A champion for girls and women in aerospace and excellence at all levels of acquisition and strategic leadership
Washington, D.C. September 21 – Laura Pope, Strategic Advisor at Stellar Solutions, Inc., a global aerospace engineering services leader, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Women in Aerospace (WIA) Leadership Award. She is being honored for her outstanding contributions to the nation’s aerospace capabilities and in preparing women and girls to advance and lead in the future of space.
“Laura Pope has made a unique and profound impact on the nation’s space development. She has empowered and prepared a generation of military and government leaders to secure the capabilities our nation will need to protect ourselves and our Allies on Earth and beyond,” said Janet Grondin, CEO of Stellar Solutions. “Additionally, throughout her career, Laura has encouraged women and girls to get excited about STEM skills, get engaged in the aerospace Industry and contribute meaningfully at the seniormost levels of leadership.”
Stellar Solutions is a Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award-winning privately-held company serving the Defense, Intelligence, Civil, Commercial and International sectors.
Throughout her nearly 40-year history of excellence in the US Air Force (USAF) and in the private sector at Stellar Solutions, Inc., Pope has been a widely recognized subject matter expert in space acquisition among all her colleagues. Not only has she been a trusted advisor to senior level government leaders, but she also has educated and prepared women and men on their teams to advance high visibility aerospace projects that position the nation for speed, precision and resilience.
Over her 18 years at Stellar Solutions, she held senior roles for the US Space Force, including as Senior staff advisor for a 3-star general Space Program Executive Officer, helping set policy, budget, processes and strategy for a significant space acquisition research and development portfolio. In these and her many other roles, she has served as a trusted advisor to men and women leading critical projects. For example, she served as a senior staff advisor to the NASA Director of acquisition and operations for Human Space Exploration systems, including the International Space Station and Artemis program for Moon-to-Mars exploration.
At the USAF where she served for 21 years, her most recent position was Director of Program Management and Analysis for the Los Angeles Air Force Base. There she led a 25-person program management staff for a 3-star Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space, serving as a as strategic planner for over 20 major acquisition programs’ budgeting and execution.
At the same time, while serving as a USAF military career officer, Pope recognized the need for women to be supported in their ambitions. She provided professional development advice, guidance, workshops, one-on-one mentoring, and networking opportunities to junior women military and government civilian personnel, and has mentored many since then.
After military retirement in 2008, she took a leadership role in advancing women at Stellar Solutions, itself a Woman-Owned Small Business, and assisted in the placement of many women in technical and programmatic leadership positions.
Pope is passionate about helping women achieve the recognition they deserve. She mentors women in the AFCEA-LA Chapter, introducing them to senior government and industry leaders associated with the Space and Missile Systems Center. Likewise, her role on the Board of Directors for Air and Space Forces Association (AFA) has enabled her to engage women in running professional seminars and serving on speaker panels at executive forums.
She contributes to strategies and execution of scholarship and mentorship programs for AFCEA’s LA Chapter, where she is VP of STEM Outreach and is also on the Philanthropy Committee, and AFA where she had been VP of Education Programs and is now on the Executive Committee.
Pope was an early advocate for getting girls excited for STEM, starting with weekly in-class “Hands-On Science” sessions in her now-adult daughter’s elementary school, then quickly growing it to reach 300 girls and boys in school and then expanding into after-school STEM nights for three schools.
For her own education, Pope earned fully-funded admission to Stanford University through the Air Force ROTC program and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering. She followed this with a Master of Science degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.
The WIA Awards Dinner will take place on December 10, 2026, at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, VA. There WIA will celebrate six trailblazing individuals for their notable achievements and unwavering dedication to forwarding women in the field. For the past 41 years, the WIA Awards have celebrated remarkable contributions to advancing women in aerospace, honoring female leaders and allies who have made a lasting impact.
Women in Aerospace (WIA) is dedicated to increasing the leadership visibility of women in the aerospace community. We acknowledge and promote innovative individuals who strive to advance the aerospace industry as a whole. Our membership, comprised of men and women, share a passion for a broad spectrum of aerospace issues. https://www.womeninaerospace.org
Stellar Solutions, Inc. is a global aerospace and systems engineering services provider to commercial, defense, intelligence, civil and international sectors. Stellar Solutions provides systems engineering capabilities and strategic support for global communications, remote sensing, national defense, and space exploration. These solutions to customer critical needs connect technology and customers across multiple domains. With physical operations throughout the U.S. and around the globe, Stellar Solutions is a recognized leader in delivering end-to-end critical expertise and problem-solving skills. https://www.stellarsolutions.com