Breaking the Code: How Aimee Dalton Built a Career in GovCon Starting with a Spiral Notebook

Aimee Dalton didn’t picture herself in defense. She came in as a junior analyst with a fresh MBA, a spiral notebook and zero clue what GovCon acronyms meant. Promotions didn’t silence the doubt — every new role started with I can’t do this and ended a week later with actually, I can crush this.Fast forward 22 years, and Aimee is chief of staff to the president at SBA. Think part Olivia Pope, part firefighter— the fixer everyone calls when the mission (or the carpet in the conference room) needs saving.In this inaugural episode of "Rookies to Rockstars," Aimee gets real about imposter syndrome, mentors who change everything, and why networking from day one is non-negotiable. She shares how she fought for leadership roles she wasn’t “ready” for, built influence without authority, and turned setbacks into momentum.If you’ve ever wondered how to move up when you don’t feel qualified — or how to thrive when everyone else in the room has more experience — Aimee's story is your playbook.