VIA VAN LIEW
Principal Director for Diversity Equity and Inclusion
The Aerospace Corporation
Via Van Liew is the principal director for diversity equity and inclusion at The Aerospace Corporation, which is a non-profit based in El Segundo. Aerospace is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) focused on the national security space. With $1.2 billion in revenue and more than 4,500 employees nationwide – 76% of whom have a technical Masters or PhD – Aerospace participates in every Federal space-related activity and many commercial activities. It is the US government’s trusted advisor on space matters.
Aerospace believes its people are its greatest resource, as the company relies on the brightest and most skilled individuals in the aerospace and engineering industry to confront highly complex problems in space. These challenges demand that Aerospace recruit, employ and retain a diverse workforce with rich backgrounds and perspectives that generate the best solutions.
Hired in 2017, Van Liew is responsible for leading a long-standing commitment of Aerospace to develop and implement diversity, equity and inclusive initiatives that create distinct and measurable impact, and are scalable throughout the national company. While at Aerospace, Van Liew has been received numerous awards and recognitions, including Aerospace’s 007 President Pin; the People Excellence Hero Pin; the Trustees’ Distinguished Achievement Award; the Aerospace Women of the Year Award; the 2022 Black Engineer of the Year Award, and the Dave Barclay Affirmative Action Award. Before joining Aerospace, she was a manager for Global Human Resource Compliance and Diversity and Inclusion at Mattel, Inc. for 10 years.
