Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network
 WEPAN 2006 National Conference

Corporate Track Moderator: Kathryn Tobey

Monday, June 12, 2006
2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Sponsored by Lockheed Martin

From Concept to Action – the Role of WEPAN

Kathryn Graese Tobey
Director, Program, Subcontract and Product Management
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
Kathryn Tobey is Director and Deputy for Program, Subcontract and Product Management at Lockheed Martin Space Systems. Ms. Tobey is responsible for integrating strategic teaming, product sourcing, and procurement compliance across the Space System lines of business. In this role she coordinates program and subcontract management processes, training and program/subcontractor performance assessments. Her role also includes the management of the four Product Centers that make the common strategic hardware/software used in Space Systems programs, These products include solar arrays, C&DH subsystems, propulsion subsystems and optical payloads. Prior to this she was Director and Deputy of Business Development and Advanced Programs responsible for the integration of business development activities across the space, launch vehicle and missile lines of business. During her career, she has held positions as Chief Systems Engineer on large classified programs and Operations Director running the Denver office of General Dynamics Electronic Systems. Starting on classified aerospace programs, her work has included advanced ceramic manufacturing (including material property design and manufacturing), designing Mars chemistry experiments (including x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy), risk management for Brilliant Pebbles and system engineering for classified spacecraft programs.

Prior to her business development role, Ms. Tobey was named Deputy Program Manager and Chief System Engineer for the Classified Defense Systems follow-on program. Her responsibilities included program level cost and schedule control, development and implementation of Cost As an Independent Variable (CAIV) trade study approach, Risk and Opportunity management, Most Probable Cost (MPC) analysis, best value architecture selection, and electronic requirements development, allocation and control.

Previously, Ms. Tobey served as business development director from 2000-2001 for the Space and Surveillance division of General Dynamics Electronic Systems. In that role she helped General Dynamics win the nation’s first MASINT Exploitation system integration program. In 2001, she was named Operations Director for MASINT/ELINT Systems at General Dynamics. In this role, she helped develop a line of business dedicated to solving the hard target problems facing the nation’s intelligence agencies. In 2002, Ms. Tobey rejoined Lockheed Martin as director and deputy for the vice president of business development.

Ms. Tobey serves as technical liaison for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company with the University of Colorado. In this role, she focuses on technical collaboration to enhance Lockheed Martin’s relationship through sponsored research, philanthropy and communication with science and engineering faculty, administration and students. She is the past Chairwoman and an active ex officio member of the Corporate Advisory Board for the Women in Engineering Program (WIEP) at the University of Colorado. The mission of WIEP is to foster success of women in engineering by recruiting, retaining and encouraging women engineering students. Ms. Tobey is a member of the non-profit Women’s Vision Foundation and actively supports its goal of advancing the careers of corporate women. She is also on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado. Ms. Tobey is active in the mentoring and coaching program at Lockheed Martin and focuses on mentoring young women new to the aerospace career field and new to Lockheed Martin. Kathryn Tobey joined Lockheed Martin Aerospace in June 1984 with a chemical engineering degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She received a master’s degree in engineering management in 1994, also from the University of Colorado.