Trudy Kortes has been developing and practicing her unique brand of leadership over her 30 year NASA career at locations throughout the United States and has held key roles in systems engineering, program and project management, and organizational leadership. She specializes in leading and managing large and diverse portfolios of advanced space flight projects in areas including communications and navigation, power, propulsion, structures, robotics and autonomy, entry descent & landing, and thermal technologies. Trudy leads nationwide teams of 200 to 300 people and manages budgets upwards of $300M annually to accomplish work critical to the United States. She understands the culture of a highly driven technical and complex work environment.
As a speaker, she is keenly interested in conveying her thoughts around how to break the cycle of conformity in leadership. Trudy marries her experience with her unique perspective, offering captivating presentations like “It Might Not Be Rocket Science, But It’s Still Hard: Propelling Yourself Through A Non-Linear Career Path”, “Women In STEM: How Your Unique Leadership Is Just Like A Rocket Launch” and “ Humor: It’s Not Just For Comedians, It’s For Leaders”.
Trudy holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Michigan in Aerospace Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Houston. She resides in Westlake, Ohio with her husband and three children who provide an abundance of raw material for comic relief.
Certifications + Affiliations:
30 years of leadership experience at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Federal Certification in Program and Project Management
University of Michigan Department of Aerospace Engineering Advisory Board Member
Most recent titles: Program Executive / NASA Headquarters; Human Exploration and Space Operations Division Chief / NASA John H. Glenn Research Center
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