• Robust leadership mindset as a governing principle;

• The complexities of leadership, especially for women, within the field of aerospace;

• Reinforcing the importance of belonging: for participants' full, intersectional identities to be seen, and how they can increase belonging for those they lead; 

• Focus on essential leadership skills: adaptability, emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, risk-taking, interpersonal communication, and collaboration; 

• Convening women leaders from across industry, academia, and government; 

• Community building for women leaders in the field;

• Cultivating capacity and relationships to address the challenges that the country faces in maintaining global leadership in the field; and 

• Actionable takeaways.

The Aerospace Women’s Executive Leadership Program will create a space for women leaders in the aerospace industry to explore the complexities of leadership in community with other women leaders, emphasizing a peer learning model where participants grow and learn with and through others. The following learning objectives guide the program curriculum: 

• Self-Awareness and Personal Development

  • Develop a deeper understanding of and confidence in personal, authentic leadership style. 

  • Identify and articulate individual strengths and values and how they influence leadership practices.

• Strategic Thinking and Decision-Making

  • Enhance strategic thinking skills to navigate complex challenges and know when and how to take smart risks.

  • Learn decision-making frameworks that promote inclusive and innovative approaches.

• Communication and Influence

  • Strengthen key communication and listening skills to improve clarity and effectiveness.  

  • Develop confidence in openly and authentically engaging with a diverse range of audiences.

• Networking and Relationship Building

  • Build a strong professional network of peers and mentors.

  • Learn strategies for cultivating and maintaining robust and reciprocal networks.

• Leading Effective Teams in an Ever-Changing Landscape

  • Understand the principles of change management, including effectiveness in leading change initiatives, ability to adapt to and drive innovation, and supporting teams through transitions.

  • Understand the principles of psychological safety and how to create a team culture that optimizes innovation and risk-taking. 

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)

  • Explore the importance of DEIB in leadership and its impact on organizational culture.

  • Develop strategies to promote an inclusive workplace environment.

• Developing and Elevating Others: Mentorship and Sponsorship

  • Understand the roles of mentorship and sponsorship in career advancement.

  • Create actionable plans to seek and provide mentorship and sponsorship within and outside the organization.

• Goal Setting and Professional Development

  • Define a personal brand with corresponding mission statement and elevator pitch. 

  • Set clear, actionable career goals aligned with personal and organizational objectives.

  • Create a roadmap for professional development through the creation of an Individual Development Plan (IDP), including advancement of personal brand.

Participants will be paired with an executive coach for one-on-one coaching to navigate challenges and support growth as a leader. This includes schedule six one-hour sessions and the opportunity to create an individual development plan, test out strategies for change, and receive feedback.

Organizations interested in learning more about enrolling leaders in the Women’s Aerospace Executive Leadership Program and can reach out to aerospace@the-impact-center.org for more information.

• Deadline to finalize partnership agreements: January 13, 2025 at 5:30PM EST (these reserve a space within the program for a set number of leaders from your organization)

• Invoices will be due 30 days following finalization of a partnership agreement, in full. 

• Deadline for AWEL Premier Partners to identify participating leaders: February 14, 2025 at 5:30PM EST

The program fee is $9,500 per program seat. A discounted rate of $4,950 is available for academia and non-profit organizations.

If you are interested in participating in the Aerospace Women’s Executive Leadership Program and your employer is not an organizational partner of the program, you may submit an application here.

The deadline to apply is January 13, 2025 at 5:30PM EST.

The program fee for participation is $9,500. A discounted rate of $4,950 is available for participants from academia and non-profit organizations.

The Impact Center is grateful for the support and guidance from the members of the Guiding Coalition, listed below:

• Nicole Abeyta, Project Management and Planning Operations at Lockheed Martin

• Bridget Chatman, Vice President of Inclusion & Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility at SAIC & Chair of the Board of Directors for Women in Aerospace

• Kerri Knotts, Vice President of Commercial Spaceflight at Barrios Technology

• Kathy Laurini, President of Osare Space Consulting Group

• Cheryl Reed, Program Director, Science & Robotic Exploration at Northrop Grumman

• Barbara Stacey, Director of Operations at Coalition for Deep Space Exploration

• Vanessa Wyche, Director of the Johnson Space Center at NASA

The Impact Center works with leaders in preeminent organizations to enhance their performance and strengthen interpersonal relationships through strategic planning, meeting facilitation, training, executive team and board retreats, and executive leadership development, including one-on-one coaching. Because of our experience with non-profit, private, and public institutions, we uniquely understand the challenges and needs that senior leaders and their staff face operating in challenging environments. 

The Impact Center’s flagship program, the Women’s Executive Leadership Program, was launched in 2009 and convenes cohorts of women executives across industries to accelerate their professional development and strengthen their identity as leaders, equipping them to advance a sustainable and inclusive model of leadership while learning from one another as they navigate the complexities of leadership and experience of women in leadership.

Grounded in more than a decade of experience designing and delivering programming for women executives across industries, The Impact Center has successfully applied this model to convene cohorts of leaders in the fields of homelessness and national security. Now, The Impact Center is poised to deliver a program unique to the imperatives and needs of women leaders in aerospace.