Shawanta Leary is a 2007 graduate of Westfield high school in Perry, Georgia. She attended Ashford University and serves as a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force.
Currently, she's in charge of group plans for the 90th Security Forces Group of the United States Air Force. Shawanta has been involved in an array of missions critical to the nation.
She's been deployed four times, taught three Airmen courses, and supports twenty-five squadrons and security operations for an area spanning 12,600 square miles throughout Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. She also manages a $24.5 billion budget to protect high-value resources and thousands of security forces.
"At times I find myself wondering what I want to be known for when all it's said and done," Shawanta said in her acceptance speech during the 2022 Women of Color STEM Awards gala. "Honestly, I still don't know," she confessed with a smile. "And that's okay. But I do know my purpose is beyond anything I could ever fathom. There's no limit to where I can go or where I might land. Along this ride, I've had my ups and downs and felt overlooked at times. But this award showed me that I was never overlooked. Just redirected for something greater.
The Professional Achievement award recognizes a mid-career professional (with up to 15 years in the workforce) with significant accomplishments in an engineering or technology industry or government agency. The nominee's academic qualifications are of less relevance than the impact of her achievements as a leader and role model.
Since 1995, awards presented at the Women of Color Conference have honored excellence and underscored the under-representation of women at senior levels. For 26 years, employers committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion have chosen the conference as the place to share best practices and strategies to attract and keep women in scientific and technical fields.
