Our Founder
Dr. Lauren Goodwin is a dynamic leader and visionary who blends strong technical expertise with a people-first approach to achieve mission-driven success. With over 20 years of experience in leadership roles, including Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, and Chief Information Officer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Lauren has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Technology Executives for her ability to deliver innovative, high-impact results.
Lauren’s leadership philosophy is built on hiring individuals who bring not only exceptional technical skills but also a collaborative mindset and a positive attitude. She believes that technical excellence is amplified when combined with teamwork and a shared commitment to serving others.
Her career highlights include modernizing technology for multi-billion-dollar global programs, streamlining engineering delivery timelines for a $3.4 trillion organization from 48 weeks to just 2, and leading SpaceX’s Cybersecurity Assurance Program to certify the Crew Dragon Space Vehicle for human spaceflight. As a Lean Six Sigma-certified professional, she has also optimized operations for $130 billion in global energy assets. She has slashed data and technology spending for multiple U.S. Federal agencies and Global Organizations totaling over $250 million in total savings. Her approach to be better, faster, cheaper is achieved with small, mission focused teams of engineering and data expertise that swiftly identify waste and deploy solutions to eliminate it.
In addition to her professional achievements, Lauren serves as a professor at Columbia University, teaching Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence courses. Lauren holds a Master of Science from Columbia University and a Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
At Mission Ops, Lauren has built a fun, creative, and forward-thinking organization where bold ideas meet meaningful execution. Her belief in fostering strong partnerships and prioritizing cost saving measures ensures a collaborative and innovative environment where organizations can thrive and achieve transformative results.
