Leading Aeronautics Executive To Talk With
Smith Engineering Students About Career Opportunities

Charla Wise, vice president of engineering at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, a worldwide manufacturer of military aircraft and a major subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, the world's largest defense contractor, will discuss opportunities in engineering at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, in Seelye 201.

Wise's talk, titled "Third Millennium Airpower," is free, wheelchair accessible and open to the public.

A veteran of the aerospace industry, Wise began her career at General Dynamics Fort Worth Division (presently Lockheed Martin Aeronautics) in 1975. She was promoted in 1985 to manager and, later, director of its F-16 program. In 1995, she became vice president and program director of the F-22 program at the Fort Worth facility. In 1998, she was appointed vice president of engineering at Fort Worth. She assumed the engineering vice-presidency for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company as a whole in March.

In her current position, Wise is responsible for the activities of more than 9,000 skilled engineering personnel assigned to all of the company's programs. These include the F-16, F-22, C-130, and F-117 and the anticipated Joint Strike Fighter.

Established in 1999, Smith's Picker Program in Engineering and Technology is the first such program at a women's college and one of only a handful at liberal arts colleges. The first 20 students in the program entered this fall.

Wise's presentation is part of a semester-long colloquium titled "Executive Access," designed to give Smith students access to the insights and experiences of some of the top professionals in the engineering field. A reception for Wise will follow her talk.

Smith College is consistently ranked among the nation's best liberal arts colleges. Enrolling 2,800 students from every state and 50 other countries, Smith is the largest undergraduate women's college in the United States.

Contact: Laurie Fenlason, lfenlason@smith.edu, (413) 585-2190

October 25, 2000