Page 40 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2019

presented by South Mississippi Living magazine
IT’S A
E END
go for it!
story by Lynn Lofton
photos courtesy of Allison Little and Vicki Tilton
PIONEERING TH OF GENDERED CAREERS
here are men’s professions and occupations and women’s professions and occupations – that was the tradition not so many years ago. But all of that has changed and women are filling every kind of job.
Allison Little
Allison Little and Vicki Tilton hold positions that haven’t always been the typical path for women. Little, an engineer, is Renewable Program Manager, Power Generation, for Mississippi Power Company. Tilton is Vice President of Marketing for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi.
Before joining Mississippi Power eight years ago, Little was with
the parent company Southern Company seven years. Growing
up in Alabama, she had no female engineer role models. “Until I started working, I didn’t personally know anyone who was an engineer,” she says. “The only link I had to anyone in engineering was someone I worked for while I was in high school who mentioned that one of their family members was an engineer, and they really enjoyed their career.”
She has encountered challenges from people who were skeptical
of a young, female engineer
being effective or being able to contribute. “Fortunately, those people were few and far between, and I never let their opinion stop me or dictate how I performed,” she said. “I always put my best foot forward and did the job I was hired to do.”
Little has advice for girls who made want to become
engineers. “Take advantage of any opportunities to co-op or learn more about what an actual career in this field involves. What you do as an engineer can be so different from one industry to another.Work hard and believe in yourself.”
Tilton began in the gaming industry 33 years ago at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City and has been at the Hard Rock five years. Hard work and opportunity led
to her present position. “I thought working for a casino would be exciting, and once I started it quickly evolved into a career,” she said. “Thirty years ago the industry was growing fast and opportunities were there for those willing to work hard.”
Challenges for her include daily problem solving and finding better ways to do business, but that’s what keeps it interesting.
She also has advice for young women considering a career in gaming? “Go for it! Be willing to work hard,” she said. “Don’t make problems but learn how to be a problem solver. Some of the best programs I’ve worked on came from listening to whatever was not working and being resourceful in finding a solution. Also, be willing to work your way up; don’t expect to start at the top.”
Vicki Tilton
40 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • September 2019
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