Bernard Wade Durham: “I try to let people run with their own tasks.”

I always thought I’d major in psychology,” reflects Bernard Wade Durham. “But as fascinating as the work was, it wasn’t really hands-on. I couldn’t complete a project and sit back and look at what I had done.

“My father is a mechanic and my grandfather was a farmer. I come from hands-on people and I needed to get my hands dirty.” So he switched to computer science, and he’s had his hands deep in technology ever since.

For the last three years Durham has been a VP in the enterprise engineering group of Veridian (Arlington, VA). Veridian provides information-based systems and mission-critical security programs for the U.S. intelligence community, the Department of Defense and government agencies involved in homeland security.

Durham’s work involves overseeing about eighty engineers across the nation. “We are primarily responsible for integrating new technologies into the IT infrastructure of Veridian’s clients,” he explains. “We get to make the new toys work.”

A way to create something
Durham earned a football scholarship to Furman University (Greenville, SC). He decided on CS for two reasons. “Computer science was a way to create something and see it work. And I could do my homework late at night after practice.”

Furman considered CS a part of either computer math or computer business. Durham chose business, which included courses in economics and finance. He graduated in 1985 with a BS in computer business, and after his ROTC tour of duty he began as a programmer at MRJ Technology Solutions. MRJ was acquired by Veridian in 1999.

Working in the intelligence community
“Working in the intelligence community and doing software development requires a lot of analytical math skills that I had never developed,” Durham confides. MRJ had a tuition reimbursement program, so he went on to an MS from George Washington University (Washington, DC) in systems analysis and management.

After three years Durham left MRJ for a job with E-Systems (now part of Raytheon). Two years later he was back as a software developer. “We say we have a revolving door to allow people to return,” he says with a smile. “It’s not unusual to rehire someone.”

By the early nineties Durham was a project manager. “I was helping customers, filling out their requirements, what they’d like to see delivered,” he says.

Moving into management was a smooth transition for Durham. “I try to empower people – delegate to them and let them run with their own tasks.

“We don’t work in isolation here. Our environment is collaborative. We all learn from each other’s mistakes, and we enjoy ourselves and have a good time when everyone does well,” he says.

Integrating security
Because most of the company’s clients are in intelligence, a lot of Veridian’s work involves adding increased security measures to commercial products from vendors like Cisco, Marconi, Managed Objects and Microsoft. “We architect, integrate, implement and test IT solutions for new technologies or new initiatives going into the existing network infrastructure,” says Durham. “Our goal is to reduce the risk to the operational environment when technologies are moved.”

A recent project for the Army involved integrating two discrete systems, for network management and security management, into a single system. “If you want to be an IT service provider, you have to integrate those components,” says Durham.

The engineers who work for Durham “run the gamut from people who are responsible for the wires and infrastructure to folks responsible for integrating the applications that ride on the infrastructure.” Projects can last anywhere from a few months to a number of years.

Good people drive growth
Over the years, Durham has seen Veridian become more diverse. “We’re reflective of the changing workforce,” he says. “It’s being good that’s important. There’s a tremendous demand for skills right now, and we need good people, the more diverse the better.

“We don’t bend metal, we don’t build airplanes, but we provide good people to support those critical services. We know we cannot meet our objectives and grow at the rate we aspire to without bringing in good people and helping them grow.”

Last year Durham received the company’s prestigious Leadership Award – the top honor an employee can achieve. “I’ve been very blessed,” he says. “Since I’ve been a VP, my area has experienced growth in excess of 30 percent a year. We’ve won key business with key customers. Some of the pieces came together at the right time and we were there.”

Durham is excited about the future at Veridian. “We’re a company of over a billion dollars with 7,000 employees. There are tons of opportunities to advance and move through this corporation. We are committed to making a difference in areas that make a difference,” he says.

D/C

– Kate Colborn & Christine Willard