CABO ROJO, Puerto Rico –
My DCMA showcases the Defense Contract Management Agency’s experienced and diverse workforce and highlights what being a part of the national defense team means to them. Today we meet Miriam Martinez.
My name is Miriam Martinez, and this is “My DCMA.”
I am a lead quality assurance specialist at DCMA St. Petersburg located in Florida, but I am based at a defense contractor, Propper International, in Puerto Rico.
My job duties include providing technical advice to the quality assurance specialists; mentoring Keystone employees; conducting on-the-job training on new or updated DCMA QA policy for the QAS group; conducting monthly reviews of QA supplier profile documentation; and acting as a back up to our colleagues in carrying out government contract quality assurance surveillance.
I have been a part of DCMA family for 32 years and feel proud of all these years with the agency. I come from a family where several members have served in the armed forces and this inspired me to do the same by joining DCMA and allowing me to contribute to the military readiness of the United States. My previous experience as a quality manager from the private sector and working for a Department of Defense manufacturing supplier has enabled me to carry forth that expertise right into our own quality assurance arena.
I like working at DCMA because my time here has allowed me to support the warfighter, expand my knowledge, and travel to so many different places and to meet people with a wide variety of backgrounds and ideas. As an experienced leader, I enjoy mentoring others and sharing my knowledge, which ensures that my teammates can acquire the tools to grow and develop into outstanding professionals and leaders. It is amazing how much we all learn and grow when we are committed to sharing our knowledge and ideas. Always giving the best of oneself to others not only achieves personal satisfaction, but also helps our organization in becoming better and better every day.
I am the independent eyes and ears for DoD because with my experience and training, I can influence positive change and provide advice to our DoD suppliers and contractors, and I also team up with our customer community and defense partners. DCMA is a service organization that projects the values of integrity, service and commitment, to our people, customers and warfighters. We make sure that each product or service we provide meets their needs in a timely manner and the quality and excellence they expect.
I provide actionable acquisition insight to DoD by knowing what’s best for our customers and warfighters. Being able to see and analyze what happens from start to finish in the manufacturing environment gives us a unique perspective as to how well those products will perform in the hands of the end users. I honestly think that DCMA’s mission statement, “We are the independent eyes and ears of DoD and its partners, delivering actionable acquisition insight from the factory floor to the front line…around the world,” actually personifies every military and civilian that works for DCMA. The intricate relationships we foster from within guarantee that we can act upon our daily mission.
DCMA is important to America’s warfighters because we are all part of the same team. While they are supporting and fighting for our freedom, we strive to operate with devotion, commitment, integrity and excellence. DCMA employees must always remember that the men and women in uniform, whether on active duty, in the National Guard or in the Reserve, always deserve the best. At the end of the day when we shut down our computers or walk away from our place of work, our accomplishments give way to the satisfaction that our day’s activities culminated not for our own self-interest, but for everyone else that depends on our success.
We are one team and one voice!