CRANE, Ind. – Lisa Miller worked six years for a small business before starting her career at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) in December of 2014.
“I was making money and loved what I did, but there was something missing for me personally,” says Miller. “I needed something more – something with a different purpose and mission.”
Miller enrolled in the NSWC Crane Pathways Internship Program while earning her Associate’s Degree. This program allows college students to work part-time or full time for the federal government while completing their degree. Upon completion of the program, she soon became a Financial Lead for the Flight Systems Division at NSWC Crane. The Flight Systems Division provides a full range of microelectronics expertise that provides cradle-to-grave support of strategic systems hardware and the nuclear triad.
“I was interested in working at NSWC Crane because of the mission. What I do every day at NSWC Crane has a direct impact on the warfighter. I currently have a family member serving. I’m going to do everything I can in my job, whether it seems large or small compared to the large picture, to make sure our service men and women come home safe.”
Miller is part of the Business and Financial Management Division. These employees are embedded within technical divisions to serve their needs, working side-by-side in support of the mission. As the Financial Lead, Miller makes sure the Flight Systems Division has the funding necessary to accomplish their vital mission.
“It’s like a puzzle to me to figure out the best ways to allocate the funding to the necessary tasks,” says Miller. “I enjoy solving the puzzle and finding effective financial solutions.”
Miller says working at NSWC Crane offers flexibility and opportunities she may not have had in other working environments.
“I recently had a baby, and my son and I spent almost seven weeks in the hospital. Coworkers donated over four hundred hours of leave. Their response was truly overwhelming.”
She says what she and her husband went through could have been intimidating.
“We had adopted our third child, and one month later I was pregnant. Within the same year, I had two new children. I was able to enroll in the Leave Donor Program and my coworkers stepped up to help me. My managers and teammates told me to not worry about the job and that they would take care of me.”
Miller is also the New Employee Development Organization (NEDO) External Tour Coordinator. In this role, she helps new Crane employees network with other employees. She organizes yearly trips to Norfolk to see ships and submarines firsthand. This trip provides employees the opportunity to see how their work at Crane directly impacts the warfighter. Miller helps new employees find their passion in the mission to support the warfighter.
“Through the NEDO program, new employees develop contacts and friends they can rely on while they are here at Crane. When I meet the new employees I get to share my passion with them, but I also get to see things through their eyes and gain a new perspective.”
NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.