GEM Receives 2022 Presidential Award for Excellence in promoting STEM


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Terita R. Norton

Member At Large

Terita R. Norton is a Senior Project Leader in the Vehicle Engineering Department. In this role, Norton provides leadership to the growth of department goals and direct support to a variety of programs. She works closely with her customers to
provide direct technical support in the areas of assembly, integration, and test, and supports ongoing research to incorporate artificial intelligence into satellite architectures.

Prior to this, Terita was a Systems Director, GEOINT Development Office, Systems Engineering
Department. In this role, Norton manages the Aerospace systems engineering support to a large National Security Space program. Her department was primarily responsible for performance analysis, enterprise integration and test, space vehicle
integration and test, mission assurance, parts and material processing as well as specialty engineering.

Terita joined Aerospace in 1998 as an undergraduate summer intern through the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering (GEM) Program and has held positions of increasing responsibility since that time. These
positions included, among others, participating as a detailed design engineer for several satellite programs. Prior to her current position, she served as a project engineer in a major communication satellite program. During her six-year tenure with the program, she was the lead for the system integration and test activities and served as the lead for several major satellite bus subsystems.
Terita has also led the external government industry collaboration activities, including the Mission Assurance Summit, the Space Quality Improvement Council (SQIC), and the Space Suppliers Council as a member of the Corporate Chief Engineer’s Office. She has also
She led the integration & test and enterprise test activities for a major satellite program in the National Systems Group.

Terita has published several technical papers and has received several commendation letters for her technical contributions.  In addition to all her technical duties, Terita understands the importance of attracting and maintaining young technical talent and dedicates time to several corporate sponsored committees and programs as well as external community organizations. She has served on the Board of
Directors for multiple nonprofits focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) outreach. Terita actively mentors at all
levels and has been a GEM Alumni Ambassador for the last seven years.

Educational Background
Norton received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Florida State University. Affiliations Norton is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, the National Society of Black Engineers, Women in Aerospace, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Senior Member), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (Senior Member).

Awards
Norton’s awards include the BEYA Science Spectrum Trailblazer, Society of Women Engineers (SWE) WE Local Advocate Award, Women in Aerospace (WIA) Aerospace Awareness Award, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) 21st Century Trailblazers in Systems Engineering Award, March of Dimes Heroines of Washington Technologist Award, GEM Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, BEYA Modern Day Technology Leader Award, the Los Angeles Council of Engineers and Scientists (LACES) New Outstanding Engineer Award, the Los Angeles Urban League Young Professionals Divine Nine Award, U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems
Center Living the Dream Award, Aerospace Women of the Year, and the Aerospace Corporate Diversity Award.

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