The 2020 Rising Stars of the Profession: Kevin Carr

Coming out of college, Kevin Carr knew he wanted to get into IT but wasn't sure exactly where he would find his niche. He liked programming and was looking to do something with more social interaction and travel. After several different job interviews and talking to people in the industry, he realized consulting was the perfect fit for his personality. 

"Once I knew that, I selected the job offer that I felt provided me with the best people and the best environment where I could learn," he says. "I spent three years at that first job until I progressed to a point where I wanted to be more hands-on with the latest and greatest technology. That meant looking for a change, and I soon found my current employer, Schellman & Company. They offered a job doing IT Cloud Security within their newly formed FedRAMP division four years ago, and I have been happily doing that ever since."

Today, Carr is FedRAMP Manager for Schellman. He says he's proud of the FedRAMP division he helped build at Schellman. "When I joined the firm in 2016, we had a fairly small FedRAMP market share, but in three years we have grown organically to become the second largest player in the market," Carr says. "The team we have assembled here is top-notch and from a variety of diverse backgrounds—the different perspectives provide different assets, and it feels great that I can rely on each and every person to not only get their job done, but deliver the high quality that Schellman promises."

Carr says he is constantly driven in everything by his self-motivation of never wanting to fail or let someone down. "Because I get so much satisfaction in delivering beneficial and efficient solutions to my clients, putting in the extra hours when needed is easy," he says. "I'm also passionate about my work—I enjoy learning about new advancements in tech and discovering new ways to push forward every day. What's most exciting for me is being at the forefront with industry-leading companies and the latest and greatest technologies. Being able to look behind the curtain at the design of some of Silicon Valley's top products, as well as interview the architects behind them, is one of my favorite things about the job."

As far as being recognized as a Rising Star of the Profession, Carr says he is very proud of the work he has done in this role. "This award only makes me want to work harder to become one of the best consultants out there and continue to be a leader within the industry."

Q&A: What's the best advice—personal or professional—you've ever received? 

Carr: "You never want to be the smartest person in the room." Those words helped me select which job offer to take coming out of college and then again when I moved over to Schellman. Being around the best and brightest people is a top priority for me as it allows me to glean more knowledge and different perspectives from the absolute top of the IT world."