Published Aug 15, 2023
Karen Hudson is an accomplished Avionics Engineering Division chief at the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center. Her team provides technical support and leadership in creating, developing, testing, and deploying airborne weapons systems.
Karen began her career as a co-op student in electronic warfare in the Threat Warning and Expendables Branch, and is an expert in avionics design, development, integration, testing, mission planning, and managing & integrating complex mission systems.
Her latest task is establishing the Acquisition Spectrum Management Office in the Avionics Engineering Division. The certification activities of spectrum management will support new program offices.
Karen has over 30 years of experience in avionics engineering at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Her career is a model for engineers advancing into leadership roles.
She finds mentoring and providing career guidance to young engineers across the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center to be one of the most fulfilling aspects of her job.
She has dedicated countless hours to advising engineers on how to succeed in their engineering careers. Karen is a visionary leader and a role model for women and minority science and engineering professionals who believe in the Air Force, the mission, and core values.
Karen is recognized by her peers for her ability to recruit, develop, motivate, and retain qualified engineers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), significantly contributing to the organization's success in exceeding its diversity, equity, and inclusion goals in hiring and promotion.
Karen is proud to have been recruited from an HBCU and is an example of technical leadership in the Engineering Directorate. She earned her electrical engineering degree from Tuskegee University and a master's degree in administration from Central Michigan.
She is currently tasked with assisting her engineering director in hiring more than 700 engineering professionals, with a focus on HBCUs for the best and brightest engineering talent to fill those positions.
