When Kenneth Hammond enlisted in the U.S. Air Force (USAF), he was advised by his recruiter to pursue an electronic career field. So he chose telecommunications technology. He was glad he did.

“That vocational training coupled with Air Force opportunities of personal mentoring, leadership growth, additional technical training, career advancement, college benefits, and domestic and international travel allowed me to develop a well-rounded skill set and provided me job preparedness in the technology industry,” says Hammond, principal IT solutions architect for Albuquerque, NM-based Sandia National Laboratories.

Hammond, who served during the Granada and Persian Gulf War conflicts, feels honored to be working at Sandia because, he says, the contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) understands and values his military service and education, which includes an Associate of Science (AAS) in electronics engineering technology from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). He was also a technology instructor in CCAF’s AAS program.

“The technology developed, vetted and evaluated here is amazing. We work alongside a wonderful technological community,” says Hammond, who also holds a Master of Engineering in systems engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ and a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Syracuse University-Utica (NY ) College.

“My previous Department of Defense (DoD) military clearance was an asset because it was quickly converted into a Department of Energy (DOE) clearance, allowing me to quickly contribute to the team,” he adds.

After taking the USAF’s offer of early retirement in 1994 that included access to great separation support services that included resume development, network building and interviewing strategies, he began his job search - one that soon led him to Sandia.

Not long after leaving the USAF, Hammond started his 22-year career at Sandia as a computer systems analyst contractor working for what was at the time the new upcoming IT support infrastructure community with Rapid City, SD-based RESPEC, an integrated consulting and services firm.

Hammond later transitioned to Sandia and DOE telecommunications’ infrastructure on-site support contractor GTE/Verizon as a systems field support specialist.

“I was asked to rejoin to support Sandia’s infrastructure and computing organization, which in 2001 led to permanent employment [at] Sandia,” he notes.

He was asked to rejoin the RESPEC family in 2001, which led to permanent employment at Sandia. He’s been a solutions architect for the past nine years, then earlier this year Sandia promoted him to a technical staff principal member: “I’m a principal solutions architect developing IT platform-computer based physical security systems serving the DoD and government customers.”

During his tenure at Sandia he’s been able to continuously expand his tech knowledge and skills resulting a body of work that provides organizational security and support for everything from telecommunications and cybersecurity to HR.

For veterans transitioning from the military, Hammond advises: “Don’t lose your confidence. You have skills to offer…. Don’t underestimate your military intrinsic value.”

In addition, “success requires hard work, perseverance and confidence in your abilities; and for me, faith in God,” says Hammond, noting, “I’ve been blessed to have great people in my life.” He’s been married for 33 years to his wife, who’s also an Air Force and Gulf War veteran. They have four grown children and one granddaughter.

Discover career options at Sandia National Laboratories at sandia.gov/careers.