By Jay Phillips
Lithonia resident and Lakeside (DeKalb) High School graduate Courtney Reynolds was recognized by Flagler College during Black History Month for becoming the only Black woman to be a contracted civilian intel analyst and requirements action officer for the Air Combat Command (ACC) A25J division.
Reynolds is also the youngest person to hold the position for the ACC A25J, a division that concentrates on intel surveillance technology on F15 and F16 fighter jets. Reynolds said she reports directly to 16th Air Force in San Antonio, Texas, and to the Pentagon.
“I’ve been blessed. No one in my family that’s alive has anything to do with the military,” said Reynolds. “[Diversity] has always been an issue, but the fact that [the Department of Defense] is addressing it … If we went back 20 years, it wouldn’t have mattered if I was Black or White, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity because I was a woman.”
Flagler officials said that before transferring to Flagler, Reynolds was a NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries intern for Gray’s Reed National Marine Sanctuary in Skidaway Island, Georgia. She worked on assignments such as reef conservation and maritime heritage research.
After graduating, Reynolds said, she eventually transitioned into an intel position as senior program analyst for the Cyber Transition Initiative at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, and later a contributing member in researching artificial intelligence capabilities for the Department of Defense (DOD) with the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.
Reynolds said she would like to work in marine biology again, but she enjoys her current job and her accomplishments have provided a boost to her resume and confidence.
“I miss marine biology, but I experienced the most growth being with the DOD. As ugly as it sounds, the military isn’t going anywhere,” Reynolds added.
According to her mother, Reynolds has been offered jobs by the FBI, Microsoft and other companies since gaining DOD experience.
Reynolds said she plans to finish her career with the Pentagon, even if she does return to marine biology or leaves the DOD. According to Reynolds, the steps DOD officials have taken to promote diversity make her want to work for them and the opportunity for her to promote diversity within the department is also a selling point.
“Once I got on the intel side of things, I was the first and only Black girl on the staff, and I was also the youngest,” said Reynolds. “I want to keep shattering those glass ceilings.”
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