Q&A with Gateway: Meet Lauren Johnson, Procurement Manager for the Gateway Program

Gateway is built with commercial and international partners. The acquisition of the various Gateway elements includes a mix of contracted development, international and domestic partnerships, and in-house builds. Most of these acquisitions and procurements are handled by our very own Lauren Johnson, an important member of the Gateway program.

Let’s get to know a little more about her, below.

What is your role in the Gateway program?
Procurement manager.

What are your primary responsibilities?
Overseeing the management of the Gateway program’s acquisitions (i.e., the habitation and logistics outpost, or HALO, module, government-furnished equipment procurements, and Extravehicular Mobility Unit and Exploration Extravehicular Activity system procurements).

What are you excited to share about Gateway and what it will do for human exploration as part of the Artemis program?
The most exciting part of Gateway, for me, are the endless possibilities to access and explore various parts of the lunar surface. I also look forward to seeing us adapt and mature our systems and demonstrate new technologies as we prepare for deep space human exploration missions.

How has your own personal background influenced your work on the Gateway program?
I spent a majority of my procurement career supporting the International Space Station program, where I consistently worked with some of the smartest people — not just at NASA, but also in the world. As a result, I often leverage my networks in space station for best practices and lessons learned.

Being surrounded by such a high-performing group of people, what’s a great piece of advice you’ve learned?
Work hard, but take care of yourself. You cannot expect yourself to continuously work at optimal performance levels if you do not take the time to recharge. “Staycations” may not be your preferred annual leave solution, but they can still be enjoyable.

In line with DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE, how do you see yourself fitting into the vision?
Managing contracts is always most effective when we are united as a team. Our contract management team consist of representatives from the technical organization(s), budget, procurement, pricing, property, legal, safety, etc., who collectively discover and implement innovative solutions. With every major milestone or simple procurement action we complete, I am reminded of how we continue to push the boundaries and are uniting to enable exploration. This is how I see myself, in procurement, fitting into the DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE vision.

Now, more about you. Where did you grow up?
I spent most of childhood in South Carolina and northern Virginia.

How long have you been at JSC?
I have been working at JSC for more than 14 years. I moved to Houston in August 2006.

Describe yourself in five words.
Interested, dedicated, diligent, understanding, and giving.

Favorite thing(s) to do to unwind.
A spa day.

When this pandemic is over, what can’t you wait to do?
Travel, travel, travel! Did I say travel? I have been daydreaming about all the places I will go.

What is one thing you like about teleworking?
The ability to wear yoga pants every day since March!

Tell us a fun fact about you.
I really enjoy working on puzzles. Puzzles kept me entertained during the initial months of social distancing. I am now working on my crocheting skills.

At Johnson, we are laser-focused on the next: going forward to our lunar neighbor to build outposts in uncharted territory while revolutionizing the strategies and technologies that will eventually open up the universe. The Gateway is a critical component of the Artemis program and embodies Johnson's DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE vision: We dare to expand frontiers. We unite with our partners to complete bold missions. We explore space to benefit humanity.

DARE | UNITE | EXPLORE