Karolina Montenegro ('18)
Chair, Business Alumni Network
Contract Administrator, Northrop Grumman
Karolina Montenegro's experience is expansive and diverse. From working in the operations department of two investment firms, one being Merrill Lynch, translating at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and then as an Analytical Linguist with government agencies, including FBI, DEA and ICE. She attended California State University of Los Angeles (CSULA) where she was selected to be part of the Honors College program. In May of 2018, she earned a baccalaureate of science (B.S.) in Business with an emphasis on Operations and Supply Chain Management, graduating cum laude.
Karolina is passionate about giving back to the community. During her time at Cal State LA she served as the Director of Public Relations for the student organization, Hispanic Business Society (HBS). Karolina remains an active alumna participating in professional events for the student organization ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals for America) and with HBS in their community-based volunteer events. She enjoys mentoring students from Cal State LA and other Southern California universities. She is also involved with various non-profit organizations and serves as Vice President for the Mariachi Women's Foundation, promoting and empowering female musicians. During her last year at Cal State LA, she was chosen for an internship at Aerojet Rocketdyne, gaining knowledge about Procurement and responsibility for purchasing parts for the RS-25 engines handled by NASA. This led to an opportunity with L3Harris Technologies in their Contracts Management department under the New Grad Program.
Karolina was selected to participate in the Career Development Program and was active in programs which helped promote employee engagement, including one for young professionals. She managed contracts with a combined value of approximately $30 million ranging from U.S. Government to commercial and international customers. Karolina recently accepted an opportunity at Northrop Grumman as a Contract Administrator where she manages aircraft software contracts. She also serves as the Recruitment chair for Northrop's employee resource group, Adelante, promoting diversity and inclusion. As a short-term goal, she plans to obtain a Certified Federal Contract Manager (CFCM) certificate from the National Contract Management Association (NCMA). She aspires to continue growing within the Contracts department and profession.