Born in Colombia and raised in Thailand, Allison Nason's path has been anything but conventional. From attending international schools to dodging street-wide water fights during Songkran, Thailand's annual New Year festival, her upbringing gave her a global perspective and adaptability that she carries into her work today.

As Lead Principal Program Manager for the Generation 6 program, she draws on more than 20 years of aerospace experience at companies like Waymo and Lockheed Martin to help our teams clear roadblocks and stay focused. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, walking her two dogs, and playing backyard whiffle ball with her family.

We sat down with Allison to learn more about her leadership style, project management philosophy, and life outside work.

You're currently stepping into a leadership role as the Interim Manager for the Generation 6 program. For those outside the Project Management Office (PMO), how would you describe your team's role, and what excites you most about leading them?

My team’s role is to support the development projects at Wisk. We focus on unblocking the critical path items to meet company milestones. In doing so, we are focused on building structure to drive execution on teams and promote integration across a diverse set of interpersonal and technical skills. The most exciting part about leading this team is being able to see our direct impact as teams succeed, overcoming what once seemed like an impossible obstacle.

Program management often requires balancing competing priorities and tight deadlines. What's your approach to keeping complex projects on track while supporting your team's well-being?

The key to balancing competing priorities is to focus on the highest impact items first, with a focus on closure. To do this, I guide my team to ask lots of questions, to understand the impact of the issue. Once that is understood, we are able to prioritize effectively, and start to drive closure. In order to promote my team’s well-being, I focus on not over-tasking and setting each of them up for success. I have a good sense of the technical and interpersonal complexity of each project that my team works on, which allows me to coach them on their approach. Additionally, together we keep a rolling list of items, and make sure we are aligned on where to focus and collectively accept that lower priority items may not get worked on. This is okay! Focus and closure are more important than working all tasks simultaneously and not being able to fully complete any.

As a leader within the PMO, what's one piece of advice you find yourself giving most often to project managers who want to grow in their careers?

Building relationships is the most critical part of success. Spend the time to get to know the team you are working with, try to understand why they may not share the same perspective and be open to approaching solutions in a way you may not anticipate.

You were born and raised in Thailand before moving to the Bay Area. Is there a place, tradition or memory from Thailand that has stayed with you?

There are so many traditions and memories, as I was there from the age of two through high school. One of my favorite holidays in Thailand is Songkran, the Thai New Year celebration. There is an emphasis on washing away bad luck and purification, which results in a big water fight which lasts several days. You literally cannot go outside your house without getting drenched with water. People will ride in the bed of trucks, with buckets, spraying anyone that passes by. It is also the hot and dry season, so a bit of water is also very refreshing!

When you're not at work, how do you like to spend your time or recharge?

I spend time with my family, which includes my husband, two boys (ages 10 and 13), and two crazy dogs. I enjoy the free time when we play outside together, go for a bike ride, hike, or play a family game of whiffle ball. Day to day, my recharge time is exercising and walking my dogs.

What's something your teammates might be surprised to learn about you?

I was born in Medellin, Colombia. My parents were international school teachers, who started their overseas careers in South America. After several years in Bolivia, they landed in Colombia. A year or so later, my family moved to Thailand, where my brother and I were raised.

Thank you, Allison, for sharing your story and for helping keep our programs moving forward. Interested in joining the team at Wisk? Apply to our open roles here.