Mutual of America Life Insurance Company Appoints Johnson Space Center Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa to its Board of Directors
Mutual of America Life Insurance Company, which specializes in providing retirement products and related services to organizations and their employees, as well as individuals, announced the appointment of Dr. Ellen Ochoa to its Board of Directors. Mutual of America partnered with Korn Ferry’s Board and CEO Practice to conduct a national search, which resulted in Dr. Ochoa’s appointment.
Dr. Ochoa is the director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. She is the Center’s first Hispanic director and its second female director. “I am delighted that Dr. Ochoa has joined Mutual of America’s Board of Directors,” said Thomas J. Moran, Chairman of the Board. “Her leadership, expertise and her lifetime of dedicated service to our country will enable Dr. Ochoa to make a significant contribution to the Board as the Company continues its commitment to help individuals save for a financially secure future.”
Dr. Ochoa joined NASA in 1988 as a research engineer at Ames Research Center and moved to Johnson Space Center in 1990 when she was selected as an astronaut. In 1993, she became the first Hispanic woman to go to space and has logged nearly 1,000 hours in orbit.
Born in California, Dr. Ochoa earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from San Diego State University and a master’s degree and doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University. As a research engineer at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center, Dr. Ochoa investigated optical systems for performing information processing. She is a co-inventor on three patents and author of several technical papers.
Dr. Ochoa has been honored with the Harvard Foundation Science Award, Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award, Hispanic Engineer Albert Baez Award for Outstanding Technical Contribution to Humanity and the Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award, in addition to various NASA awards. She is especially honored to have six schools named for her. Dr. Ochoa is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). She serves as a member of the National Science Board and chairs the Nomination Evaluation Committee for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
About Mutual of America
Mutual of America specializes in providing retirement products and services to organizations and their employees, as well as to individuals. Since 1945, Mutual of America has remained committed to offering plan sponsors, plan participants and individuals carefully selected, quality products and services at a competitive price and the personal attention they need to help build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com.
