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Dr. Wanda M. Austin is senior vice president of the National Systems Group based in Chantilly, Virginia. She assumed this position on April 1, 2004. The National Systems Group supports the national security space community in the acquisition, launch and orbital operation of advanced technology space systems and their ground data stations.
Austin was senior vice president, Special Studies, from January 1 to April 1, 2004. She was senior vice president, Engineering and Technology Group, from June 2001 to December 2003, directing a staff of 1,000 engineers and scientists working in a wide range of space-related disciplines. Before that she was general manager of the Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) Division, where she was responsible for systems engineering support to the Air Force in the architecture, acquisition, development, and orbital operation of satellite communications systems and programs, including Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF), Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS), Wideband Gapfiller, and Milstar. She was general manager of the Electronic Systems Division before her assignment to the MILSATCOM organization.
Before joining Aerospace, Dr. Austin was a member of the technical staff at Rockwell International. She is internationally recognized for her work in satellite and payload system acquisition, systems engineering and system simulation.
Educational Background
Dr. Austin earned a B.A. in mathematics from Franklin and Marshall College, M.S. degrees in systems engineering and mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in systems engineering from the University of Southern California.
Affiliations
Dr. Austin is a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. She also is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a member of the International Academy for Astronautics and a senior member of the Society of Women Engineers.
Awards
Dr. Austin has received numerous awards and citations. Among them are the Air Force Scroll of Achievement, the National Reconnaissance Office Gold Medal, the Air Force Space and Missile System Center's Martin Luther King Spirit of the Dream Award, the National Society of Black Engineers Alumni Extension Award, the Society of Women Engineers Upward Mobility Award, and the Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award. | 