Season 8: Still Here • May 19, 2026

Determination, Freedom, Focus

Shana Cosgrove talks to Dan Follird, Former CDAO at USSOCOM

Host Shana Cosgrove interviews Erica Dobbs of Dobbs Defense Solutions on the Outspoken podcast about building a boutique cybersecurity, enterprise IT, and business intelligence firm based in Landover, Maryland that supports DevSecOps, T&E, AV/VTC, network/software/systems engineering, satellite, and emerging geospatial work. Dobbs describes the company’s certifications (Woman-Owned, HUBZone, 8(a), SDVOSB) and selectively disclosed credentials (CMMI, CMMC, ISO), explains HUBZone’s community impact, and notes primary DOD customers while pursuing commercial clients. She recounts a 36.5-year Navy career rising from undesignated seaman to O-5 via the Limited Duty Officer Program, roles at NCMS, Cyber Command, DISA, and carrier assignments, and how those experiences shaped her CEO leadership. Dobbs discusses relationship-driven cybersecurity, early business redlining and limited PPP funding, the importance of focus, favorite books, and the pride of changing employees’ lives.

Quotes

  • [3:13] “We’re your unicorn. We’re your company to come to for anything that you need to do because… we also have those unique certifications called Woman-Owned, Hubzone, 8(a), and SDVOSB.” – Erica Dobbs
  • [25:09] “The most rewarding memory that I had was… you’re running around doing a lot of things, but what you’re doing the most is you’re changing lives.” – Erica Dobbs
  • [26:57] “I’ve gone from quotes to just one single word… The thing that I use to keep me going is the word focus.” – Erica Dobbs

Timestamps

  • [00:00] Welcome
  • [01:58] Dobbs Defense Overview
  • [02:55] Certifications And Strategy
  • [05:47] Customers And Going Commercial
  • [07:32] Erica Origins And Education
  • [09:41] Joining The Navy
  • [11:08] Bootcamp To Leadership
  • [12:23] Rising Through The Ranks
  • [14:16] Top Navy Roles And Lessons
  • [16:51] Why Stay 36 Years
  • [18:55] Choosing Entrepreneurship
  • [22:50] Winning Through Value
  • [24:26] Cybersecurity Is People
  • [25:04] Leadership Moments
  • [29:53] Competing With Yourself
  • [30:34] Books Family And Farewell

Resources

Relevant Links

I’d love to hear from you — your feedback is important to me and I read all of it. If you enjoyed the podcast, I hope you’ll give us 5 stars. I’ll be sure to thank you via email. If not, let me know what you think we should do differently. Don’t forget to hit “subscribe” so you’ll receive notifications about guest interviews and other topics that drop every Tuesday.

Live well, Shana

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