Donald R. Walker Joins
The Aerospace Corporation as
Vice President, National Space Systems Engineering
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (8/22/02) -- Donald R. Walker has been selected for the newly established position of vice president for National Space Systems Engineering at The Aerospace Corporation effective Sept. 1, 2002.
Walker will report to Dr. Rodney C. Gibson, senior vice president of Systems Planning and Engineering, and will be located in Washington, D.C., to provide strategic support to senior-level Department of Defense customers in the development of an integrated national-security space capability.
He will work directly with the leaders of several government offices, including the Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence; the Directorate of Air
Force Space Acquisition and the Directorate of National Security Space Integration in the Office of the Undersecretary of the Air Force; the Air Force Headquarters Directorate of Space Operations and Integration; and the Air Force Command and Control & Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Center.
He will also study the corporation's evolving needs in the area of information technology and assurance.
In 29 years with the Air Force, Walker acquired top-level leadership experience in the acquisition, launch, and operation of defense and intelligence space systems for the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office.
He retired from the Air Force at the rank of brigadier general and joined United Services Automobile Association (USAA), a Fortune 200 financial services company, as chief information officer.
Walker formed ITCO (Information Technology Company), a wholly owned subsidiary of USAA, and served as the company's president and chief executive officer. He later became president and chief executive officer of Veritect, a computer-security company focusing on the commercial network-security market.
Before joining The Aerospace Corporation Walker was an independent consultant to the government on intelligence and defense space systems.
Walker holds a B.S. in engineering science from the Air Force Academy, an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California, and an M.B.A. from Auburn University.
He is a distinguished graduate of the Air War College, has earned professional project management certification from the Project Management Institute, and has completed the Wharton Business School's Advanced Executive Education Program. Walker has served on a number of boards and is currently on the board of directors for Clean Air Engineering.
"Don's engineering background and executive leadership experience in the national-security-space and commercial business arenas make him uniquely qualified for this position," said Gibson. "His intimate understanding of the complexities of space and of our customers' needs are perfectly suited to our role as an advisor to the government on the nation's intelligence and defense space systems."
