Becki Glatzmaier

Nick Powers:
So, Becky, you’ve been with us for how long?

Becki Glatzmaier:
Coming up on two years. Next month will be two years.

Nick:
Two long years! So you were in the military, weren’t you?

Becki:
Yes. Over 21 years.

Nick:
Twenty-one years — so you’re a retiree. Thank you for your service. You’ve been a number of different places in the world, right?

Becki:
Yes.

Nick:
Like where?

Becki:
Germany, Italy, Turkey, and around the States — Nebraska, Virginia, and now here.

Nick:
Wow. Lucky you.

Becki:
Yeah, glad to be back.

Nick:
What was your specialty in the military? What was your main duty?

Becki:
My primary duty was command and control — a lot of command post work. I worked with aerial port maintenance, moving passengers and cargo from A to B. Later, I transitioned into nuclear emergency actions and worked with FEMA. I also flew for a little while — that was probably the best time. I ended my career back in Europe doing nuclear emergency actions and spent time working in the D.C. area as well.

Nick:
You’ve seen it all. That’s an incredible career.

Becki:
I loved it.

Nick:
One of the things we try to do at UNCOMN is find “UNCOMN geniuses.” And that doesn’t mean mad scientists in a lab — it’s people like you with deep experience. How has your military background helped you in your architecture work here?

Becki:
I understand the why. Architecture was completely new for me, but I like that UNCOMN took a chance on me. I’m willing to learn anything.

Because of my background, I can see the bigger picture. When I’m working through architecture and someone has questions, I can explain why something matters. For example, when cargo or a passenger needs to get to a deployed location, that’s not just a system process — people are waiting on that person. Someone’s coming home. That context matters. It gives me pride in the work.

Nick:
You’re the voice of the customer.

Becki:
Exactly.

Nick:
You’ve lived through these systems. Now you’re helping improve them. That has to feel good.

Becki:
It does. I remember when we were working on processes related to military moves. I had just retired and moved back from Germany. I was the person logging in, trying to track furniture, cars, everything — and feeling that stress on my family.

Now in meetings, I can ask questions that pinpoint those pain points without even saying it directly. I’ll ask, “Did we think about this decision point?” Because if we can relieve stress for another family, that matters.

Nick:
You came to us with little to no architecture experience. Talk about that journey.

Becki:
On day one, I thought I’d ease into things — but they said, “You’re starting training today.” I didn’t even know what I was looking at!

But I’ve been a training manager before, so I know how to listen, digest information, and ask good questions. The training was eye-opening. I didn’t understand everything at first, but I was excited because the team was excited about the impact.

After training, I started helping with classes. Teaching sharpened my skills even more. I worked on one program, then moved to another, which exposed me to even more models and systems.

Nick:
Architecture is a team sport.

Becki:
Absolutely.

Nick:
How do you keep morale up when you’re working so closely with others?

Becki:
You growl for a moment and move on! There’s power in the growl.

But really, UNCOMN hires people with diverse backgrounds. I’m going to listen to what you have to say because of your experience. You bring something, I bring something — and together we build something better.

Ultimately, we’re all working toward the same goal: a happy customer who wants to work with us again.

Nick:
That diversity of thought is huge.

Nick:
Are you involved in anything else at UNCOMN?

Becki:
Yes, Women in Business and Sisters in Service. I recently spoke with female veterans who are transitioning out of service. We shared what we’ve learned and what would have helped us.

It’s a lot of information for anyone transitioning. Being able to share perspectives — someone ten years out and someone two years out — helps them prepare and reduces stress.

Nick:
That’s powerful.

Becki:
My niece just went to boot camp for the Air National Guard. So this is personal for me.

Nick:
That’s awesome. It’s great that we can create those opportunities to give back.