From Navy Submarines to McKinstry: Whitney Myers on Service, Leadership and Teamwork

One of the early enlisted women to serve on Navy submarines, Myers now helps lead McKinstry’s growing Technical Services team in Portland, Oregon.

Meet Whitney Myers, a U.S. Navy veteran whose military service helped shape her approach to leadership, teamwork and community at McKinstry.

Before joining McKinstry, Myers spent nearly nine years on active duty in the U.S. Navy, serving as a nuclear mechanic aboard submarines. She was part of an early group of enlisted women selected to serve on submarines through a pilot program integrating women into a historically male-dominated environment.

Today, Myers applies the skills and values she developed in the Navy to her work at McKinstry, where she has helped nearly triple the size of the Technical Services team in Portland. Although her career took a different path than she originally envisioned, the lessons she learned in the military continue to shape her leadership style and commitment to building strong teams.

Breaking new ground in the Navy

Myers joined the Navy while attending college and looking for a way to fund her education. Originally planning to pursue medical school, she entered the Navy’s nuclear program, completed nuclear engineering school and taught nuclear science for more than two years before serving aboard a guided missile submarine.

Her submarine was the third to welcome enlisted women, with about 30 women serving among a crew of approximately 150. The experience required technical expertise, discipline and the ability to navigate an environment where women were still a small minority. Myers also earned her submarine warfare qualification, a distinction requiring extensive study and an oral examination.

“Earning my submarine warfare qualification is something I’m especially proud of. It took a lot of hard work and dedication,” she said.

After nearly nine years on active duty, Myers transitioned to the Navy Reserve while beginning her civilian career.

Building a new career

After nearly a decade in the Navy, Myers was accustomed to a structured environment with clear responsibilities and a strong sense of purpose. The transition required adjusting to a different professional environment while redefining her identity beyond military service.

Through the Hiring Our Heroes program, Myers completed an internship at McKinstry. The opportunity came after a former chief from her submarine, who works at the company, encouraged her to take a closer look.

Drawn to McKinstry’s mission, culture and work-life balance, Myers joined the Technical Services team in 2023. In 2025, the team became its own business unit after expanding in both size and capabilities.

Today, the team helps clients make informed decisions about building energy use, deferred maintenance and opportunities to improve building performance. Myers takes particular pride in the people behind that work and the culture they have built together.

“I’m incredibly proud of the team we’ve built and the meaningful work they do for our clients,” she said.

Service beyond the Navy

For Myers, one of the lasting lessons from military service is the importance of camaraderie. Aboard a submarine, where communication with the outside world is limited during underwater missions, the people around you become your primary source of support and connection.

She has carried that emphasis on community into her leadership at McKinstry, fostering an environment where team members support one another, ask questions and challenge ideas. Her experiences in the Navy have also reinforced the importance of advocating for herself in male-dominated environments.

Those lessons inform her perspective on Veterans Day, too. Myers sees the holiday as an opportunity not only to recognize military service but also to consider how communities can better support veterans navigating physical injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and the challenges of transitioning to civilian life.

She believes employers have an important role to play by recognizing the leadership, adaptability and commitment veterans bring to the workforce.

“Don’t devalue or downplay your skills and your worth,” she said.

Myers continued serving in the reserves throughout much of her time at McKinstry, completing her military service in May 2026. She says the transition from submarine service to building energy expertise has offered a new way to serve her community. The mission has changed, but her commitment to teamwork, leadership and supporting others remains the same.