Lauren Johnson: Honoring the memories of those who paved the way
2016-03-29
February was African American History Month. Johnson Space Center is honoring a few employees whose character, courage and commitment have helped shape them into the people they are today.
“What’s procurement?”
That’s the question Lauren Johnson had when a friend helped her apply for an intern position in the Defense Logistics Agency. Her friend explained it as shopping all day while spending other people’s money. Johnson applied immediately.
It was more than simply buying parts and services, though. Johnson was impressed by the passion her customers had for their projects, and rapidly adopted the same attitude.
“I get my satisfaction in helping people get their job done,” Johnson said
In fact, government procurement policy has had a major impact on how Johnson manages her own finances.
“I get three quotes on everything now,” Johnson said, “even when I’m shopping at a flea market.” When her friends urge her to forgo her price comparisons just because something is cheap, she responds, “That’s not the point.”
Still in college, she interviewed with NASA and began as a Contracting Internship Program intern in 2005 at Marshall Space Flight Center, and moved to Johnson Space Center in 2006.
At the conclusion of her 18-month internship, Johnson was assigned as a contract specialist supporting the International Space Station Program Office. As her career advanced, she started working on international contracts for space station.
Initially, she was hesitant to take the job because it required travel to Russia; she was anxious about standing out as an African-American in what she thought was a predominately Caucasian country. She credits her manager for reminding her that she would be part of a team and encouraging her to stretch outside her comfort zone. Most of all, she was confident in her ability to perform the required duties.
Her first international experience was negotiating the contract to take support personnel to Baikonur for each launch—a challenge because of all the mandatory U.S. government terms and conditions. Ultimately, it came down to patience, persistence and people skills to secure the contract with Roscosmos.
When the international contracts expert retired, Johnson was promoted to assume her responsibilities. One of the first large modifications that Johnson led was procuring the one-year crew increment that led to Scott Kelly’s year in space.
At the time she had a passing thought that this would be important to NASA but, for her, it was just another day in the life of Procurement. As Kelly’s time with station was coming to an end, Johnson watched a PBS documentary and felt a sense of pride that she had contributed to the mission.
Looking back, she’s thankful she took both her manager’s advice and the risk. The international partners welcomed her onto the team and, while there were challenges, they improved her skills and confidence as she overcame each obstacle. Now Johnson encourages anyone who is contemplating a career change to step outside their comfort zone and have faith in their abilities.
Johnson’s proudest moment so far is her promotion from contracting officer to team lead. She credits much of her success to her managers and mentors, including those in the African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG), who aided and guided her career. When the AAERG founders asked if she could help by giving back, she immediately said yes.
The theme for this year’s African American History Month was “Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories.” For Johnson, that theme takes a more personal path. Her stepfather is a history buff and is fond of paraphrasing 18th century philosopher Edmund Burke, saying, “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.”
“Hallowed grounds are the mistakes and lessons learned of those who proceeded me and the experiences that they shared,” Johnson said. She is mindful that her success builds on the advances of those who came before her. She feels an obligation to pay it forward by giving back to the AAERG and all young professionals.
Johnson feels that her reputation is one of her strongest attributes, and she’s determined to set a good example no matter where she is. When traveling abroad, she was frequently stared at because she stood out as an African-American woman.
“I tried to be mindful that this might be one of the only times they’ve been in contact with someone who’s a professional African-American,” Johnson said. “It’s important to behave in a way that protects your reputation, no matter what your race.”
Johnson credits her international contract experience with igniting a love of travel. In contrast with the meticulously planned work and travel associated with international contracts, she prefers her personal life to be more spontaneous. It doesn’t matter where she travels or even what movie she sees on weekends, she likes it spur-of-the-moment.
In fact, she thinks a spontaneous stance may be crucial to the way Procurement is evolving. As NASA commercializes space travel and technology, Johnson believes Procurement must adapt and be more creative in finding solutions that work while staying within the boundaries of the federal regulations.
As she navigates her career and life, Johnson says she has a few rules that she always honors: she refuses to take life for granted; she insists on living life with integrity; and she wants to be respected for being a contributor to NASA’s mission.
But, most of all, she aims to be prepared for anything that comes her way.
“Wherever life takes me, I’m ready,” Johnson said.
Michelle Fraser-Page
NASA Johnson Space Center
“What’s procurement?”
That’s the question Lauren Johnson had when a friend helped her apply for an intern position in the Defense Logistics Agency. Her friend explained it as shopping all day while spending other people’s money. Johnson applied immediately.
It was more than simply buying parts and services, though. Johnson was impressed by the passion her customers had for their projects, and rapidly adopted the same attitude.
“I get my satisfaction in helping people get their job done,” Johnson said
In fact, government procurement policy has had a major impact on how Johnson manages her own finances.
“I get three quotes on everything now,” Johnson said, “even when I’m shopping at a flea market.” When her friends urge her to forgo her price comparisons just because something is cheap, she responds, “That’s not the point.”
Still in college, she interviewed with NASA and began as a Contracting Internship Program intern in 2005 at Marshall Space Flight Center, and moved to Johnson Space Center in 2006.
At the conclusion of her 18-month internship, Johnson was assigned as a contract specialist supporting the International Space Station Program Office. As her career advanced, she started working on international contracts for space station.
Initially, she was hesitant to take the job because it required travel to Russia; she was anxious about standing out as an African-American in what she thought was a predominately Caucasian country. She credits her manager for reminding her that she would be part of a team and encouraging her to stretch outside her comfort zone. Most of all, she was confident in her ability to perform the required duties.
Her first international experience was negotiating the contract to take support personnel to Baikonur for each launch—a challenge because of all the mandatory U.S. government terms and conditions. Ultimately, it came down to patience, persistence and people skills to secure the contract with Roscosmos.
When the international contracts expert retired, Johnson was promoted to assume her responsibilities. One of the first large modifications that Johnson led was procuring the one-year crew increment that led to Scott Kelly’s year in space.
At the time she had a passing thought that this would be important to NASA but, for her, it was just another day in the life of Procurement. As Kelly’s time with station was coming to an end, Johnson watched a PBS documentary and felt a sense of pride that she had contributed to the mission.
Looking back, she’s thankful she took both her manager’s advice and the risk. The international partners welcomed her onto the team and, while there were challenges, they improved her skills and confidence as she overcame each obstacle. Now Johnson encourages anyone who is contemplating a career change to step outside their comfort zone and have faith in their abilities.
Johnson’s proudest moment so far is her promotion from contracting officer to team lead. She credits much of her success to her managers and mentors, including those in the African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG), who aided and guided her career. When the AAERG founders asked if she could help by giving back, she immediately said yes.
The theme for this year’s African American History Month was “Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories.” For Johnson, that theme takes a more personal path. Her stepfather is a history buff and is fond of paraphrasing 18th century philosopher Edmund Burke, saying, “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.”
“Hallowed grounds are the mistakes and lessons learned of those who proceeded me and the experiences that they shared,” Johnson said. She is mindful that her success builds on the advances of those who came before her. She feels an obligation to pay it forward by giving back to the AAERG and all young professionals.
Johnson feels that her reputation is one of her strongest attributes, and she’s determined to set a good example no matter where she is. When traveling abroad, she was frequently stared at because she stood out as an African-American woman.
“I tried to be mindful that this might be one of the only times they’ve been in contact with someone who’s a professional African-American,” Johnson said. “It’s important to behave in a way that protects your reputation, no matter what your race.”
Johnson credits her international contract experience with igniting a love of travel. In contrast with the meticulously planned work and travel associated with international contracts, she prefers her personal life to be more spontaneous. It doesn’t matter where she travels or even what movie she sees on weekends, she likes it spur-of-the-moment.
In fact, she thinks a spontaneous stance may be crucial to the way Procurement is evolving. As NASA commercializes space travel and technology, Johnson believes Procurement must adapt and be more creative in finding solutions that work while staying within the boundaries of the federal regulations.
As she navigates her career and life, Johnson says she has a few rules that she always honors: she refuses to take life for granted; she insists on living life with integrity; and she wants to be respected for being a contributor to NASA’s mission.
But, most of all, she aims to be prepared for anything that comes her way.
“Wherever life takes me, I’m ready,” Johnson said.
Michelle Fraser-Page
NASA Johnson Space Center