Aprille Ericsson

Honorable Dr. Aprille Joy Ericsson is a trailblazing aerospace engineer whose career is marked by historic firsts. As the first Senate-confirmed Presidential appointee Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology (S&T), she directed a $2 billion Department of Defense enterprise, overseeing policy for basic research, laboratory infrastructure, workforce, and emerging technology innovation, including quantum science, biotechnology, advanced materials, hypersonics, and FutureG. She championed inclusive diverse collaboration across the STEM ecosystem and HBCUs, MIs, and K-12 programs, while safeguarding intellectual property and technology protection.

Dr. Ericsson is the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in engineering at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Over her 31-year tenure at NASA, she excelled as an engineer, technologist, capture, and project manager. Her leadership spanned groundbreaking missions, including the James Webb Space Telescope and ICESat-2. As NASA GSFC’s New Business Lead for the Instrument Systems and Technology Division, she fostered collaborations between federal agencies, industry, academia, and small businesses to address complex R&D challenges.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Dr. Ericsson’s academic journey began with early recognition of her aptitude for STEM. She attended MIT, earning a bachelor's in Aeronautical/ Astronautical Engineering as the first African American female Cambridge resident to do so. She later earned her master’s and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace option at Howard University, focusing her research on controlling space structures.

Dr. Ericsson’s NASA contributions included designing attitude control systems, dynamic modeling, and simulation for satellite missions like the X-Ray Timing Explorer and the Tropical Rain Forest Measurement Mission. She advanced to senior roles, managing instruments for space science missions which ranged from $15M to $500M, and securing funding for instrument technology and missions. Her leadership extended to the SBIR/STTR program, fostering small business innovation.

Beyond her technical achievements, Dr. Ericsson is a passionate mentor, educator, and advocate for STEM diversity. She has taught at Howard University, the University of Maryland, and Bowie State University, and Education Counselor at MIT. Her mentoring of thousands of students has grown the STEM workforce pool and supported underrepresented scholars to thrive in STEM. She also served on numerous academic and professional boards, including MIT’s Aerospace and Industry Advisory Council, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

Dr. Ericsson has been widely recognized for her contributions with awards that include DOD and NASA Public Service medals, i.e., the 2023 NASA Medal for DEIA; ASME's 2022 Ralph Coates Roe Medal; and The Washington Award from the Western Society of Engineers. She was named one of the top 50 minority women in STEM by the National Technical Association and among Business Insider's "Most Powerful Women Engineers."

An accomplished athlete and lifelong learner, Dr. Ericsson inspires youth through her example and mentorship, emphasizing inclusion and diversity is essential to maintaining US competitiveness in STEM fields. She lives by Norman Vincent Peale’s words: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”