TGCC Chapter Meeting November 2016
Developing Systems Engineering Leaders at NASA 

The successful development of complex systems, such as aircraft, spacecraft, power plants, or computer networks, requires both the art and science of systems engineering. Developing systems engineering leaders who are highly competent in both technical leadership and systems management can be a challenge for all organizations. Ms. Schaible will discuss how NASA is addressing the challenge through its Systems Engineering Leadership Development Program.

Ms. Schaible was appointed as the NASA Deputy Chief Engineer in July 2014. In this role she helps to lead the Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE) in providing policy direction, oversight, and assessment for the NASA engineering and program management communities. In addition, she is working to implement the OCE’s role in Technical Capability Leadership.

Ms. Schaible previously served as the Manager of the Systems Engineering Office (SEO) for the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) at the Langley Research Center. The NESC was established in 2003 as an Agency-wide resource which provides technical expertise to address technical issues for NASA’s highest risk program and projects. As a founding member of the NESC, she helped to establish the organization and led the day-to-day integration and operation of the NESC processes. She also provided systems engineering expertise to the independent NESC assessments of critical, high-risk issues for all NASA Mission Directorates.

Ms. Schaible began her career with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in 1987, where she served as a Space Shuttle Orbiter Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Engineer. In this role, she led the ECLSS ground processing activities for the Orbiter Endeavour. In 1996, Ms. Schaible joined the International Space Station (ISS) Hardware Integration Office, where she served as the Lead Test Engineer for the “Unity” Node and U.S. Laboratory “Destiny” modules. In 2000, Ms. Schaible was selected to serve as the Integration Branch Chief for the ISS/Payload Processing Directorate. In this capacity, she was responsible for managing the launch site ground processing mission-integration activities for all Space Shuttle launched payloads and U.S. Space Station Elements.

Ms. Schaible completed the Systems Design and Management Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she received a M.S. degree in Engineering and Management. Ms. Schaible previously received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bradley University and a M.S. degree in Space Systems Operations from the Florida Institute of Technology.