Carol Staubach Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Aerospace
Booz Allen VP's “first” achievements in aerospace industry are virtually unmatched among her peers.
In September 2006, in recognition of more than 30 years of distinguished service in her field, Booz Allen Hamilton vice president Carol Staubach was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arlington, Virginia, organization Women in Aerospace.
Staubach was the first woman to command a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Satellite Ground Station; the first to manage a Satellite Program Office; and the first to manage a NRO directorate—in fact, she managed two: Advanced Systems and Technology, and Imaging Systems Acquisition and Operation. She also led operations of NRO’s imagery satellites in the aftermath of 9/11.
Vice president Keith Hall says Staubach is without equal in the breadth and depth of her leadership in national security space and related fields: “Few in the defense and intelligence communities are more widely admired for building a stellar reputation as an effective leader.”
Her reputation for exemplary leadership was earned by exceeding industry demands for hard work as well as sacrifice—and by applying what she considers to be the three fundamental leadership requirements: Honesty, fairness, and empathy.
The wonders of space have always engaged Staubach. From childhood, she followed historic events from Sputnik, to John Glenn’s solo orbit, to Neil Armstrong’s “one small step for a man and one giant leap for mankind.” “Aerospace was always a big deal, forever in the news, and seemed like an exciting career,” she says.
After several years teaching high school and working for the Central Intelligence Agency in computing and data communications, she was assigned to the NRO, where she honed her expertise in building imagery and signals intelligence satellites. But it was the offer from Booz Allen that she calls her riskiest. Impressed with the firm’s integrity and the fact that it “lived its core values,” she decided to take the plunge into what at the time was a very new environment.
Staubach is now one of the few senior female leaders in aerospace science. “I got used to being the only woman at staff meetings quite some time ago,” she says. Her experience with large acquisition programs became a great career asset. “That basic process knowledge enabled me to hit the ground running.”
Today, one of the most personally rewarding aspects of her workday is the company she keeps. “I’ve almost always managed people who were doing very technical jobs, and most of whom were smarter than I am,” she says. “I have acquired and overseen R&D programs and at least 10 satellite acquisition programs, and flown and operated satellite systems. But I like the operations jobs best because you get your ‘report card’ about every 98 minutes, and because people are valued for their expertise above all else.”
Staubach hopes other Booz Allen women achieve the same success and satisfaction she’s had in her career. She doesn’t mince words, however: “I’d tell any woman who wants to succeed in the aerospace industry that it won’t be easy. But the rewards are well worth the investment of your time and energy.
“There are few professional thrills that compare to watching the launch of your department’s satellite,” she adds. “It all goes back to the exciting days of the space race long ago—they stay with you.”
story posted November 2006
