BEYA 2019 honoree spotlight: Scott Ball
The 2019 Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) STEM Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. from Feb. 7-9. The conference is an annual opportunity for professional training and networking with some of the top engineering employers, as well as a career fair for students seeking professions in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). At this year's conference, 10 distinguished Leidos employees will be recognized for their career achievements. Each week leading up to BEYA, we'll profile two of our honorees here on Insights.
Scott Ball has always had an appetite for a challenge. One of his first jobs was performing electrical work and installing network cabling, a position that provided him the opportunity to not only broaden his understanding of telecommunication systems, but also to occasionally work on contracts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Stennis Space Center (SSC).
“I love a challenge and the networking career field is always changing and extremely competitive. I love problem-solving and that’s what networking is all about,” reflects Ball. He marveled at the level of technical competency required, longed to be part of that environment, and believed he would be there someday working alongside the technicians at the SSC.
By focusing on learning and sharpening his technical skillset, he gained a position in the Hancock Bank data center. With hard work and dedication he overcame every challenge the role presented, and was able to use his position at Hancock to springboard into a network technician position at SSC.
Within two months of arriving at SSC, he was recognized for his hard work and strong skillset and was requested to move into a team leader position. In this new role, he led four technicians on day-to-day work within the data center. While this role presented challenges, it was nothing that Ball could not tackle.
“Growth and advancement motivates me to strive to be the best at everything I do in the network field,” said Scott.
The recognition from BEYA means that all the hard work and dedication to my craft paid off.
His dedication to the mission did not go unnoticed, and he was soon after offered a position with Leidos as a voice and video analyst. His position allowed him to consistently feed his never-ending hunger for personal and professional growth. In his current role, he provides voice and video support to high-ranking officials at the Department of Homeland Security, and supports agencies including the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs Border Protection. It is common for Scott to receive kudos and recognition from those he supports for his excellent work and exemplary customer service.
In recognition of his exceptional professional accomplishments, Scott will be honored with a Modern-Day Technology Leaders award at the 33rd annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) STEM Conference.
