Theodora Saunders is a manager in the System Engineering branch at Sikorsky aircraft, where she is also serving as the Dean of System Engineering for the Igor University. Her experience spans over 20 years in industry and academia. Her industrial experience includes research, development and testing of aerospace systems, as well as project, product and functional management. Her academic experience includes teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels in Electrical and Industrial Engineering departments.  She is currently an adjunct professor at the University Of New Haven, School of Engineering in the Multidisciplinary Engineering Systems Division, and she is serving as the Sikorsky Engineer In Residence (EIR) at the UNH Engineering School.

She has a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering with concentration in control systems, and a second Masters degree in Industrial Engineering with concentration in systems reliability. While at Sikorsky she was nominated for and earned a Certificate of Systems Engineering for Managers from MIT. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in Applied Engineering Management and Decision Sciences focusing on systems engineering process stability.

Theodora was selected by the Connecticut Technology Council Women of Innovation Finalist for 2009 for Business Innovation and Leadership.

Contact Information:

Sikorsky
6900 Main Street
Stratford, CT  06601-1381
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Lectures:

The Urgency For System Engineering Education
Increasing complexity of aerospace products coupled with the anticipated shortfall supply of qualified engineering human resources and in particular of systems engineers has been for some time a topic of discussions among industry executives, academia and professional engineering societies. This lecture addresses the urgency for developing systems engineering practitioners capable of meeting the 21st century challenges in the Aerospace industry.  A synergistic and collaborative approach among Government, Academia and Industry is being proposed. 

Practical Considerations For Effective Systems Engineering
Effective implementation of systems engineering is critical for the viability of the aerospace industrial base and its competiveness. This lecture provides practical guidance for key systems engineering processes including requirements development and management, project planning and management.  Emphasis is given in the development and utilization of the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) to manage the overall project technical effort.

Competency Development For Systems Engineering Practitioners
Systems engineering is implemented through practitioners whose individual and collective work and knowledge are critical factors having a great impact in the effectiveness of the systems engineering process. Often systems engineers are assigned to project roles which are either ill defined or they require higher competency and experiential knowledge. This lecture will discuss the importance of establishing a systems engineering competency with clearly defined outcomes and corresponding rewards.  An integrated framework is suggested that best aligns systems engineering competency levels with management types to address both strategic and tactical organizational needs.