Lt. Col. Erica Mitchell is the critical infrastructure and key resources research group chief for the Army Cyber Institute and an assistant professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department at the U.S. Military Academy. She graduated from West Point with a B.S. in American Legal Systems in 2001, commissioned as a Signal officer and later transitioned to Information Systems Management officer.
She also earned an M.S. in Information Systems Management and recently earned a Ph.D. in Information Science and Technology.
Below is a question and answer session with Mitchell as we celebrate her success during Black History Month. Q: What made you decide to serve and then go a step further to apply to West Point?
EM: “When I was a small child, my mom was married to an Armor officer. Back then, things were a little different and I was able to go for a ride in a tank. I absolutely loved it and wanted to become an Armor officer myself. “Long after they divorced, I attended a college fair on a whim and ran into the West Point Military Academy Liaison Officer, MALO, for my area. I recognized the uniform and felt drawn to the booth. I wanted to serve my country and drive tanks, so I applied. “No one ever warned me that I couldn’t go Armor, so that was a surprise during my freshman year. It was an emotional moment when Armor was opened up to women, but by then I was too far down the STEM rabbit hole to transition over.” Q: Your career has been very tech-heavy; what drew you to the STEM side of life? Why Signal and then Information Systems Management officer?
EM: “My first job as a kid was formatting 5.25” floppy disks for my mom’s boss. I loved computers and started exploring with them in the mid-1980s. I was fortunate enough to go to a school with four computer labs until seventh grade and then transitioned to a school with a robust computer lab, and few students, for high school. “I got my first personal computer in the early ‘90s and, based on prior experience, found it easier to use the DOS prompt for a lot of things than the Windows 3.1 graphical user interface, GUI. My Internet Service Provider, ISP, was Unix-based, so my early Internet experience was far different from the Internet of today. “I ended up being an American Legal Systems major at West Point, law is my second love, because I had a rough experience with Computer Science 105 as a plebe. Ironically enough, I taught CY105 last semester, so things have come full circle. I have always loved computers because there is always a solution, or many solutions, to a problem.”
Q: You are a rare find in your field — i.e., African American woman in STEM in the military. How has that shaped you into the officer you are today?
EM: “I spend a lot of time as the only in rooms — only African-American, only woman — and, sometimes, only in both categories. I am very mindful that I carry the expectations and representation of an entire race and gender in many of my interactions within the military and with the public. That makes me very deliberate and strive to be the best possible officer I can be, in the hopes that it keeps doors open for others to follow me through. “I also want younger people to see me and recognize that this path is open to them. Women and minorities are very underrepresented in STEM, and I aim to change that by being an example that it can be done and at high levels.” Q: As a role model for others, what do you hope people will learn from you?
EM: “I hope they will learn that if you stay focused and keep placing one foot in front of the other that eventually you will reach your destination. “I haven’t had a perfect or easy career and have had setbacks, but I haven’t let those define who I am or how far I go in the Army and in life. Be humble and always highlight the accomplishments of the people who work with and for you. “When things go wrong, accept responsibility. Don’t sugarcoat it, don’t deflect and do everything in your power to fix it.” Q: What have you most enjoyed about serving in the Army, in your field?
EM: “I have most enjoyed working with great people who bring their diverse experiences to the team. STEM is incredibly complex and no one person has all of the answers, so working with others who can each solve a piece of the puzzle is incredibly rewarding. I also feel like the STEM portion of the Army is like a lab. You can experiment and try new things, within reason, and there are opportunities to learn more specific skills. “I have been lucky to have several interesting opportunities placed in my path and have jumped at almost all of them.” Q: What do you believe some of your biggest accomplishments are? Or what are you most proud of?
EM: “One of my biggest personal accomplishments was completing my Ph.D. last year. I did three years of coursework and then finished the dissertation in the first two years I was assigned to West Point. “It was challenging juggling a full-time job and writing a dissertation, but I finished. One of my biggest Army accomplishments is leading and developing Soldiers. “I was a platoon leader in Korea and again in Iraq and it was amazing being a small unit leader and cheering my Soldiers on as they developed into leaders as well. For the Department of Defense, I was able to lead the host mitigations team and do a successful live network pilot before the components were mandated DOD-wide. “For America, I have spent the last two-and-a-half years working on Jack Voltaic, a critical infrastructure research project that is designed to help the DOD and municipalities prepare for, and react to, cyber events.” Q: What do you hope the readers will gain from reading this article? If you could give them a piece of advice, what would that be?
EM: “I hope readers will see that anything is possible. Chase your dreams, even if you don’t see anyone that looks like you living those dreams. “Your mentors don’t have to look like you. It is OK to be the first. When you make it, extend your hand back to bring others with you.” Q: You are a mother of three, serving in the military, doing research, etc. How have they impacted your life?
EM: “I love what I do for the Army, but it’s most important to me to be a role model for my kids who are ages 12, 9 and 6. “I want them to know that they can be anything that they want to be, and I will be their biggest cheerleader and supporter. They have been my biggest cheerleaders and supporters throughout my career and Ph.D. program, and I can never thank them enough for making it easy to keep doing what I love every day.”