NASA veterans Collins, Zappala scheduled to speak at Women’s Leadership Conference
ƹƵ is thrilled to announce Col. Eileen Collins, trailblazing astronaut and retired United Air Force pilot, as the keynote speaker for the third annual Women’s Leadership Conference.
The event, which takes place March 7-8, 2025, also features Maureen Zappala, a former NASA propulsion engineer and renowned motivational speaker.
Collins made history by becoming the first woman to pilot a U.S. spacecraft with the Discovery shuttle flight in 1995, and the first woman commander with the 1999 Columbia shuttle flight. In 2005, NASA tapped Col. Collins to command the space shuttle Discovery’s historic “Return to Flight” mission, NASA’s first piloted flight following the loss of space shuttle Columbia in 2003.
A graduate of Syracuse University, Collins began her prolific career in the Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training Program. After nearly three decades in the air—which included 6,751 hours in thirty different types of aircraft and 872 hours in space flights—Collins retired and was eventually awarded the National Aeronautic Association’s Wright Brothers Award for her inspirational career as an astronaut, teacher and leader.
In her keynote address, “Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars,” Collins will discuss key factors for successful leadership, focusing on dealing with people, dealing with mistakes, safety and creative management.
Zappala likewise brings a unique experience from her time as a NASA propulsion engineer and her subsequent career as a motivational speaker and author. After graduating with a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Notre Dame, Zappala spent a significant amount of time at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
She’s since become celebrated for her engaging approach to combating self-doubt and the imposter syndrome phenomenon, devising actionable strategies in her presentation, “Confidence is Not Rocket Science!”
The Women’s Leadership Conference launched in 2023 and was designed to foster strong relationships between ƹƵ students, alumnae, parents, friends and the College, with conference participants providing support and advice to students through panel discussions, lectures and breakout sessions.
Registration for the event will be open in January along with the full agenda.
