Pearl the Space Girl: The A to Z Adventure of Exploring Space Careers

Thomas, Michaelyn L.: - Dr. Michaelyn L. Thomas is a successful space system-of-systems engineer and program manager at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Los Angeles, California, and she is also a part-time engineering professor for graduate students at The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering. She spent most of her professional career working in the private space industry, which included launching a start-up rocket company founded by Sir Richard Branson, as a C-suite executive. Scholastically, Dr. Thomas has four degrees and one minor degree in five distinctly different academic disciplines. She also belongs to Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. Dr. Thomas holds a doctor of education degree in organizational leadership from University of La Verne; a master of science degree in space systems engineering from The Johns Hopkins University; a master of business administration degree from University of Redlands; and a bachelor of arts degree in political science with an emphasis in public law and a minor degree in Russian language from California State University, Long Beach.

Professionally, Dr. Thomas's career trajectory reflects a constellation as opposed to a traditional ladder to success. From her entry-level beginnings to where she is today, Dr. Thomas has held executive leadership roles in the space industry ranging from financial management to system-of-systems engineering and integration at The Boeing Company, Virgin Orbit, the United States Space Force, and The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Her career constellation and academia have uniquely positioned her to be an effective leader in both the private and public sectors of the space industry. Traditionalism was not going to work for her to reach her goals, and she let her passion guide her through her space career aspirations.