Allison Gilliard

Built to Move Forward

For Allison Gilliard, building a meaningful career as a military spouse has required more than adapting to new places. It has meant learning how to carry her professional growth with her through moves, deployments, and various seasons of family life. After more than a decade in education, she found a new path in instructional design at Leidos QTC Health Services; one that draws on the skills she spent years developing: career continuity.

Allison began her career as a high school math teacher before moving into teacher leadership roles at three different schools. She said, “Those experiences allowed me to mentor educators, support instructional improvement, lead initiatives, and begin influencing learning beyond my own classroom.” She later became a district-level Instructional Specialist, supporting teachers and schools through professional learning, instructional resources, and implementation support.

Her career continued to evolve when she became a Program Specialist/Coordinator at a school working under a federal grant. There, she helped create a new program by establishing resources, training teachers, and collaborating with stakeholders. 

Military life, however, played a significant role in shaping what her next chapter would look like. Frequent relocations had taken a toll on her career, particularly when it came to long-term financial planning. “After working in multiple states, I found myself with retirement contributions spread across different state systems,” she explained. “I never stayed in one place long enough to build the retirement benefits I had originally envisioned.” Eventually, Allison began asking herself an important question: “What career would allow me to use the strengths and experience I had already developed while also creating more continuity for my family?”

She explained, “I realized that many of the parts of my work I enjoyed most centered around adult learning. I loved developing people, creating learning experiences, designing resources, solving problems, and helping others become more confident and successful in their roles.” That realization ultimately led her toward instructional design. “Rather than feeling like I was leaving education behind, it felt like a natural evolution of the work I had already been doing for years,” she shared.

As she began considering remote instructional design roles, she recognized how naturally the field aligned with the experience she had built throughout her career. Years spent creating instructional materials, leading professional development, working with adult learners, and helping put new programs into practice gave her many of the skills needed to make the shift. 

“Military life did not change my desire to have a meaningful career,” she said. “It pushed me to find a career model that could grow with me instead of requiring me to rebuild every time our family moved.” 

Deployments and other military commitments bring challenges of their own. At times, Allison managed parenting responsibilities on her own while working full-time. Determined to advance her career, she carved out time for professional development, often starting at 4:30 a.m., before the rest of her household was awake, and returning to it around 7:30 p.m., after her children were in bed. She used those hours to complete additional training and develop proficiency with instructional design tools such as Articulate Storyline, Rise, and Adobe Premiere Pro.

Today, Allison works remotely as an Instructional Designer in Leidos QTC’s Human Resources Learning and Development department, where she helps create educational experiences that support employees across the organization. Her role involves partnering with internal teams to identify opportunities for learning and developing practical resources that make information easier to understand and apply. From presentations and instructional videos to reference guides and other training tools, she draws on her creativity and expertise while working alongside colleagues and subject matter experts to deliver effective learning solutions.

“What I enjoy most about instructional design is how it brings together so many aspects of my previous career,” she said. “I still have the opportunity to teach, support others, solve problems and create meaningful learning experiences, but in a completely new environment. I truly love what I do.” Allison reflected, “There are many things in military life that you cannot control: where you will live next, when orders may come, when a deployment may happen, or how long you will remain in one place. I realized that one thing I could continue investing in was my own growth.”

That adaptability remains part of Allison’s daily life. Her mornings typically begin before sunrise with coffee and work while the house is still quiet. Once her two boys are awake, she gets them ready for school and returns home to continue her workday. When the workday ends, another shift begins: school pickup, exercise, activities, homework, dinner, bills, and household responsibilities. With her husband deployed and extended family across the country, Allison is managing those responsibilities largely on her own while also helping her children stay supported and connected to their father. She said, “It is a very full season of life. I certainly would not describe every day as perfectly balanced, but military life has taught me how to prioritize, adapt, and keep moving forward.”

Throughout this demanding period, Allison said her Leidos QTC team has become an important source of community and support. “I have felt welcomed and connected from the beginning,” she said. “That support has meant more to me than my teammates probably realize.”

One of the most pivotal moments in Allison’s journey with the company came before she officially joined, when she connected with another military spouse working at Leidos QTC. “I was still working toward my corporate career transition at the time, and hearing about her experience gave me something I really needed during that season: hope,” Allison recalled. “Seeing another military spouse succeeding at Leidos QTC made that possibility feel tangible.”

That employee has since become one of Allison’s closest friends and a trusted mentor, continuing to offer guidance and encouragement.

Allison offers this advice to other military spouses navigating their own career transitions:

“Your next career may have a different title, but that does not mean you are starting from zero. Believe in yourself enough to try, be willing to learn, and put in the work required to get where you want to go.”

For Allison, there is something especially meaningful about now being able to offer other military spouses the example that once helped her envision a different future. She was once the person who needed to see that it was possible. Now, as she continues building her own career at Leidos QTC, she has an opportunity to help someone else see the same. “Military life comes with a lot of unknowns,” she said. “Continuing to grow yourself is one investment you can take with you wherever life sends you.”