{"id":18684,"date":"2023-05-31T13:17:29","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T17:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/?p=18684"},"modified":"2023-06-21T16:34:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T20:34:12","slug":"making-earth-a-better-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2023\/05\/making-earth-a-better-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Earth a Better Place"},"content":{"rendered":"\"A<\/a>\n

Space systems expert Michaelyn Thomas MS ’21\u00a0embraces the potential of using space for\u00a0good. In January 2022, she joined the U.S.\u00a0Space Force<\/a>\u2014the Armed Forces\u2019 newest\u00a0branch created to organize, train, and equip\u00a0space forces to protect U.S. and allied\u00a0interests in space.<\/p>\n

As deputy director of the Resilient\u00a0Missile Warning, Tracking, and Defense\u00a0Acquisition Delta, Thomas, a civilian,\u00a0oversees the technology maturation and\u00a0systems engineering of the new acquisition\u00a0delta. She also built the team with a\u00a0diversity, equity, and inclusion mindset,\u00a0and leads the $2 billion Medium Earth\u00a0Orbit (MEO) Track constellation portfolio.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy team is operating as a cross-organizational\u00a0center of excellence to\u00a0deliver and implement affordable and\u00a0optimized solutions for mission assurance,\u201d\u00a0says Thomas. \u201cSpace exploration initiatives\u00a0transcend the divisions we often face on\u00a0Earth, and through this innovative\u00a0technology, we are all working together to\u00a0make Earth a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Michaelyn Thomas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before joining the Space Force, Thomas\u00a0was a leader at Virgin Orbit, serving as head\u00a0of affordability and executive program\u00a0manager for global spaceport development.\u00a0She also spent a decade at The Boeing\u00a0Company\u2019s Satellite Development Center.\u00a0There, she specialized in technical program\u00a0management, business operations, and\u00a0finance management.<\/p>\n

In 2019, she decided to pursue a master\u2019s\u00a0degree in space systems engineering through\u00a0the Whiting School of Engineering\u2019s\u00a0Engineering for Professionals program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve led thousands of engineers, and it\u00a0was time for me to solidify my engineering\u00a0acumen,\u201d says Thomas, who graduated\u00a0from the program with honors in 2021.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s equally purposeful about\u00a0embracing the potential of others. \u201cWomen\u00a0are severely underrepresented in the space\u00a0industry and technical positions. As I\u00a0started to achieve more leadership\u00a0positions\u2014within the first 10 years of my\u00a0career, I went from entry-level to reporting\u00a0to the CEO at an aerospace firm\u2014fewer\u00a0people looked like me,\u201d she says. \u201cAs a\u00a0woman of color, I felt it necessary to become\u00a0the representation I desperately sought, as\u00a0well as becoming a role model to others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas reaches children and adults worldwide through speaking engagements and her blog, Spaced Out Doc<\/a>,\u00a0where she shares research and her experiences.\u00a0She also volunteers for several organizations\u00a0focused on expanding STEAM opportunities\u00a0for women and people of color.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal is to educate, motivate, and inspire as many [people] as possible in the space industry,\u201d Thomas adds. \u201cInclusive business is good business, and equity, diversity, and inclusion are the building blocks to space systems innovation. It takes each of our diverse experiences to create and deliver out-of-this-world space technology.<\/p>\n

\n

Editor’s note: As of June 12, 2023, Michaelyn Thomas is now a Program Manager, National Security Space Programs at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Space systems expert Michaelyn Thomas MS ’21\u00a0embraces the potential of using space for\u00a0good. In January 2022, she joined the U.S.\u00a0Space Force\u2014the Armed Forces\u2019 newest\u00a0branch created to organize, train, and equip\u00a0space forces to protect U.S. and allied\u00a0interests in space. As deputy director of the Resilient\u00a0Missile Warning, Tracking, and Defense\u00a0Acquisition Delta, Thomas, a civilian,\u00a0oversees the technology maturation…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":18688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","issue-spring-2023"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaking Earth a Better Place - JHU Engineering Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how Michaelyn Thomas applies her Johns Hopkins experience as a civilian leader in the U.S. Space Force.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine-archive\/2023\/05\/making-earth-a-better-place\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Making Earth a Better Place - 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