Inducted May 6 At Ceremony In Washington, DC

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Vice President and General Manager for Strategic Operations Debra Facktor Lepore has been selected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).  Lepore was inducted on May 6, 2015 with other new fellows and honorary fellows at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

Lepore (pictured) is the company's senior executive in the Washington, DC area and leads Washington operations, communications and strategic development. AIAA is the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. The title of Fellow is the highest distinction conferred by AIAA on individuals who have made notable valuable contributions to the arts, sciences, or technology of aeronautics or astronautics.

"It's an honor to be recognized as an AIAA Fellow," said Lepore. "I have always embraced the ingenuity and collaboration central to the values of AIAA and feel privileged to be part of such an esteemed organization."

With more than 35,000 individual members worldwide, and nearly 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense.

Lepore is being recognized for her innovation and leadership in next generation space solutions, entrepreneurial ventures, transformational national and global business practices and mentoring advocacy.  Prior to joining Ball in 2013, she was an industry professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, where she led its master's of engineering in technical leadership program and served as director of strategic programs for the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC). Lepore has over 25 years of experience in the aerospace industry, including entrepreneurial ventures at DFL Space LLC, AirLaunch LLC and Kistler Aerospace Corporation. Earlier in her career, she was chief of Moscow operations for ANSER's Center for International Aerospace Cooperation where she facilitated joint aerospace partnerships with the former Soviet Union.

Among other distinctions, Lepore was honored with the University of Michigan 2014 Alumni Merit Award for Aerospace Engineering and as the Women in Aerospace (WIA) "Most Outstanding Member" for 2012. She is also an Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). She holds a B.S.E. (magna cum laude) and M.S.E. in aerospace engineering, both from the University of Michigan. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities.

(Image provided by Ball Aerospace)

FMI: www.ballaerospace.com