Wendy Williams
Vice President & General Manager, Launch & Missile Defense Systems
Northrop Grumman
Wendy Williams is vice president and general manager of Launch and Missile Defense Systems for Northrop Grumman’s Space Systems sector, a premier provider of space launch and missile defense systems serving national security, civil and commercial customers.
In this role, Williams is responsible for the execution, business development and financial performance of the company’s portfolio of launch vehicles, launch propulsion systems, missile defense, and strategic missile programs. Major products from this business include the solid rocket boosters for NASA’s Space Launch System, the Antares launch vehicle used for International Space Station resupply, solid propulsion motors for the U.S. Navy’s Trident II D5 missile, boost propulsion for ULA’s Atlas V and Vulcan launch vehicles, Pegasus and Minotaur launch vehicles, Ground-Based Midcourse Defense interceptors and ballistic targets for the Missile Defense Agency. LMDS also provides products that support warfighter needs across the entire missile defense kill-chain, including Ground Weapon Systems, Command & Control, and Modeling & Simulation. In 2021, LMDS was awarded a technology development and risk reduction prime contract for MDA’s Next Generation Interceptor program. Williams joined the company in 1990, and her background includes more than 30 years of management and executive management experience in aerospace enterprises. Most recently she served as the vice president of Propulsion Systems where she was responsible for the development and manufacture of solid rocket motors for launch, strategic missile and commercial programs including NASA’s Space Launch System, Trident II (D5), Minuteman III, Sentinel, Next Generation Interceptor, Ground-based Midcourse Defense, hypersonics and GEM 63/63XL motors for United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V and Vulcan launch vehicles.
Her previous roles include vice president of Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Structures business, vice president of Strategy & Integration for legacy Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group, vice president of Business Integration for legacy ATK’s Aerospace Group and deputy general manager for Space Components Division and Mission Research and Technical Services.
She served as the vice president of Membership for Women in Aerospace and currently serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of Salt Lake City and the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our employees define possible every day.
Related Sessions
The Legacy and New Space: Joining Forces to Transform the Launch Industry
Thursday, April 11, 2024
10:30 am - 11:00 am
Track: Symposium Program