Hi, everyone. It looks like it is 140 we are so glad that you are joining us today. Um We're all virtual so there may be crying in the background or dogs barking, but it will only make for a more exciting session.Um We are so happy today to be speaking with Lauren Smith. Um And we will be talking about navigating leadership success early in the journey. Um And just to go ahead and dive right in Lauren. Um Why don't you tell us a little bit about who you are, your current role? Um It looks like you were with Northrop Grumman and how you arrived there.

Sure sounds great. Thank you so much, everyone. Um who's joined us for this session remotely. Um I'm not in the Pice of Versailles, I'm actually at home in Denver. Um But that's my, my nice background for today. So a little bit about my background and my career, I currently work at Norfolk Grumman. Um We're a large aerospace and defense contractor. Um I've always been interested in aerospace um specifically space, but I've worked in both the air and the space domains. I started my career at NASA working on uh rovers for kind of we say terrain navigation. So testing rovers in large sandboxes full of lunar simulant, which is kind of exciting. My background is in mechanical and aerospace engineering, but I've done a little bit of everything.

So again, some air, some space. I've been at Northrop Grumman for around five years now. And in my time there, I've worked on large programs like the James Webb Space Telescope. I was the mechanical test engineering manager on that program for a while and that was just a tremendous opportunity. There's nothing quite like standing in a high bay looking up at an amazing um satellite is just so much bigger than you are. That's gonna tell us what's going on in um outside of our world, which is pretty exciting. And then I've worked on smaller things that are kind of new, innovative, rapid. So there's more about my bio um that's listed there and I know we don't have a ton of time but background and expertise in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Um ended up in Denver after being in Cleveland, San Diego, Los Angeles um for different jobs and assignments, just different programs. And uh like most people will tell you, it wasn't necessarily a plan that I had that I was specifically following, but I do feel very fortunate to be here. I have a really exciting job in operations, which means I do a little bit of everything.

Um strategy, tactical execution. And currently I work on a program that involves uh ground systems. So that's just a little bit of an intro, right?

You aren't sharing that. Um It, it sounds like you've worked in a lot of diverse roles in a lot of diverse places. Um And you have some involvement um in leadership early on in your career um outside of your day job, even what do you consider when you decide to take on new roles and, and seek out new opportunities?

That's a really great question, Brooke. Um because your time is valuable, right? We're balancing, all of us are balancing our day jobs, our personal lives, you know, our health and it's important to make sure that the things that you choose to be part of your life are things that you really care about. So for me, um the external opportunities that I take on, they first and foremost have to really align with co that I care about. So I'm a big advocate for stem um mentoring for young women, things like that. And so anything that I decide to, to take on outside of work, it really has to be something I feel passionate about. That's not necessarily just to, to build my resume because otherwise these external opportunities can really feel heavy on top of your day job and the rest of your life. And you know, it might sound funny, but when I decided to take on a new opportunity. And so some examples of that are um the Space Generation Advisory Council. It's an organization of International Space Young Professionals. And we actually have a seat at the United Nations and are able to advocate for young professionals on that international stage.

And for that particular opportunity I had to first think about do I actually have time for this? Because I really wanna make sure that for my professional and personal reputation that people know that I can follow through and they can trust me regardless of whether or not um I'm getting paid to do it even if it's a volunteer opportunity. So that's a really great example of something that I've become involved with. Um that I specifically chose because it enriches me in ways that I just wouldn't be able to necessarily achieve in my day job. So the aerospace industry, for those who aren't specifically, I guess, inherently familiar with aerospace, it's not always easy to, to work internationally, depending on the type of space work that you do. Our industry is broad, we have things in a military realm and the civil space realm.

And so depending on the project that you work on, you might not necessarily have a lot of opportunities to work international. And so the Space Generation Advisory Council gave me a great opportunity early in my career to collaborate with international peers in aerospace and really understand international perspectives.

So I guess again to just tie that up when I look for opportunities outside of work to get engaged in, I look for something I care about. I make sure that I actually have the time to follow through with it. And then I look for things that really enhance and build uh my skill sets and enrich me in ways that I just wouldn't be able to get in my day job.

That's a great perspective. Now, I know that you are a member of the board of directors at Space Foundation, which is very impressive and, and su being such a major um organization, how were you appointed to that position at such a young age?

Thanks for asking that question. So first, I have to do a little plug for the case foundation people cause they're wonderful. Um I'm, I'm so honored to be a member of the board and it is a absolutely tremendous learning experience and an opportunity to contribute to an organization that's really near and dear to my heart. So for those of you who don't know the Space Foundation is a nonprofit organization that brings the entire space community together through incredible conferences and exchanges, stem education opportunities and other industry reports and resources. And it's a very big part of our industry.

And, you know, if you would have told me a number of years ago that I was going to be a member of the board, I would have probably been very surprised and told you that that's not gonna happen. So I guess uh a quick story, a personal story about this. So I didn't start out thinking that I wanted to be say a member of the board for Space Foundation. I figured that wasn't something that I should be shooting for. I was really just looking at opportunities to learn more about the space industry. So I actually received a linkedin notification uh request from someone at the Space Foundation. This was before I knew what the organization was about. And I took a look at the Space Foundation website.

I looked at their mission, it really resonated with me. And so I reached out to the individual who had just called added me on linkedin. And I asked him, hey, I would love to attend your conference. No one from my university has ever been before and it would be wonderful if I could get a discount, right? So it's that thing where people tell you to ask for it. Um You should ask for it because you never know what you'll get. So he responded, he said, yes, sure. That sounds great. I went back to my university at the time I was working at NASA and I was also finishing up um my, my research as a master's student. And in that time, I had asked my professor, hey, could I get funded to go to this? Would that be possible? And he said, well, nobody's ever done anything like that before. So I don't know how I feel about it. And I was told no. So I went back to this individual from the Space Foundation who added me on linkedin. And I shared, hey, I don't have support from my university to go, but I would still love to be able to attend. And he said, how is your public speaking? And uh at this time, I had done probably not a ton of public speaking, most college students um or grad students maybe haven't other than a technical presentations. And so I responded and I said, I can do that. I can do public speaking. That sounds great.

And uh and he offered for me to actually come and be able to moderate a day of the conference, which is a huge vote of confidence for someone that didn't, didn't even know me. And so that's just a funny story of how that happened. And I've just been involved with the organization ever since volunteering in various capacities. Um being able to organize young professional conferences in conjunction with Space symposium. Um You have to remember that some conferences are very focused on sort of technical aspects and technical exchange and others are really more focused on networking and sort of building a connection with people and hearing more about what's going on in the industry. And then you've got plenty that are some combination of both and just the mission of Space Foundation, what they were doing really resonated with me, as I said. So I just decided to get involved. I volunteered, I supported in other ways. And, um, I think the bottom line there is you really need to stay open to finding opportunities in unconventional ways. It's important to ask for things that you think people may not give you. You might be surprised and, uh, and just be willing to take those risks, um, doing a great job at whatever you do regardless of whether it's high profile is so important.

I think sometimes when you're a young professional, you look at a big organization, you look at the VPs and senior directors and people in leadership and what you have to remember is that it takes everybody in an organization to make it move and make it work. So no matter what you're doing, just do your very best at it. And um you need to embrace every opportunity. It's really that work ethic and character that you bring to the smaller things that often leads to the larger opportunities such as being able to be part of the space foundation

board. Oh, that's great. And, and what a great story. Um It's funny how life um leads you to places. So uh thank you for sharing that. Um I, I know a lot of people when they think of tech, they don't automatically think the aerospace industry. And so what can you tell us about what's going on right now? In aerospace and then how aerospace is looking um to grow and evolve into the future?

That's an excellent question. I love talking about the aerospace industry. I think abductively, this is a fabulous time to be in our industry. Um Space is cool again, I guess if you will. Um so looking at the growing space industry, we're growing in a lot of different directions.

We have commercial growth where we used to only have really a government presence a very long time ago in space. And we're really opening up some of our aperture to have commercial companies go into new space ventures, which is exciting. We have the space force and we're even looking a lot, I think in the industry into sort of nontraditional uses of space. So when people think aerospace, a lot of people don't think of agriculture, business, real estate, but space is touching lots of different aspects of our society outside the traditional aerospace and defense market. Um a great example of that, some companies are actually using satellite data to track parked cars at their shops to get better data on when their rush hours are, space is being used in lots of different ways that maybe weren't um as conventional several years ago. So with each passing year, our industry is finding new ways to leverage space assets. Uh many of you probably saw the launch from Florida with spacex, which is super exciting. So there's just really a reinvigoration of space in a lot of different parts of our industry. Um And then when you think about the workforce and opportunities in space, I think this calls for some good data as any engineer would come prepared with.

Um So the Aviation Week 2019 workforce survey is a really great source of information and a couple of points that I wanna share from that. Um So the demand really for highly skilled workers is across a broad spectrum of different technical jobs. And it's actually reached levels that we haven't seen since the 19 sixties at the height of the nation's reach for the moon, which is pretty remarkable. Um Aerospace and defense hiring has increased by more than 70% between 2017 and 2018 and the 2018 original demand projection, I believe was for around 46,000 aerospace and defense hires and that exploded to 86,000, which is an 87% increase. So it's more than planned. Um And we're going to continue to have high demand moving forward because of the vast number of I guess opportunities in the space industry and all the different skill sets that we need to be able to make them successful. Um And then I also want to note that the workforce survey from Aviation Week in 2015 and I've, I've talked with the um the authors to just verify this, that it's still true, but it cites that the aerospace and defense industry actually has one of the largest proportions of baby boomers in the US industry as a whole.

And so talking with um with people who are new and look to get into the industry. One of the things that I find uh professionally, very exciting is that as a young professional in aerospace, there's a lot of opportunity and there are a lot of opportunities opening up. Um not only from people transitioning to retirement, but also from these new projects and this exciting new space that we're moving into. So there's lots of opportunity and you know, chances to kind of move into leadership a little earlier in your career where you might think for aerospace and defense, traditionally, we've had people that maybe have been in jobs with expertise for a very long period of time. And so this is a really good kind of stretch opportunity, I think for this generation is to fill those big shoes for all the amazing work that has come before us. So I, I guess in summary, our needs are greater than ever as an industry. Um We've got amazing and exciting work that's going on and you know, there's just a ton of opportunity space there. So it's very exciting time and space, whether you're working at a large company, small company, whatever segment you're working on as one space industry, we have a lot to offer for people looking to make significant contributions and solve our problems.

Oh, that's very exciting. Um We have about five or six minutes left. I'm hoping to get in a couple of more questions and kind of wanted to pull that thread with the baby boomer statistic and, and you being a young professional and in leadership roles, um how that kind of looks for a young woman in a leadership role in an industry that has an older workforce.

Um Have you ever led a team um who has a lot more experience than you did? And in doing so, were there any challenges and how did you gain that team's

trust? That's a, it's a really um salient question I think for my, my unique experience, I appreciate you asking it. So let's just give an example. When I was on the web space telescope program, I literally had people who were working for me who had been in the integration and test um portion of that program. Um not necessarily that program, but I guess it had int domain experience um for longer than I had been on the planet. So that's just factually true. And on top of that, I was new to integration test, which is the phase where the spacecraft gets assembled and tested before launch. Um And so I was also assigned to a directive to actually affect positive change on the program. So it's kind of a tough assignment and I think that some lessons learned from that experience and they have uh served me well in experiences that have continued, first and foremost, team leadership is all about people, regardless of your experience level. And in every new team leadership opportunity I have, I always take time to have a one on one conversation with every new employee just to learn more about them and introduce myself. Answer any questions that they may have initially coming in.

It's really on that human level when you need to make a connection with someone um and communicate clearly what your intentions are as you join as a new leader of a team. And there's this really fine line of, of vulnerability that you walk as well, right? So sometimes people feel afraid to actually let people on their team know and kind of reveal that, hey, maybe I don't actually have all the answers or I don't have it all together. And what I find is actually less effective is to pretend like you understand a lot of things that senior experts and leaders clearly know more about than you do. And so it's about bringing that team together and saying you have a specific purpose that you're serving, I have a different purpose. And so if I'm trying to do your job and know your job as well as you do, I'm not serving you in the capacity that I've been brought in to serve you in. So just know your job, my job was to unify a team, increase efficiency, add rigor and structure. My job wasn't to be the subject matter expert on test engineering.

Um and so owning that and feeling comfortable and confident in that knowing that I didn't have to know every single thing that my team did was something that I kinda had to arrive at and begin to feel comfortable with. Um Just listen to your team, make sure that they understand that you respect them and you respect their experience And uh and it usually goes pretty well,

but um a great perspective from you Lauren and great tips um for folks out there that are in similar situations. Um And so we've got time for one more question and I know this is one that um is a little bit more lighthearted but still very um very applicable to the journey of a leader. And so, you know, I, I talk to my friends a lot, especially my friends that are in the tech industry or have demanding jobs and how do you go about uh balancing that work life balance, especially with this new normal and everyone working from home. Yet you're still expected to, you know, give everything you've got at work and then you have your, your personal obligations as well. So how do you manage that balance?

Well, I think that the first point is you just have to give yourself some grace, right? I mean, we're, we're going through a very difficult time as a society right now and there are some days when you just need to take a little time for yourself. I mean, generally speaking, work, life balance. It's, I, I don't know that it's something that people ever come completely attain. It's something that we're always trying to, to sort through. It's easy to get consumed by work. There will always be more work. So I try to do a, a very good job. I'm not always good at it but I try to about setting boundaries. Um so that I have time for other parts of my life and um making sure that I have time to support my mental health, my physical health because those are things that I need to be mindful of and manage. Um Because at work, there's a million other demands or a million other things that are floating around and if I'm not focused on those things, then who is? So I have very clear rules for my home time. So when I'm home, there are times when I'm just not available, um being continuously available isn't good for me personally and I don't keep my work phone on me at all times. I make sure that I have a delegate when I'm not gonna be out.

I actually take vacation time and you have to get to a point, I think where you're willing to walk away from something and when you are good enough at prioritizing, when you know, is something urgent or is it just important because everything is important. If somebody wasn't asking you for something, it probably wouldn't be important. But making sure that you can prioritize and say these are the urgent things. Here's stuff that can wait. Here's something that I can delegate to someone else and then being able to prioritize and bucket in that time for you as a person is really important. Um So those are just a few thoughts on that.

Oh, well, great. Well, Lauren, this has been such a great time to spend with you and learn a little bit more about what the beginning of a successful leader journey looks like. Um We're so glad that you could, could join us and offer your insights. Thank everyone um for tuning in and um stay safe and stay well. Thanks for joining us. Thank you

so much, Brooklyn. Thanks to everyone who joined us. Have a great day. Enjoy the conference. Bye

bye.