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By Danielle Sempsrott
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
From the time she was 11 years old, Tiffaney Miller Alexander, Ph.D., knew she wanted to be an electrical engineer and work for NASA. Now, after having chased that dream and turned it into reality, she is being recognized as a Technology All-Star by Career Communications Group, Inc.’s Women of Color magazine.
Founded in 1985, Career Communications Group, Inc. aims to shed light on career achievements of women within the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. One way they do so is by hosting an annual Women of Color STEM Conference and presenting awards to a select few group of women. This year, Alexander was among those honored with the Technology All-Star Award during a luncheon on Oct. 4, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan.
“I didn’t get here by myself, I stood on the shoulders of so many other great people and had a great support system,” said Alexander, chief of Exploration Ground Systems’ (EGS) safety branch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “This award means a lot to me, and if I can use this to inspire others, that’s what it’s all about.”
Initially nominated for the Women of Color Professional Achievement Award by Kelvin Manning, associate director, technical, at Kennedy, Alexander was unaware of and honored by the effort Manning and her management put into the nomination. In Manning’s nomination letter, he “enthusiastically recommended her,” stating that her “technical yet natural leadership style pulls teams together who respect her and trust her judgment, allowing her to lead and inspire a new generation in the pursuit of excellence.”
In her current role, Alexander is responsible for management planning, directing, and coordinating the work of EGS safety engineers and specialists – those individuals who assure the safety of vehicle ground support equipment that will support Artemis missions to the Moon and to Mars.
Having always enjoyed helping people, and now being in a supervisory role, Alexander said her favorite part of her job is having the opportunity to guide her team members and help them grow.
“I pinch myself every day that I get to come and do what I love,” she said. “I learn so much from my team, they’re brilliant and I do whatever I can to help them be successful. Not only do I want them to reach and meet the goals and responsibilities of the organization, but I want them to reach their personal career goals as well.”
In addition to serving her colleagues and team members, Alexander also is active in the community, speaking at local schools, universities and conferences on behalf of NASA. One thing she enjoys is interacting with girls still in school, encouraging them to pursue careers in STEM and not be discouraged by the fact that it’s a male-dominated field.
“There are a lot of brilliant women out here doing really great things, and I want them to see that they can do it, too,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s about the knowledge in your head and not your gender.”
Some words of advice Alexander gives to students are to never give up, learn from mistakes and failure, utilize and learn from individuals who are already in career positions they have an interest in, always be willing to help others and, most importantly, have a strong support system. For Alexander, that support system growing up was her mother and has now expanded to her husband, children, family, professional and community leaders, and mentors.
Receiving a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, and a master’s and doctorate degree in industrial engineering from the University of Central Florida, Alexander said it was not always an easy journey and without her mother’s support, she would not be where she is today. “She pointed me back to my dream – took me all the way back to when I was 11 – and said, ‘remember that dream, and what you always wanted to be. Don’t let that go.’”
As NASA prepares for a new era of space exploration, returning to the Moon and eventually on to Mars, Alexander hopes to further use her Technology All-Star recognition to engage and inspire the agency’s next generation of engineers.
“I love the fact that we’re pushing boundaries, exploring new territory and doing things in an innovative way,” she said. “I’m just thankful that I can represent and use this platform now to spread the word even more to kids of all backgrounds.”