Principal director of space
Lindsay Millard, who received a PhD in aeronautics in 2008, serves as the principal director of space in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Space and Engineering. In this capacity, Millard oversees the Department of Defense's research and engineering initiatives in space, aimed at maintaining the nation’s competitive edge in the domain. Before assuming her current role, Millard was program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where she focused on enabling significant capabilities on small satellites. Before her DOD tenure, Millard was an engineer at the RAND Corporation, where she led studies for Project Air Force and the National Security Research Division, contributing to critical research efforts. Purdue honored her with an Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award in 2019.