Dr. William F. Ballhaus Jr. is president of The Aerospace Corporation, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the objective application of science and technology toward the solution of critical issues in the nation’s space program. He assumed this position on September 25, 2000. As president he is responsible, along with CEO Edward C. Aldridge, Jr., for operations of the firm, which comprises more than 3,100 employees. Dr. Ballhaus joined The Aerospace Corporation after an 11-year career with Lockheed Martin Corporation, where he served most recently as corporate officer and vice president, Engineering and Technology. As vice president, Engineering and Technology, he was responsible for advancing the company’s scientific and engineering capabilities, and for overseeing research and engineering functions. Prior to his tenure with Lockheed Martin, Dr. Ballhaus served as president of two Martin Marietta businesses, Aero and Naval Systems (Baltimore, 1993–1994), and Civil Space and Communications (Denver, 1990–1993). He also was vice president and program director of Titan IV Centaur operations at Martin Marietta Space Launch Systems (Denver, 1990). Before joining Martin Marietta, Dr. Ballhaus served as director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Ames Research Center at Moffett Field and Edwards Air Force Base, California (1984–1989). He also served as acting associate administrator for Aeronautics and Space Technology at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. (1988–1989). Dr. Ballhaus held several other positions at NASA Ames, including director of Astronautics (1980–1984) and chief of the Applied Computational Aerodynamics Branch (1979). As a research scientist at Ames (1971–1978), Ballhaus published more than 40 papers on computational aerodynamics. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley where he earned a doctorate in engineering and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. Affiliations Dr. Ballhaus is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the International Academy of Astronautics, and is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He was president of AIAA for the 1988–1989 term. Dr. Ballhaus has served on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board since 1994, and was board co-chair from 1996–1999. He serves on the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Lincoln Laboratory Board of Directors, the National Research Council’s (NRC) Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, and the NRC Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications. At Charles Stark Draper Laboratory he is one of the 47 “members of the corporation” who oversee the governance of the laboratory. He also is a member of the engineering advisory boards at UC Berkeley, the University of Maryland, MIT, and Johns Hopkins University. Awards and Honors Dr. Ballhaus’ awards and honors include: the presidential ranks of distinguished executive and meritorious executive, conferred by President Ronald Reagan; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award from UC Berkeley; AIAA’s Lawrence Sperry Award; the Arthur S. Flemming Award from the Washington, D.C., Junior Chamber of Commerce; the Distinguished Executive Service Award from the Senior Executives Association; and the Eminent Engineer Award from Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society at UC Berkeley.