body. I pursue these interests outside of work. I thrive on learning about health and wellness to include mental and spiritual wellness. I enjoy regular exercise and experimenting with new recipes regularly. I believe there is a big gap in our Health System that at best minimizes and undermines the vital significance of good mental health care. I am a wife and mother to three young children; two girls and a boy. I am blessed beyond words by family and am grateful every day for my good fortune. While I see that my children have many great opportunities, I see some gaps in the education system that will stymie their road to becoming successful, independent adults. I want to find more ways to teach them to be open, sociable, innovative, confident, assertive, and cooperative. I want to find ways to teach them the foundational skills required for being a successful, responsible, engaged citizen such as the essentials of cooking, cleaning, maintaining a checking account, paying bills, volunteering, and time management. I don’t have the answers, but I am searching. I deeply value the search recognizing that life is about the journey not the destination.

Health & Wellness, Women in the Workplace, Mentoring, Peer Professional Groups, Empowering Girls, Teaching kids fiscal responsibility, Mental Health Issues, Positive Thinking, Quality Relationships

The classic public school model in the US rewards students who are well behaved, keep their heads down and stay focused solely on the subject matter. Girls often excel in this environment. They learn this is the way to success. But the paradigm is very different in the business world. How do we teach girls to be successful in school and outside the classroom; social networking, speaking up and speaking out, confidence, assertive behavior, negotiation skills, and public speaking. How can we integrate this learning into their daily lives? Sports are good. Girl Scouts and 4-H good start, but there still seems to be a gap. How can we come together to fill that gap and change the paradigm?

I am great listener who makes a delicious bowl of popcorn.