Taking the Leap: Career Pivoting in the 21st Century

Roberta Schmidt

Roberta Schmidt is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Project Manager for Talent Acquisition at Collins Aerospace. In her role, she partners with business leaders and members of the Human Resources community to ensure the organization is bringing in top talent from diverse and underrepresented populations in order to create an equitable and inclusive process for all. Her role allows her to combine her passion for social justice with her skills in talent acquisition operations.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in College Student Personnel. Next on her list is a Project Management certificate through PMI.

Inspired by Erica Jong’s famous quote, “If you don’t risk anything, you risk even more”, Roberta has taken leaps into the unknown with career pivots that have each made her a stronger professional. Roberta brings to the table 15 years of insight into talent acquisition operations and client services, 3 years of human resources, and 5 of nonprofit administration.

Roberta and her wife live in Ohio where they are moms to Lola, a French Bulldog with very refined tastes. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, prepping for gardening, and experimenting with culinary arts.

Dr. Osyria Webster

Dr. Osyria Webster is a Senior Project Engineer in Systems Engineering at Collins Aerospace, a division of Raytheon Technologies.

She holds a biology degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from University of Tennessee, an Electrical Engineering degree from University of New Orleans, and a Certificate of Graduate Study in Engineering Leadership and Innovation Management from Pennsylvania State University. She will be completing an MBA program at Pennsylvania State University in May 2022.

She served as the President of the NSBE Rockford Professionals Chapter from 2019-2021. She developed a STEM program to expose the underrepresented youth of Rockford to various areas of STEM. She leads the community-based STEM on the Rock program. The free, monthly program introduces youth to STEM with hands-on activities, such as making soda machines and exploring basic electrical circuits. Osyria successfully championed Collins to acquire funding and partnered with the Discovery Center Museum to secure a grant for the program.

She is a strong proponent of DE&I. Osyria received a United Technologies Excellence Award for her efforts in recruiting diverse talent in 2020. In March 2021, she addressed all business units of Raytheon Technologies at the first of a four-part discussion, “Why Diversity Matters.” She also spoke to the Collins Talent Acquisition team on the same topic in June 2021.

One of her most recent endeavors was collaborating with the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and visiting artists to dedicate a mural highlighting diversity, the importance of STEM education and the beauty of creativity. The Collins sponsored mural, “You Belong Here,” was unveiled June 16, 2021.

In March 2020, she received the Inspirational Woman Award from Women in Aerospace ERG.

In October 2021, Osyria received the 2021 Technology Rising Star award during the Women of Color STEM Digital Conference.

Aimee Carlotto

Helping companies attract, hire & retain | DEI Champion | Sales Leader