As kids, we’re told to dream big and to reach for the stars; so, when a school teacher shows a little bit of faith and encouragement in a student, it just might ignite a path for them to pursue one of their greatest passions.
Meet Ashley Dolesh, a financial management analyst at Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) in Washington D.C. Dolesh had a gift in math from an early age, and when one of her elementary school teachers inspired her curiosity in the subject, she became passionate about pursuing business.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a businesswoman,” Dolesh said. “Math was always my favorite subject and I still vividly remember my third-grade math teacher, who inspired my confidence and curiosity. That early passion naturally led me toward a career in finance.”
Dolesh attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and in the summers of her junior and senior years, she worked as an intern in the Comptroller Shop at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in southern Maryland.
She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance – and a minor in human resources (HR) – in 2011. After finishing college, Dolesh started her career as a junior program analyst with Science Applications International Corporation, a contracting company, supporting PAE SSP’s Navy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation. Navy ERP is the Department of Navy (DoN) financial system of record that provides reliable business management information and capabilities for senior leaders and the DoN civilian workforce.
In this role, Dolesh helped train the PAE SSP workforce on the finance module within the ERP system. This included over-the-shoulder support, putting together training documentation, learning aides, and guides for the PAE SSP workforce. Five years later, she applied for a federal position within PAE SSP and joined the command’s Enterprise Business Office (SPEBO) as the financial module lead for ERP. Eager to continue her professional growth, Dolesh applied and was accepted into the Navy’s Mid-Level Leadership (MLI) Program, a unique government leadership development opportunity for non-supervisory employees that covers how to build and enhance leadership capability at the individual and organizational level.
She completed MLI in 2018 and took on another professional development opportunity through PAE SSP’s Broadened Horizons Program, which is an employee developmental program offering exposure and cross-training opportunities across various sections of the PAE SSP portfolio.
“Broadened Horizons was an up-and-coming program at the time and I was looking for a change,” Dolesh said. “There were a couple of programs within HR that needed some assistance, so I dove into that through a six-month rotation. It was a great experience that opened a lot of doors and it provided an opportunity to meet new people within the workforce.”
Dolesh split her time between the command’s SPEBO and HR branch to support the rotation and, unexpectedly, it led her to her next and current position as a business and financial manager (BFM).
“I heard there was a vacancy as a BFM in the Human Resource Office and I was encouraged to apply,” she said. “This position, I think, is the best of both worlds for me because I can do both the finance and the people aspect of the job. I love supporting our workforce through our HR work, and I’m glad I can use my finance background and ERP skills in my BFM role.”
Dolesh also serves as a contracting officer representative, overseeing the PAE SSP office manager and Senior Executive Service executive assistant support contract ensuring there is no break or gap in the administrative services for PAE SSP Leadership. When the workforce encountered contract policy changes that affected staffing and contractor personnel in FY25, Dolesh said she was proud to have met DoN requirements without losing any team members and maximizing the utilization of the command’s executive assistants. Some of their responsibilities include managing complex schedules, coordinating high-level meetings, executive conferences, and preparing and routing detailed correspondence. According to Dolesh, the continuity of office managers and executive assistants directly supports PAE SSP leaders’ ability to focus on mission execution and, ultimately, the warfighter.
“This past year there was a lot of new guidance, memos, and executive orders that we had to be in compliance with, so that made it challenging for our workforce,” she said. “It really came down to communication and teamwork – working with stakeholders and making sure everyone is aware of the guidance and working with our contracting and legal teams to ensure we’re meeting leadership needs. It was more important to get everyone on the same page and pushing toward the same goal. That’s what made it successful for us to meet requirements.” One of the things Dolesh appreciates most about PAE SSP is the workplace environment, which she says feels like a family.
“I’ve always felt like part of the SSP family — which is a big reason I’ve stayed for 15 years,” she said, “It’s meaningful to work in a place where you feel you belong, where your contributions matter, and where you are part of something bigger than yourself.”
PAE SSP is responsible for sustaining the strategic weapon system on the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and supporting the integration of the D5LE weapon system on the new Columbia-class SSBNs. Looking to the future, PAE SSP is actively modernizing the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad through the development of the D5LE2 SWS and pioneering regional strike capabilities of the future through development of the nuclear-armed sea launched cruise missile and the non-nuclear hypersonic conventional prompt strike system.