Ms. Mary Anne Thompson

Ms. Thompson has over 25 years experience in the aerospace community including key management responsibilities on major Intelligence programs, business development and customer relations, National leadership in aerospace industry and professional organizations and also in the field of aerospace education. Thompson Consultants, LLC focuses on supporting client development of customer relations and new business with the Air Force and other DoD agencies.

In 2003 Ms. Thompson retired from a 20 year career with TRW Inc. (Northrop Grumman Mission Systems) with a broad spectrum of technical and management experience. Ms. Thompson’s business development focus was in the areas of Air Force Command and Control systems programs including Air and Space Weather, Electro Optical Deep Space Surveillance, Tactical C2 systems, Command Centers, and Early Warning Radar systems. She served as a principal interface to the USAF for TRW. She retired as the Manager for Air Force Programs, Northrop Grumman Missions Systems Washington Operations.

Ms. Thompson held key management positions on TRW contracts with the FAA first as the Manager for Training, Logistics, and Maintenance on the FAA Enroute Voice Switching and Communications System (VSCS), and then as Manager, National Air Space System (NAS) Configuration Management. Prior to those positions, she managed the TRW Systems Division Technical Support Services Department, represented TRW to the NSIA Computer Aided Acquisition and Life Cycle Support (CALS) Industry Steering Group where she chaired CALS EXPO INTERNATIONAL 1992, co-chaired the Software Products Committee, and co-authored the DoD baseline document for conversion of DoD Software Standards to CALS compliance. Ms. Thompson also served as the TRW Systems Division Coordinator and Facilitator for the Managing For Productivity program.

Prior to joining TRW in 1983, Ms. Thompson enjoyed a successful 20 year career in Education serving as a classroom teacher, school administrator, and museum educator. She served as the Director of Curricular Programs at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Her publications, all focusing on Aerospace Education, include 6 major curriculum guides for the Smithsonian and numerous educational works for the FAA, Civil Air Patrol, and NASA.

Ms. Thompson now serves as the President of the Aerospace Education Foundation (AEF), an affiliate of the Air Force Association, with a budget of $3 Million annually. She is responsible for the oversight and management of all Foundation Programs and coordination of the Board of Trustees. While serving as the National Secretary of the Air Force Association (AFA), Ms. Thompson traveled extensively to Air Force installations and AFA field units, regularly interfaced with executive levels of the Air Force and DoD concerning AFA National Policy, and played a key role in the 1997 Golden Anniversary of the Air Force celebration. She has also served as AFA Chapter and State President, National Vice President, and chaired numerous national committees. Additionally, Ms. Thompson is a member of the AFA Board of Directors and has served as a Presidential Advisor to the Foundation as well as remaining an active Executive Committee member of the D.W. Steele Chapter and Virginia State AFA organizations.. Ms. Thompson held the office of President of the Aerospace and Transportation Education Association, Director of the National Coalition for Aviation Education and now serves as Chairman of the Board of the National Coalition.

Education: Ms. Thompson holds a B.S. from the Pennsylvania State University, and graduate degrees from the University of Nebraska and Troy State University.