SPEAKING
Dr. Okolo is an internationally recognized aerospace engineer and an expert in broadening participation in STEM fields. Her passions lie at the intersection of facilitating talent pipelines for research-, development-, and technology-focused organizations; supporting student success from K-12 through postdoctoral STEM education and careers; and highlighting the impacts of participation in STEM research and development.
Drawing from her personal experiences and best practices as a rocket scientist, her interactive presentations will inspire your audience to innovate, dream big, and “learn to fly.”
Testimonials
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"You told us stories, shared shocking statistics, and called the audience to a higher standard - for ourselves and our professions. This call to action was broken down into simplified, actionable items that we can each apply to our work and personal lives. You encouraged our audience to bring their full selves to everything they do, and I believe that this message is what will stay with our audience throughout their careers."
– Shanice Bryce
Professional Development Officer, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta
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"As the first female and the youngest keynote speaker at a Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law Conference, you were impactful in the way you dealt with the planning committee and your insightful session on July 14th, 2021 – “Reach for the Stars” left the attendees with renewed vistas for their future."
– Ayuli Jemide
Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Section on Business Law
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"She was very professional and a joy to work with to plan a webinar. Also, very accommodating despite the complications on our end. Dr. Okolo delivered an effective and useful talk for all. The feedback from our group and within our organization has been positive. I hope we will be able to work with her again in the future. I cannot thank her enough!"
– Dijonney Coffey
New Jackson Employee Resource Group, Blue Origin
SELECT INVITED TALKS
“An Exclusive Conversation and Interview feat. An Aerospace Engineer & Astronaut,” Powerful Purses Inc. Annual Fundraising Luncheon, Fort Worth Texas, March 11th, 2025.
“Learn To Fly Author Visit,” Houston Public Library, Houston Texas, February 4th, 2025.
“Embarking on New Horizons: Empowering Your Ward Through Space & Flight,” Museum of Flight Seattle, Michael P. Anderson Program Day, Seattle Washington, February 3rd, 2024.
“Learning To Fly: Determination + Resilience = Progress,” Keynote at NASA Ames Research Center, African American Advisory Group, MLK Day Celebration, January 17th, 2024.
“10 Tips for Success in STEM: A Rocket Scientist’s Guide,”
Guest Speaker at the NASA Langley Open House STEM Day, October 20th, 2023.
Keynote at Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy, August 25th, 2023.
“A Rocket Scientist’s Guide to Innovation Through Inclusion,”
Institute of International Education TechWomen Program, Keynote, San Francisco CA, October 16th, 2023
Association of Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of Alberta, Professional Conference, Keynote, June 9th, 2021.
“Advanced Air Mobility: Moving Through the Tech and Innovation Lifecycle,” NASA iMaginAviation, Virtual, February 29th, 2024.
“Closed Loops, Open Minds, & Vehicle Control: From Aircraft Formation Flight to Deployable Spacecraft Entry” Invited Guest Speaker at the NASA Langley Open House, Langley Virginia, October 21st, 2023.
“From Drones to Air Taxis: Modeling, Predicting, & Mitigating Unsafe Autonomous Vehicle Operations in the National Airspace,” National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship Conference, San Antonio, Texas, August 3rd, 2023.
“Sustainability and Aerospace: Planes, Performance, and People,” MIT Horizon Fireside Chat, Virtual, July 25th, 2023.
“In-Time Safety Management for Emerging Operations,” Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh, Oshkosh Wisconsin, July 28th, 2022.
“What Drives Cutting-Edge Aerospace Research,” Keynote Speech, University of Oxford, Said Business School - Future of Major Program Management, Virtual Meeting, May 19th, 2022.
“Planes, Drones, and Air Taxis: Safety Considerations for Autonomous Vehicle Operations,” University of Texas at Arlington, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Seminar Series, Virtual Meeting, March 25th, 2022.
“The Space Economy: What It Means for The Aerospace Sector and How It Benefits Us All,” Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellow Panel, Virtual Meeting, January 25th, 2022.
“Operational Sustainability in an Increasingly Congested & Heterogenous Airspace,” AIAA SciTech Forum 360 Panel, San Diego California, January 6th, 2022.
“UAM in the NAS: Safety Above All,” Business of Automated Mobility Forum, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) & Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International, November 3rd, 2021.
“Transforming the National Airspace: A UAS Safety Perspective,” UAS West Symposium, U.S. Department of Defense & Government, August 12th, 2021.
“Code Switching & Innovation: Striking the Right Balance,” Blue Origin New Jackson Employee Resource Group, Virtual Event, August 13th, 2021
“Fly Like a Bird: Unique Ways to Control Aerospace Vehicles,” NASA Ames Early Career Award Lecture at the NASA Ames Summer Series, August 11th, 2020.
“Controlling the Uncontrollable: Development & Evaluation of Control Designs for a Mechanically Deployed Entry Vehicle,” City of Cupertino NASA Speaker Series, February 19th, 2020.
“Leveraging Aerospace Solutions to Enable Change in Africa,” Keynote at TechPlus Digital Social Innovation Conference, Lagos, Nigeria, November 16th, 2019
“Autonomy of Micro- and Nano-Satellites,” University of Tartu and Nordic-European Astrobiology Campus Summer School on Microsatellites and their Use in Planetary and Astrobiology Research, Tartu, Estonia, July 2019
“Unconventional Control Techniques for Aerospace Vehicles,” Annual Conference of the National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program, San Diego, California, August 2019
“Precision Targeting of Entry Vehicles,” NASA Engineering & Safety Center (NESC) Guidance Navigation & Control (GNC) Technical Discipline Team (TDT) Face To Face Meeting, Moffett Field, California, 2019
“The Science of Failure: Systems Health Monitoring for Small Satellites,” University of Tartu and Nordic-European Astrobiology Campus Summer School on Microsatellites and their Use in Planetary and Astrobiology Research, Tartu, Estonia August, 2018
“Identification of Safety Metrics for Airport Surface Operations,” System-Wide Safety (SWS) Technical Talks, Virtual Meeting, August 2018
“Learn To Fly,” Keynote Speech
World Science Day for Peace & Development, Corona Schools Lagos, November 10th, 2021
Academic Convocation, University of Texas at Arlington, August 20th, 2019
Lead The Way, Girl Scouts, Milpitas, California, February 2nd, 2019
Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, CISCO, Mountain View, California, April 7th, 2018
Design, Build, Code, Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California, October 2017
“Evaluating and Augmenting Fuel-savings Obtained in Aircraft Formation Flight”
MIT-Stanford Women in Aerospace Symposium, MIT, Boston, Massachusetts, 2016
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Seminar, U.T. Arlington, Arlington, TX, 2015