Software Architecture and Engineering Department, The Aerospace Corporation

Inducted in 2016

Roberta Banaszak Gleiter is the CEO and board chair of the Global Institute for Technology & Engineering (GIFTE): a nonprofit, educational, public service organization. GIFTE is dedicated to elevating the status of women in the international technology and engineering workforce. Throughout her career, Roberta supports STEM awareness on the congressional level.

Roberta participated in a workforce re-entry program in 1980 for women engineers at California State University at Northridge. While she was in this program, she interned for the Aerospace Corporation and has been there ever since. She focuses on satellite and ground systems management and project engineering.

Early on, she pioneered environmental efforts at government satellite launch sites and was recognized with a Programs Group Achievement Award.

Roberta is a certified hazardous materials manager at the master’s level. She served as principal investigator for research on Department of Defense acquisition reform, is the author of numerous technical publications, and has received many engineering accolades from both the United States Air Force and Aerospace. She has earned a number of awards for engineering and leadership.

Internationally, she broke barriers related to technical women in China, France, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand.

She is a fellow of both the Society of Women Engineers and a fellow of the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering.

Roberta earned her BS in chemical engineering from Purdue University in 1960, married her college sweetheart after graduation, and spent the next two decades raising her family. During that time, she initiated programs to improve math education and introduced her community to women in engineering.

College Data
Engineer Girl
NAE