Delegated Program Manager, NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Software Assurance Research Program
By Jennifer Jett
While Lisa Montgomery has never been a stranger to imagination, her childhood was not spent simply pretending. She was a doer. At the age of six, after reading a book about the exploration of King Tut’s tomb, she buried some of her mother’s jewelry in the backyard to excavate later. “I very quickly discovered that archaeology is a profession fraught with dangers more frightening than Egyptian curses—like angry mothers.”
Warned off of archaeology, Montgomery is now one of nine delegated program managers for NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, and she is responsible for the agency-wide selection and programming of research conducted to assure software safety in NASA missions. “Even though I have a very exuberant imagination, I never ever dreamed that one day I could work for NASA. It was literally beyond my imagination.”
Growing up, Montgomery spent her summers baling hay and riding horses competitively until she went to college, trading her equestrian companion in for a 1982 Toyota Celica. “I loved that car and drove it over every back road and dirt road between Charleston and Morgantown,” she remembers. “The glove box held maps of every state east of the Mississippi. My current car has a great GPS, but I’m sure I had more fun getting lost in that little car than I’ve had in every car since.”
Montgomery earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in education before later returning to earn a degree in computer science from West Virginia University. Prior to joining NASA she taught at Fairmont State University, and she still engages with students as much as possible, having served as a judge for the West Virginia Business Plan Competition and a speaker for the Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics conferences. She looks for occasions to engage with students and open their eyes to the opportunities that exist in West Virginia. “Even though smart people have laid out a strong road map for moving West Virginia toward a more diversified economic base, it’s equally important to help students understand how they connect to that vision.”
Preparing the future generation to reach for the stars, though, is just one more challenge Montgomery embraces as she strives to give back to her community and her state. Montgomery is also actively involved in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), a program for federal giving analogous to the United Way. She works behind the scenes to ensure the kick-offs and other events go on without a hitch despite a shoestring budget. Last year, she helped organize Eyes Skyward, an event held at Fairmont State University that allowed local students and community members of all ages to meet face-to-face with astronauts. She is frequently the photographer for CFC activities and fundraisers, and her photos have raised money to support food pantries and other local organizations. Another federal initiative that she has vigorously supported is Feds Feed Families.
“I know that I have an obligation to serve where I am and as I can to help improve lives in the Mountain State.”
Dogged determination, self-knowledge and a big picture vision have been the characteristics most important in Montgomery’s success, and her motivation to continue despite challenges, obstructions and budget cuts comes from the teams she serves and the importance of the work they do. It doesn’t hurt that she gets to live in West Virginia and work for an agency that puts inspiring the next generation right up there with exploring the universe.
Photography by Tracy Toler on location at Adventures On the Gorge
