Growing up on an Iowa farm, noted aerospace industry leader Dr. Vance D. Coffman was enthralled by Sputnik and its implications for the future. Upon graduating from the Iowa State University in 1967, with a degree in aerospace engineering, Coffman joined Lockheed Martin Corporation, Space Systems Division, working with guidance and control systems. At Lockheed Martin, Coffman devised a way for satellites to properly position themselves using stars as reference. The basics of his system are still in use today. Coffman rose up the Lockheed Martin organizational structure quickly, and in 1988 was named President of the Space Systems Division. One of his many responsibilities was the Hubble Space Telescope, the MILSTAR communications satellite and the Space Based Infrared System. In 1995 he was named Executive Vice President, then CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation in 1997. He had reorganized Lockheed Martin into three divisions, electronic, aeronautical, and astronautical, and led the acquisition of COMSAT. He also collaborated with the German and Italian governments, developing the Medium Extended Air Defense System to protect ground troops. Coffman left his position as CEO at Lockheed Martin in 2004, then retired as Chairman of the Board in 2005. After his retirement, he served on a variety of corporate boards, including those of 3M, John Deere, Amgen, and the United Negro College Fund. He has received many honors, including an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Pepperdine University's George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management, the Distinguished Achievement Citation from the Iowa State University in 1999 and an Honorary Doctor of Aerospace Engineering from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University. He is an honorary fellow in both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Astronautical Society.
Inducted in 2019.
Portrait Location: Not Currently on Floor

Induction Video