Dr. Michelle Parker

Vice President, Space Mission Systems, Boeing Defense, Space & Security

Dr. Michelle Parker is vice president for the Space Mission Systems Business within Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS). She is responsible for strategic direction, program execution, and profit and loss for a portfolio that includes government and commercial satellites, space systems architecture, national security space programs, ground systems, as well as subsidiaries Millennium Space Systems, Spectrolab, and Boeing Intelligence and Analytics.

Dr. Parker’s experience leading high-profile space programs spans several decades, with more than 25 years serving in roles of increasing responsibility within Boeing. Prior to her current role, she served as vice president and deputy general manager for the Space & Launch division, where she oversaw the successful Operational Flight Test of the CST-100 Starliner and delivery of the Boeing-built Space Launch System that powered NASA’s Artemis I mission. She previously served as the Space & Launch chief engineer, providing technical leadership for the Space & Launch portfolio. Earlier in her career, she led the Satellite Development Center (SDC), the world’s largest satellite manufacturing facility that has produced more than 300 satellites to date.

Throughout her career, Dr. Parker has held leadership, engineering, strategy and execution roles for several organizations across Boeing, including: BDS Engineering’s System Engineering, Integration and Test (SEIT); Director of Enterprise Technology Strategy over the areas of aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance, navigation and control, and computational science; Director or Flight and Vehicle Technology for Boeing Research and Technology (BR&T), and Deputy Director of National Space Communications Programs (NSCP). She began her career in the Thermophysics Department of Boeing Satellite Systems.

Dr. Parker is a member of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC), a trustee of the California Science Center, a board member of the National Security Space Council, and a board member of the Space Foundation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University, as well as a master’s degree and a doctorate in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania. Her doctorate was earned as a Howard Hughes Doctoral Fellow while at Boeing. She is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s general management program.