NASA Marshall Center employees honored during Women’s Equality Day celebration

Five outstanding NASA employees were recognized for exceptional job
performance during the annual Women’s Equality Day celebration at NASA’s
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., August 26.

Recognized for their hard work and dedication were Lorna Jackson, an
electrical engineer and aerospace technologist; Inge Kuberg, an industrial
property management specialist; Dawn Christian, an executive support
assistant; and Tammy Simmons, a legal support assistant. Dr. Amanda
Goodson, director of Safety and Mission Assurance at the Marshall Center was
named Federal Women’s Program Supervisor of the Year.

The honors were presented during an awards ceremony at the Sparkman Center
at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.

Nominations for Women’s Equality Day awards are made by Marshall Center
employees and are based on traits that demonstrate professional excellence,
including job performance, leadership, mentoring and self-development.

“Celebrating Women’s Equality Day helps focus attention on both the historic
and contemporary contributions of women at the Marshall Center,” said Billie
Swinford, Marshall’s Federal Women’s Program manager. “And this year’s
winners set a wonderful example of what women can accomplish.”

In addition to accepting her award, Goodson provided the keynote address at
the awards ceremony. Known for her motivational speaking style, Goodson
began her NASA career in 1983 as an intern in Marshall’s Safety and Mission
Assurance Office. A 1983 graduate of Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala.,
where she earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Goodson
also holds a 1992 master’s degree in management from the Florida Institute
of Technology in Melbourne and a 2001 doctor of ministry from United
Theological Seminary in New Brighton, Minn. Goodson also completed NASA’s
Senior Executive Service Center Development Program — an elite corps of men
and women who administer public programs at top levels of federal
government. Currently, she oversees safety and quality activities on all
Marshall Center programs.

Lorna Jackson, a Marshall Center employee since 1986, graduated in 1979 from
the Oxford College of Emory University in Oxford, Ga., with an associate of
arts degree and from Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta in 1982 with
a degree in electrical engineering. Currently, she is the avionics lead
subsystem engineer for the Space Launch Initiative, the NASA-wide research
and development program designed to improve safety, reliability and cost
effectiveness of space travel for second-generation reusable launch
vehicles. The program is managed by the Marshall Center.

Inge Kuberg began her career at Marshall as a typist in the Propulsion
Laboratory in 1968. She attended the University of North Alabama in
Florence and Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Ala., pursuing a business
administration degree. She now serves as a supply team member in the
property management group and was instrumental in recent updates that now
allow services and supplies for all Marshall employees to be ordered online.

Dawn Christian has been with the Marshall Center since 1984 and is pursuing
a business management degree at Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Ala.
She serves as an executive support assistant and mentor in the Science
Directorate, organizing and conducting meetings for other support personnel.

Tammy Key Simmons began her NASA career as a co-op student in 1989 and
earned a 1990 associate degree in secretarial science from Wallace State
College in Hanceville, Ala. Now a legal support assistant in the Office of
Chief Counsel, Simmons provides documentation support to the Center’s staff
attorneys and trains other support personnel.

Since 1971, Women’s Equality Day has been celebrated nationally to mark the
passage in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women
the right to vote. Every year, the Marshall Center commemorates Women’s
Equality Day with a local awards ceremony.

The Marshall Center is carrying out its vision of being the world leader in
space transportation systems. With its rich history spanning more than four
decades, Marshall remains one of NASA’s largest field centers, occupying
over 1,800 acres and employing more than 2,700 civil servants. More than
23,000 contractor personnel are engaged in work for the Center, which has an
annual budget of more than $2.3 billion.