REDONDO BEACH, Calif., June 29, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has appointed veterans of the company's space exploration and technology development business areas to lead two of its top engineering functions. Peggy Nelson has been named vice president of mission assurance and chief engineer, and Sonya Sepahban has been named vice president of system engineering, both at the Space Technology sector.
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"Peggy and Sonya bring broad program-management experience to their new leadership roles, having successfully headed some of our most challenging initiatives," said Alexis Livanos, president of the company's Space Technology sector. "Their experience and our vastly talented engineering workforce are ideally suited to meet our customers' requirements for more robust and complex network-centric systems, and to ensure that we continue to deliver on our commitments."
As vice president of mission assurance and chief engineer, Nelson succeeds Dick Croxall, who is retiring after a 39-year career with the company. In her new position, Nelson is responsible for developing and implementing mission assurance, quality systems and engineering capabilities. Previously, she was vice president for the sector's Prometheus 1 program, leading efforts to provide a preliminary design for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Nelson, who joined the company in 1983, is considered a pioneer in pursuing space exploration business, serving in a number of leadership roles, including program manager for the company's Data Communication Project/Wide Band Project and the Battlefield Combat Identification System.
As vice president of system engineering, Sepahban is responsible for developing and implementing overall system engineering strategy. This includes the improvement and control of system-engineering processes across all of the sector's programs and business and technology-development initiatives.
Previously, Sepahban was vice president and deputy of technology development, where she was responsible for identifying, developing and acquiring the Space Technology sector's broad base of strategic technologies, including those involved in space exploration initiatives. Prior to that position, she was vice president and deputy general manager of engineering.
Sepahban joined the company in 1997 from NASA's Johnson Space Center, where she worked on programs such as the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station and the Crew Rescue Vehicle during a 10-year career there. She succeeds John Daegele, who was recently named vice president and program manager of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency military satellite communications program.
Northrop Grumman develops a broad range of systems at the leading edge of space, defense and electronics technology for U.S. government and civilian customers. These products contribute significantly to the nation's security and leadership in science and technology.
