Wanda M. Austin is president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace Corporation, a leading architect of the nation’s national security space programs, with nearly 4,000 employees and annual revenues of more than $850 million. She assumed this position on January 1, 2008.

Dr. Austin is internationally recognized for her work in satellite and payload system acquisition, systems engineering, and system simulation. She served on President Obama’s Review of Human Spaceflight Plans Committee in 2009, and was appointed to the Defense Science Board in 2010 and the NASA Advisory Council in 2014. She is also committed to inspiring the next generation to study the STEM disciplines and making science and engineering preferred career choices. Under her guidance, the Aerospace Corporation has undertaken a number of initiatives in support of this goal, including participation in MathCounts, US FIRST Robotics, and Change the Equation.

Dr. Austin is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, International Academy of Astronautics, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). She has received numerous awards and citations, among them the National Intelligence Medallion for Meritorious Service, Air Force Scroll of Achievement, and National Reconnaissance Office Gold Medal, as well as the AIAA von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management (2010), the Horatio Alger Award (2012), the NDIA Peter B. Teets Industry Award (2012), and the USC Viterbi Distinguished Alumni Award (2014).

Dr. Austin earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Franklin and Marshall College, master’s degrees in systems engineering and mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh, and doctorate in systems engineering from the University of Southern California.