Lauren Knausenberger’s Post

Father’s Day Lessons From My Husband My husband Erich Knausenberger has this dad thing figured out and I’ve learned a lot from him. During the first 7 years with kids he was on 100% travel with a global consulting firm, but when he was home, he was home and these little girls were the center of his world. The devices went away and he was 100% present. If he needed to step away he set good expectations and came back focused. Lesson One: Quality time is sometimes better than quantity. Squeeze every drop out of the moments you have. More recently, my travel picked up and Erich decided it was time for him to be point with the kids. Since spending more time with the kids my husband is a local celebrity with the under 12 crowd. Every kid wants to be thrown, pushed on the swing, chased like a zombie, or pushed on the merry go round. Lesson Two: Playing with kids is a really great way to stay in shape. No gym needed on a playground day. Note: Today’s merry go rounds have brakes and are really hard to push. 😂 Two years ago he co-founded a Girl Scout troop (he’s a former Eagle Scout). Some of these girls had never left the city. Now they’re hiking, camping, and making fires. I’m waiting for the day when the 8 year olds show up with war paint and tell me about how they’ve been hunting their own food. (See the pic of 5 girls scouts trying to dunk him and him pretending they have a real shot. 😂) This brings us to two final lessons. Lesson Three - It’s hard sometimes for men to step away from work and truly embrace their families. Sadly, the stigma is still real. I’ll tell you right now I’ve never been more proud of my husband and his contribution to our family. And a final lesson for all. Life is an arch and families are a partnership among other things. Communication and setting expectations is key. I often get asked how I balance and this is where it falls for me. Erich and I have each had times where we’ve been away too much. We’ve traded off and we’ve been open with our kids. One of the best lessons I learned from the Air Force is that careers can be a family decision. We talked with our kids about how I would be working more and their dad would be home more. Bringing our girls into the conversation gave them some buy in and understanding and it was good for them to hear that real thought and decisions go into keeping a family healthy. They know they’re a critical part. So, Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there. And a special extra shout out for the guys are taking point on their families. My husband is rocking his job with the kids (and my car has never been in better shape). Please use the chat below to shout out a dad you admire. I’ll add that I have huge respect for Rahn Bass (husband of CMSAF JoAnne (Jo) Bass It takes a strong man to be the husband of the first female #CMSAF. You’ve been such a great role model for military families and I wish you luck as you enter the next phase of your own arch.

As we approach Memorial Day, I want to take a moment to honor and remember the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. This day holds profound significance for all of us at #SAIC, as we are deeply committed to supporting our warfighters and upholding the principles of defense and national security. Memorial Day is a solemn reminder of the cost of our freedoms. It is a day to reflect on the valor and dedication of those who have served and to express our gratitude for their courage. Their sacrifice is the foundation upon which our nation stands, and it is our duty to ensure that their legacy is never forgotten. While I honor many people laid to rest in our National cemeteries there are two I think of especially often, and who have had a profound impact on me. Chief Petty Officer Wendell Barrett, Sr (my grandfather) completed his basic training and first posting at the Great Lakes Naval training center in 1952 (being from Michigan originally) and was originally a dental tech. From there he served as a crewman on various craft, including US Naval Academy vessels, submarines, aircraft carriers, and destroyer tenders, seeing the world from the various ships over his 21 year career. Most importantly, he taught his granddaughter how to shoot! He also sported an incredible handlebar mustache. And my grandmother, Loretta Barrett. She raised five children across multiple posts and did an incredible job supporting many of the spouses and families in her community. She was always ready to listen and to help and she was a true master of the type of food and cocktail diplomacy that truly brings a community together as a family. Even after the Navy that support continued to anyone in uniform (or anyone who needed a friend or a snack), whether making sure the Army guy next door got a great dinner while his family was out of town to pretty much feeding the UPS guy every day. When the Pentagon needed extra help during a critical shortage she reported for duty to support the nuclear mission. She was later a successful entrepreneur, launching her business the year I was born and giving me my first “internships” as an elementary schooler. I just enjoyed helping and spending time with her and she made an amazing lunch, but she always gave me just enough $ to get into a little bit of trouble. They both served with honor and gave me a strong foundation for my own path of service. #AirForce #Navy #Army #Veterans

The #StarWars vs #StarTrek #AIduel has gotten a bit out of hand here, Jay Meil and Jake Weyant. It’s time to unite the galaxies in their common mission that converges on the belief in the potential for a better future through exploration, teamwork, understanding, and the triumph of good over tyranny. It’s time for me to come out - I grew up a Trekkie and Star Wars came later. I do love Data. That said, R2D2 is a great character and Jake Weyant asked for some reinforcements after Jay Meil posted a pic of R2 stuck on his back. Play nice, boys! In addition to being incredibly cute, R2D2 has some pretty relevant capabilities to our customer missions today: Edge Computing: R2’s impact in any condition shows a powerful tool for any mission and in the hardest of comm condition. Not only that, his autonomy in securing logistics pipelines (need a lightsaber in a pinch?) and tactical contingencies (need an escape route from Cloud City?) is second to none. Multi Level Security: Have you ever noted that R2 has all kinds of info, but depending on the user, only the right people can access that data? Death Star plans, OB1 messages, secrets regarding a certain person’s father, the location of a Jedi Knight in hiding. Great AI gets the right data to the right people at the right time, and R2’s entire story arch is founded on this. Wingman: Our customers envision a future where helpful AI is running calculations and offering tactics on the fly – literally. AI is pivotal in cracking the CJADC2 code, and R2 is a glimpse of what that might look like. Let the pilot focus while the AI navigates, repairs, alerts, and supports. Resilience: As a bonus, I will also mention that R2 is durable. I thought the C-130 has had a good run, but R2 has survived several regime changes and countless sword-wielding space wizards! May the Force be with you, R2. Please, someone throw out a great candidate from #SpaceBalls.

May the Fourth be You! Sharing this casual team pic as we kick off our masters council offsite at a confidential intergalactic location. Today, as we celebrate the spirit of the Jedi, I'm reminded of our entire incredible team at SAIC. Just as the legendary Jedi knights masterfully wielded lightsabers to defend the galaxy against the forces of darkness, we at SAIC bring diverse expertise, en”light”ening capabilities, and an unwavering commitment to our mission. We are committed to empowering our warfighters with crucial capabilities to defend against the galaxy’s greatest threats. Whether your mission points to the forest moon of Yavin 4 or the red sands of Mars, SAIC is helping you get there. The force of cutting edge technologies and next-gen space innovation is strong with this one. Our noble Jedi also strive to do good for our community, making a positive impact beyond the battlefield. May the force be with us all as we continue our journey to make a difference in the galaxy! #MayTheFourth #SAIC #JediSpirit #SpaceForce #AirForce #Innovation #Technology #WomeninTech Kudos to Chris Canada and Dall-E 3 for some fantastic art work. Toni Townes-Whitley David Ray Jay Meil Bob Ritchie Andy Henson Jenelle Springer Ravi Raghava Rana Barzegar Josh Sorkin

A little bit of now and then… Rewind to 2022 to the moment #SECAF realized that all of his top cyber/IT advisors were women as we prepared for a 16th Air Force visit aboard the airplane, alongside then #CSAF CQ Brown Jr. Venice M. Goodwine, CISSP, PMP, Wanda Jones-Heath, PhD, CISM, Gen Leah Lauderback, and Lisa Costa, PhD, MBA continue to represent! Fast forward to yesterday. America’s Future assembled leaders in #AI, #Quantum, and NextGen chip technology for a panel at #SXSW. They happened to all be #powerwomen - Amina Al Sherif, Jen Sovada, and Margaret Amori. These ladies are so brilliant and we all went places with the conversation we didn’t expect and that led all of us to learn a lot. The audience did too! And my every day at #SAIC includes the fabulous Toni Townes-Whitley, Hilary Hageman, Michelle O'Hara, and Barbara Supplee. #Fortune500 ELT that is half women. Many successful #womenintechnology have had solid experience being the only women in the room. I still do and my guys (many of whom are #GirlDads) are amazing. But it is pretty empowering to be surrounded by all of these amazing women, and my little girls see it too! Thanks to all of the incredible women and men who shaped all of us and continue to the capabilities that are the future of our competitive advantage as a #DOD and as a nation. Happy International Women’s Day! :) Please use the chat below to shout out the Women in Technology you most admire or share your story. #AirForce #SpaceForce #innovation

#AirForce and #SpaceForce #Innovators definitely stop by to see Jay Meil (AKA Wizard). Bring your toughest problem and see what he can throw at it.

Welcome to #PimpMyRide #Army edition.

I’m excited and proud to see this partnership come together to integrate the best players in the business to solve a mission problem that is so relevant to all of our warfighters!

When I was #DAF #CIO I was often asked what I really needed from industry. My answer was generally that I wanted industry to truly understand our problem space and to form teams that brought the best companies and thinkers together to solve the end to end problem with us rather than just pitching a particular product that solved a piece. #SAIC #Outfront is all about bringing together passionate people who want to share and learn about the most compelling problems we all face, and to work together to solve them. We’ll have people in various stages of their digital transformation journeys so it’s a great space to teach and learn. I hope you’ll join me at the event! #AirForce #SpaceForce #Innovation #DEF 🚀 Molly Cain, RYT Heather Price Joey Arora Robert 🦄 Slaughter Nicolas M. Chaillan Jen Sovada Enrique Oti Jay Bonci