The Aerospace
Corporation Selects Dr. Wanda M. Austin to Succeed Dr. William F. Ballhaus Jr.
as President and CEO
(20 June 2007) The Aerospace
Corporation announced today that Dr. Wanda M. Austin will succeed Dr. William
F. Ballhaus Jr. as president and chief executive officer upon his retirement on
January 1, 2008.
Austin currently serves as the senior vice
president of The Aerospace Corporation's National Systems Group in Chantilly,
Va. She has been with the company since 1979 and has served in positions of
increasing responsibility, including general manager of the MILSATCOM (Military
Satellite Communications) Division and senior vice president of the Engineering
and Technology Group. Austin will be succeeded by Dr. Manuel De Ponte,
currently general manager of the MILSATCOM Division.
In making the
announcement, Ballhaus stated: "Wanda's technical and management experience and
her proven leadership skills will provide a sound basis for continuing to
increase the value we bring to our customers in meeting their program execution
commitments and achieving 100 percent mission success. Her extensive knowledge
of the company and the programs it supports will make this a seamless
transition at a critical time for our nation's space programs."
Austin
earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Franklin and Marshall
College, Masters of Science degrees in both mathematics and systems engineering
from the University of Pittsburgh, and a PhD in systems engineering from the
University of Southern California. She is a member of the NASA Advisory Council
and is a fellow of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics). Austin has received numerous awards and citations. Among them
are the Air Force Scroll of Achievement, the National Reconnaissance Office
Gold Medal, the U.S. Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, the Air
Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Martin Luther King Spirit of the Dream
Award, the Society of Women Engineers Upward Mobility Award, and the Women in
Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award.
The Aerospace Corporation's
board of trustees selected Austin after an extensive nation-wide search in
which the board was assisted by the executive search firm of Heidrick &
Struggles. "The board of trustees unanimously selected Dr. Austin as the best
candidate for leading The Aerospace Corporation into the future," said Lt. Gen.
Donald L. Cromer (USAF, Ret.), chair of the board.
Austin and her
husband, Wade Austin Jr., will relocate to Southern California later this year.
The Aerospace Corporation (www.aero.org) is an independent, non-profit company
that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for national
security space programs and selected civil and commercial space programs in the
national interest.
(source: Aerospace Corporation)