From farm girl to fierce leader: Sotera’s Deb Alderson talks defense

When asked how defense contractors can be successful in Washington,  Deb Alderson, president and CEO of Sotera Defense Solutions said, “In this industry, you can’t win it unless you bid it. Be very aggressive in bidding in this space, and then once you win it, execute it,”

Alderson sat down with Women of Washington radio show hosts Aileen Black and Gigi Schumm to discuss her career in defense, both inside the government and as a contractor.

Alderson said partnering with multiple firms can also be a key to successful bidding.

“You typically have to partner, because you’re not going to find all the expertise residing in one company. You have to choose your partners wisely, and make sure that it’s a good professional relationship, that both sides keep their commitments. It’s a very small community.”

Alderson said becoming president and CEO of Sotera has been her goal since the beginning of her career.

“I did want an opportunity to lead on my own and to put into place things that were very important to me. That was a real focus on the people and the mission. Now, I have the opportunity to do that.”

Despite her accomplishments, Alderson, who grew up humbly on a Virginia farm,  said her family often had a hard time understanding what she does and the level of importance her position holds.

“No one in my family has ever been in the military. When I got my first job in defense, I actually called my grandfather up and I told him I was working for the Department of Defense, and that I was working on maintenance of Navy warships. All he could grasp was that I must be decorating the captain’s quarters on a ship, because that’s what a woman did, and that’s the only way I could fit in to the Navy. Throughout his life, he’d ask me how my job was going and he kept trying to understand what I did.”

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