Cynthia Whittenburg

405 Magnolia Blossom 
League City, TX 77573 
Home: 281/733-9510 
E-mail: 

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS:
A highly effective and assertive manager with superior communications skills.
Proven skills in Safety, Quality and Mission Assurance program establishment,
development and management. Uniquely qualified in all aspects of aerospace risk
management, safety, quality, mission assurance, mishap prevention and
investigation.

CAREER MILESTONES:
Environmental, Health and Safety/Quality Assurance Manager of the One EVA
program office.
SQ&MA Resource Manager for the Space Shuttle Upgrades Development Program.
Cost Account Manager of Twenty Million dollar, five-year
multi-project/operations contract agreements.
Project Manager for Safety, Quality and Reliability for Space Shuttle Upgrades
for enterprise-wide planning, operations, budgeting and forecasting.
Independent Assessment (IA) Flight Lead and Senior Systems Engineer on
International Space Station (ISS) Safety, Reliability & Quality Assurance
contract. 
Project Quality Engineer over the design and development activities of the
International Space Station. 

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science, Technical Operations, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, Daytona Beach, FL, 2004

EXPERIENCE:
5/07 to Present: MRI Technologies Houston, TX “ 
2/05 to 5/07: United Space Alliance Houston, TX “ ONE EVA Environmental Health &
Safety and Quality Assurance Manager for Hamilton Sundstrand. Responsible manager
for the direction and implementation applicable requirements to meet mission,
crew, and customer requirements. Determine program objectives, interpret company
policies, and delegate assignments to appropriate internal and contractual
personnel. Responsible for the development of specifications, procedures,
policies, statement of works (SOW), Request for Quotes (RFQ) and Information
(RFI), contract and subcontract negotiations, and Basis of Estimates (BOE).
Manage four prime contractors, budgets and contractual deliveries. Interface with
all levels of management. Conduct briefings and technical meetings for top
management and customers. Prepare Certification of EVA Readiness (CoER) and
Certification for Flight Readiness (CoFR) for increment and flight missions.
Conduct Mishap Investigations and led Corrective Action resolution teams.

5/02 to 2/05: United Space Alliance, Houston, TX - SQ&MA Resource Manager for
the Space Shuttle Upgrades Development Program (SSUD). Promoted to Resource /Cost
Account Manager responsible for the execution of a Five-year Twenty Million
dollar contract for Safety, Reliability, Maintainability, Quality Assurance and
Risk Management services for Space Shuttle Upgrades Development and Service Life
Extension Projects. Prepared and managed an Earned Value (EV) and Performance
Measurement System (PMS) consisting of Schedules, Variance reports, Estimates at
completion (EAC) and cost reporting. Prepared BOEs, Formal Proposals, and
Decision Packages, and led contract negotiations for final approval and
implementation. 

5/01 to 5/02: United Space Alliance, Houston, TX - Safety, Quality and Mission
Assurance Lead Engineer for the SSUD Program “ Responsible for establishing and
managing the Safety, Quality, Reliability and Mission Assurance activities
necessary to ensure the safety and quality of the engineering and hardware
purchased for the Space Shuttle Upgrades Development Program. Built a team of
solid SQ&MA professionals and established a company wide support network. Led a
cross company team of assigned, matrixed, and sub-contractor resources to provide
engineering and project management, process development, and technical support
for Avionic Cockpit Upgrade vehicle integration. Member of the Lean Six Sigma
Program Improvement Board. 

11/99 to 5/01: Ares Corporation, Houston, TX - Project Manager for Safety,
Quality and Reliability - Progressively increasing responsibilities through a
variety of business and program assignments. Assigned as United Space Alliance
(USA) Quality Assurance (QA) Manager with responsibilities for managing the Space
Shuttle Upgrades Quality Program for enterprise-wide planning, operations,
budgeting and forecasting. These efforts encompassed all lines of business within
USA and NASA - supporting both strategic and operational priorities and
objectives. Supervised, evaluated, trained and directed eleven Quality Engineers
in the development of program Quality Assurance functions for various projects.
Worked extensively in a leadership role with cross-functional teams, executive
sponsors, and steering committees to establish enterprise-wide consensus and
execution. Utilized structured project management processes to lead the planning,
development, execution, and integration of enterprise-wide policies, procedures,
and processes to meet customer expectations, on schedule and with requisite
quality.

11/98 to 11/99: Science Applications International Corporation, Houston, TX -
Independent Assessment (IA) Flight Lead and Senior Systems Engineer - Promoted to
IA. Preformed independent engineering studies and analyses of critical
International Space Station and Space Shuttle systems, ground operations, and
space operations to ensure crewmember safety and mission success. Provided
direction and assistance to junior engineers in researching and development of
independent assessments and analyses. Mentored in strategic road mapping,
resource planning, project management, new business development, and team
building. 

1996 to 11/98: Integration Engineer, Lead Quality Engineer: “ Responsibilities
included the supervision, training and provided technical guidance to direct 7
QEs and supervise ~15 R&M engineers supporting the ISS Safety, Reliability &
Quality Assurance contract; represent NASA Quality during negotiations and
assessments of Prime and non-Prime contractors (including International Partners)
for the ISS Program; provide QA/CM interface for NASA QA; co-lead and/or
participate in program directed projects; lead/participate in product
certification/acceptance process improvement Tiger Teams; provide guidance and
direction to DCMA representatives; participate in JSC VPP and ISO 9001 compliance
and continued certification activities; review and analyze proposed contract
changes. Develop and report metrics for customer satisfaction, quality of work,
schedule and delivery performance, product acceptability, and overall program
schedule.

1994 “ 1996: SYSCOM Development, INC., Houston, TX - Project Quality Engineer
-Contracted to Boeing Defense and Space Company in support of the design and
development activities of the International Space Station. Served as ISS
Integrated Product Team (IPT) chairman of the Program Integration and Delivery of
Hardware and Software Team. S&MA representative for various ISS program IPTs
including: Extravehicular Activity (EVA), Materials and Processes, and
Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE). Supervised Product Group One
(PG-1) Contract and sub-tiered subcontractors, including product development,
manufacturing, test and delivery of program hardware and software, monitored
project configuration status and developed detailed assembly and process
procedures in conjunction with various engineering personnel. Developed and
implemented International Standards of Operation (ISO) processes and procedures.

1989 to 1994: Lockheed Engineering & Sciences Company, Houston, TX - Senior
Quality Engineer- Provided SQ&MA engineering for start-up of the design,
development and manufacturing of Extravehicular Activity System (EVAS) hardware.
Prepared, and presented SQ&MA products in support of EVAS systems life cycle
design Directly briefed and Interfaced with crew members and project management
of SQ&MA requirements during the life cycle of fabrication, testing, verification
and acceptance of Crew Aids, Suits, and Tools developed for Flight. Accountable
Cost Account Manager (CAM) for Performance Measurement System (PMS) of product
assurance costs and schedules, tracked, monitor, and developed Supervised Quality
Planners, Engineers and Electrical and Mechanical Inspectors.

1981 to 1989: Additional work experience available upon request.

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION:
 Writing Winning Proposals course given by Shipley Associates
Earned Value Management “ course given by Cadence Management
Project Management “ course given by Cadence Management 
Quality Management Training, ASQ, 2001
Leadership & Management Certificate, University of Houston
Certification, Solid State Devices, College of Denver
Certification, Industrial Fabrication and Design Processes, College of Denver
Associate of Applied Science, College of Denver 
Bachelor of Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Master of Science Candidate, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

AEROSPACE AFFILITATIONS:
American Society for Quality (ASQ), Quality Leadership Forum (NASA)