2008 Women of Color Honorees
Career Achievement (Government)
Marla Pérez-Davis
Chief Project Liaison and Integration Officer
NASA Glenn Research Center
BS-Chemical Engineering, University of Puerto Rico
MS-Chemical Engineering, University of Toledo
PhD-Chemical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University
Since 1983, when she joined NASA, Marla Pérez-Davis has been a researcher, project manager, and line
manager. She has received honors, and led and managed space and aeronautics research projects.
Currently, she is chief of the project liaison and integration office at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and
responsible for interfacing with divisions that comprise 450 civil servants and hundreds of support ser-
vice contractors. Pérez-Davis is one of a handful of Hispanic women in management positions at NASA.
In 2004, she was one of only four employees chosen to participate in NASA’s Senior Executive Services Candi-
date Development Program. She also was the first recipient of the US Women in Aerospace Awareness Award, honoring an
individual’s work to build public awareness and create understanding of aerospace programs, and aerospace development and
activities.
In recent years, her outreach efforts in support of NASA Glenn have resulted in the creation of various educational and training
opportunities for students from underrepresented groups in emerging fields
Community Service Community Service
Andrea J. Jackson Britt Rodgers
Embedded Software Engineer Senior Systems Integration Test IPT Lead
Lockheed Martin C4ISRT Network Systems
Northrop Grumman Corporation
BS-Computer Science, Spelman College
MBA-Keller Graduate School of Management, DeVry University BS–Electrical Engineering, University of Delaware
Andrea Jackson has always “Science, technology, engineering, and math shape everyday
enjoyed solving challenging life,” says Britt Rodgers, who oversees a team of 15 engineers
problems. But it wasn’t until she that build, integrate and test components and systems for
enrolled in her first computer military use.
systems class that Jackson found
Through Northrop Grumman
that she could make a computer
Electronic Systems’ WORTHY
solve problems for her. And when
(Worthwhile To Help High
she learned that few minorities and
School Youth) Program,
women worked with computers,
which helps students gain an
Jackson says, she became “deter-
understanding of engineering
mined that this was the career
and business from the inside
I wanted to pursue.”
of a major company, Rodg-
The first in her immediate family to attend college and the first ers mentors high-school stu-
to become an engineer, she designs, develops, operates, and dents to provide them with
maintains software components for the most technologically first-hand view of engineer-
advanced fighter aircraft the F-22 Raptor. ing. She also advises female
middle-school students.
She exemplifies the adage “to whom much is given, much is
required” and considers it a duty to help others. After accep- In the near future, Rodgers hopes to promote STEM in
tance to Spelman College, Jackson became mentor, friend, elementary schools. “Community outreach is so important,
and role model to a young woman still in her old high school. “she says. “It is my responsibility as a professional to groom
Given that assistance, Adrienne Brown followed Jackson to the next generation.” Working through Northrop Grumman’s
Spelman, and into a career in computer science. Teachers and Engineers for Academic Achievement program,
she introduces skill sets to 6th through 8th-grade teachers.
Now, Jackson encourages other youngsters to enter science
and tech fields, whether it is through participating in hands-on Rodgers says her mother “motivated me to not accept mini-
science experiments at elementary schools or helping hun- mum standards, whether it applied to my personal or profes-
dreds of girls during Girl Scouts Day at Lockheed learn about sional aspirations,”.
engineering and building airplanes.
Jackson returns frequently to Spelman to spread the STEM
career gospel.
www.womenofcolor.net WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2008 29
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