Our employee spotlight shines a light on one employee at a time. We value diversity and inclusion and welcome diverse thinking. It takes a village — through collaboration, living safely and driving innovation we realize our goals and help our clients achieve mission success. Our mantra is people first, mission always. During Black History Month, we focused on some of our African-American employees. As an extension of that series, today’s Q&A is with Robert Earl Johnson, SVP of Strategic Growth.
How did you come to join Amentum?
I started as a consultant and then joined as a full-time employee.
What is your professional and personal background?
Communications
Describe the work you do and how you think it makes a positive impact.
I work closely with the SBUs, business development and sector leaders in the development and execution of their strategy to enter new markets.
What do you enjoy about working for Amentum?
People are the most important resource in any organization and at Amentum there is a willingness to collaborate across business units to achieve success.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about teamwork, my faith, my family and using my experiences to help the organization and people to reach their goals.
What’s your career advice?
Be true to yourself. Understand your strengths and weaknesses, then take action to turn a weakness into a strength. Never doubt yourself, then work hard because someone will notice, and you will be rewarded.
What does safety mean to you, or do you have a favorite safety tip?
Safety is a 24/7 responsibility and never put yourself or others in an unsafe environment.
What’s the best invention in the world and why?
I would say the airplane and its evolution to jet aircraft today. This invention literally shrunk the world and allows people and cargo to move from country to country in hours instead of days.
What does Black History Month Mean to You?
I grew up in the segregated south where an African American had to drink from water coolers marked “COLORED;” we could not dine in restaurants and treated as second-class citizens. My past is my motivation to work hard and excel at everything I do. So Black History Month is everyday for me because I refuse to let go my past. Having said that, I would like for people to not just pause in the month of February but everyday — just pause and think of the contributions African Americans have made to make this nation what it is today. The list is very long and on top of that, history would show that my ancestors have always put themselves in harm’s way to fight and die for this country. That is true today even as we continue to seek the equality as dictated in our Constitution, that all men are created equal.
Anything else you would like to share from a personal or professional perspective?
America is by no means a perfect country but I sincerely believe it is the greatest nation on earth. I served 27 years in the Army and never doubted my willingness to die for this nation. That commitment has not changed. The noise of the bad will never overcome the good in this country but we all must be willing to put our differences to the side, respect each other as human beings, and put no one race above another.
