Working in tech doesn’t always mean writing lines of code or designing the user experience for an application. That’s definitely not what a workday looks like for 2nd Lt Kameron Cass.
As a delivery manager at BESPIN, the Air Force software factory in Montgomery, Alabama, Lt. Cass oversees the day-to-day operations for the Wing Feedback application.
“Ensuring that the team is on track with what our stakeholders want the product to be, monitoring the application backlog, and prioritizing items” alongside our PO/Tech lead Kevin Moore” she said. “It’s about ensuring that team health is taken care of, communicating performance to BESPIN leadership and then on the military side, I’m making sure the Airmen on my team are taken care of.”.
Just like the app she oversees supports Airmen, their families and others who use on-base services, Lt Cass sees herself and role as a delivery manager as a servant leader.
“I’m in a happy place knowing I’m helping somebody or making somebody else’s day better. With the products we develop, specifically Wing feedback, we’re helping with quality of life on base,” she said. “The opportunity to take care of other people, whether it’s in a direct or indirect way, is really rewarding for me.”
After graduating from The Military College of South Carolina (more commonly known as The Citadel) in 2019, Lt Cass thought she’d take care of others by working in healthcare and she started a nursing degree. But a decision to commission with the Air Force and her placement at BESPIN in 2020, took her on a different path.
While she had some STEM experience from her bachelor’s degree in health and human performance, and a year of nursing classes, software development and the broader field of technology was a whole new world for Lt Cass.
“I love trying new things and trying to do my best at it and see how it goes,” she said. “I knew the Air Force would put me where they needed me, so I was put in Aquisitions, and thought to myself, ‘Alright, well, this is it. Let’s see how it goes and I will give it my best shot.”
Now she’s talking Agile and learning about development UX design work with the Wing Feedback team and with the teams support, going over sprint backlogs with stakeholders. And her non-technical background is an asset for communicating information to leadership and other non-technical people involved with the project.
The team knows that if Lt Cass needs an analogy to understand a process or update, then they are awesome at supporting her in doing so.
“This is all a team effort. If there are things that someone on the team may not understand, we support each other in our knowledge gaps. It’s been very beneficial for me in this new world.”
The support goes beyond her BESPIN app team, BESPIN’s Deputy Chief Lt Col. Brian Mahar said Lt Cass is a natural leader who is always looking for ways to help others. In her time at BESPIN, Lt Cass has been a delivery manager on two applications at once and is now the Squadron Equivalent executive officer supporting the BESPIN CEO.
“Her attitude and work ethic and the way she showed up on day one as a brand new second lieutenant and just jumped right in makes an impression,” he said. “As much as she gives back, it makes others want to give back and mentor her, as well.”
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