NASA employee awarded for technical ability, dedication
By Meagan McGone
mmcgone@hometownnewsol.com
BREVARD -- Since beginning her engineering career at Kennedy Space Center 12 years ago, Harmony Myers has demonstrated technical excellence and dedication in her work.
For this, she received the Emerging Leader Award at a ceremony in Houston earlier this month. Given by the Society of Women Engineers, the Emerging Leader Award is given to a woman who is actively engaged in engineering and has obtained significant accomplishments in her career as an engineer.
"I was very excited and honored to receive this award," Ms. Myers said.
Ms. Myers serves as the branch chief of Safety Engineering and Assurance in the Program Development and Operations Division of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at the Kennedy Space Center.
She was nominated for the award by the Central Florida section of the Society of Women Engineers for meeting difficult technical challenges in space program-related safety, as well as for her dedication to the Society of Women Engineers leadership and outreach to youth.
As a member of the Society of Women Engineers, Ms. Myers participates in outreach for the organization by conducting hands-on experiments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields to encourage youth, specifically girls, to take interest in those subjects.
"I've led these workshops at Girl Scout events, the Sally Ride Festival and many other outreach events," Ms. Myers said. "I've also been responsible for leading the team that organized and hosts these events."
Ms. Myers began her career in 2000 at Kennedy Space Center as a reliability engineer for NASA contractor United Space Alliance. While at USA, Ms. Myers performed various reliability and safety analyses on ground-support equipment for the Space Shuttle program. She also helped with design modification activities and operational process changes for all of the Space Shuttle Program requirements.
In 2005, Ms. Myers became a civil servant for NASA. Now, as the branch chief of Safety Engineering and Assurance in the Program Development and Operations Division of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate, she is responsible for all activities that include safety and reliability analyses of ground support equipment, as well as safety operations for new programs and projects such as the Space Launch System and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.
Currently, she is working at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., as the executive director of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel. In this role, she manages the operations of the panel, which advises the NASA administrator on the overall safety of the agency.
This award, however, is not her first achievement. Among her long list of honors are the NASA Spaceflight Awareness Leadership Award, Central Florida Engineers Week Leadership Excellence Award and the NASA Most Effective Mentor Award.
"I've always looked at the big picture and enjoyed making a difference," Ms. Myers said. "That has been a key driver to successful leadership in the organization."