President Biden has nominated Aprille Joy Ericsson, a long-standing aerospace engineer at NASA, to serve as an assistant secretary of defense (ASD) within the Department of Defense’s (DoD) research office, a new position the Pentagon announced this summer.
In July, the DoD established three new assistant secretary of defense positions, along with eight deputy ASDs, in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to replace the role of deputy chief technology officer.
“The establishment of these roles within Research & Engineering better positions our team to execute upon our mission of preserving our nation’s technological edge, now and into the future,” said Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering Heidi Shyu in a press release.
If confirmed as an ASD, Ericsson will focus on science and technology, critical technologies, and mission capabilities.
Ericsson is the first person nominated for this new position. The DoD appointed several acting ASDs to fill the roles pending nominations by President Biden and confirmation by the Senate.
Before being nominated, Ericsson spent 27-plus years working at NASA since joining the agency in 1992. She currently serves as the business lead at the space agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center Instrument Systems and Technology Division, where she drives the establishment of government, academia, and industry partnerships on research and development efforts.
During her time at NASA, Ericsson also served as an instrument project manager and an attitude control systems analyst.
In addition, Ericsson has also served as an adjunct faculty member at several universities. Currently, she sits on the academic boards at the National Academies and MIT. She is also chair of the advisory board for Howard University for the Department of Mechanical Engineering and previously as a HU Trustee and Blacks at MIT.
