Assaldra Oates is a global sustainment project engineering manager for Rotary and Mission Systems, or RMS, a Lockheed Martin business area. In this role, she leads the corporation’s courseware and training team for undersea warfare. Prior to that, Oates served as project engineering associate manager for software project management, supporting the Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors division for RMS, responsible for all aspects of software planning, defect management, configuration management, and product delivery.

Oates previously served as Lockheed Martin’s engineering test and evaluation lead within Integration and Test as part of the Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors division and was responsible for various aspects of requirements development and verification. Throughout her career, Oates has led several critical initiatives for Lockheed Martin, including the implementation of common-source library requirements-based verification, transition from waterfall methodologies to Agile principles in requirements-based testing, and shifting to a culture of psychologically safe teams.

Oates’ development as a mentor and role model began while a student at Rutgers University, working as a counselor for its summer program, Engineers of the Future. From there, she branched into programs that support women in STEM. She planned each summer around serving as assistant program coordinator for the Douglass Science Institute for Girls, now the Douglass Women in Science and Engineering program, and for The Academy at Rutgers for Girls in Engineering and Technology, or TARGET, helping girls break stereotypes and barriers that keep them from success in math and science. Oates carried her enthusiasm for mentoring into her community, serving as a volunteer mentor for the Future Leaders Institute for Girls program in Edgewater, New Jersey.

In her Lockheed Martin career, Oates fully embraced the idea that women who help other women become more successful themselves. Seeing that no women from her business area were being recognized at the annual Black Engineer of the Year awards ceremony, she pulled together a group of about 30 women, calling it the “Not Hidden Figures” meeting. From this group that networked, shared stories, and supported each other, Oates now has many women colleagues who have become senior leaders, directors, and program managers within Lockheed Martin. She has since established herself as a powerful mentor with access to people and programs throughout the company.

Currently, Oates serves as the Lockheed Martin diversity and inclusion council lead at its Manassas, Virginia, location. She is a member of the National Management Association and the Lockheed Martin Leadership Association. She graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering and obtained a professional manager certification from James Madison University’s Institute of Certified Professional Managers.

Oates is a dedicated wife to her husband, Charles. Together, they have four children, three grandchildren, and a dog. Oates volunteers at her local church and sings with the Praise and Worship team.