Rising Star: Brecken W. Auchterlonie

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Health IT was not Brecken Auchterlonie’s original career path. After receiving a degree in psychology and German literature, she moved to Germany to be a professional equestrian. A violent fall sent her back to the United States for an arduous recovery, and she said she eventually “stumbled” across a job opportunity at SAIC without knowing where it might take her.

“Riding professionally is very, very different from federal IT,” Auchterlonie said. “Not being able to ride anymore was a big change.”

The shift, though, has been fruitful. Barely a year into her job, she has had two promotions, supported a wide variety of programs at the Department of Health and Human Services, and helped grow SAIC’s business at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration. She also leads a cross-functional effort focused on IT modernization and data analytics at the Food and Drug Administration.

“Brecken is an incredible talent,” said Diana Ceban, vice president of SAIC’s Health Account. “Whatever you throw at Brecken in terms of a task or a new project, she gets it done.”

But for Auchterlonie, sometimes it’s as simple as giving back to the community that helped her. “It seems perfect because [the health care I received in] this country is what allowed me to be happy and healthy and live my life the way I can today.”