Richmond, Va. –
March is Women’s History Month. The theme this year is “Valiant Women of the Vote,” honoring “the brave women who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and who continue to fight for the voting rights of others.” This week, the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation spotlight shines on Julia Roquemore, who is the deputy director in the Supplier Operations Commodities Directorate.
Name: Julia Roquemore
Title: deputy director, Supplier Operations Commodities Directorate, Defense Logistics Agency Aviation
Years of Service: 22 years
What does this this year’s theme mean to you? This is an opportunity to celebrate all the accomplishments of women in this country and to highlight their accomplishments and service to this country.
What is your most important accomplishment that you would like to share? I feel very fortunate that I accidentally ended up in the field of contracting. This field has many great women as role models. I feel even more honored to have had great women as mentors, one of which was very frank in telling me that I needed to get my college degree to have her job. Because of her I lost my excuses and went back to college. I earned my bachelor’s degree 20 years after I received my high school diploma. This opened doors that would have never been opened to me.
Tell us a little-known fact that most people don’t know about you. I was raised on a small farm in northwest Oklahoma. My family instilled the values of hard work, resiliency and respect. My Dad would never give us money, but he would always give us a way to earn it. Learning how to work hard has helped me get to the place I am today.
How important is it to you that Defense Logistics Agency Aviation recognize this month? It is great that we celebrate all special groups throughout the year. We can all learn from the cultures and history of others.
What would you like employees to learn from celebrating Women’s History Month? We’ve come a long way in recognizing equality for women. When I joined the government workforce, military women were not allowed in many jobs. In the last 30 years there have been so many positive changes and I am proud to have been here to see them.