Courtesy Photo | Audrey Gutierrez – Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE) Director...... read more read more
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By Matthew Wright, DCSA Center for Development of Security Excellence
LINTHICUM, Md. - The psychological theory of flow revolves around a person being fully immersed in a feeling of energized and positive focus while avoiding boredom and anxiety.
For Audrey Gutierrez, Director of the Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE), a training and education provider, part of the Security Training Directorate within the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, flow is her core philosophy for education.
“When we are happy in our work and we have opportunities to be creative and empowered, it’s better for the organization and we can be more effective at achieving our mission,” Gutierrez said. “That’s been my philosophy since graduate school. Whether it’s in the classroom or the workforce, I look for opportunities to help people find flow.”
Gutierrez brings nearly 30 years of experience in education and workforce development. Before joining CDSE in September, she served as deputy director of Workforce Development for the Health Resources and Services Administration Learning Institute.
Her previous experience includes chief for organizational performance for the Department of Defense Education Activity, and teaching Mandarin as a military language instructor while serving in the U.S. Air Force.
She says each of her stops working within the Federal Government have helped dictate who she is and what her approach has become and said laughter and positivity are essential to that approach.
“Even when I was a teacher, the research said that more learning takes place where there is laughter,” she said. “You learn much faster, and in turn you’re able to innovate much faster. I think we can build off that to take CDSE to the next level in terms of innovation and growth.”
Gutierrez feels listening to other perspectives is vital to achieving that positivity in a learning environment.
She said being open to other people’s perspectives and being challenged and questioned creates a positive environment not only for security professionals who rely on CDSE’s curriculum, but for employees as well.
Due to the ever-changing environment and new threats to national security, she feels CDSE plays a key role in preventing bad actors from causing America harm.
“I think we are critical to the security of our country and our technology,” she said. “Because we have near-peer competitors now, it’s absolutely essential to play a strong defense game as we are planning to innovate and prepare for AI [Artificial Intelligence] and the growing capability of our adversaries.”
Despite the growing risks the world faces, Gutierrez takes solace knowing her staff has an immeasurable amount of knowledge in their disciplines. Due to their professionalism and experience, she can focus on being a change agent for the security community.
“I’m excited to be in a position not just to listen to those different perspectives, but to engage with them and do something about those challenges that they see,” she said. “I like new ideas, I like to be challenged, roll my sleeves up, and help advocate for change.”
| Date Taken: | 01.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.16.2025 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 489220 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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