Amanda Simpson Vice President, Research and Technology Airbus Americas

Amanda Simpson is the Vice President for Research and Technology at Airbus Americas and is responsible for coordinating technology development, research activities, and innovation for Airbus in the western hemisphere. She is also the Head of Sustainability efforts for Airbus in the Americas.

Previously Ms. Simpson was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy at the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible for developing the strategy for the utilization of energy for military operational forces worldwide and the senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense for all matters pertaining to energy in our military. Prior to accepting that responsibility, she was the Executive Director of the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives, an organization developing large scale renewable energy projects to bring energy security to Army installations leveraging private sector financing.  In addition, she has held senior government roles in the office of the Army Acquisition Executive and the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Prior to her government appointments, Ms. Simpson had distinguished program management career in the aerospace industry working for Raytheon, Hughes Aircraft, Douglas Aircraft, and Hughes Helicopters.

Ms. Simpson has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including the Tucson YWCA Woman on the Move, Arizona Human Rights Fund Individual Award, National Conference for College Women Student Leaders Women of Distinction Award, and was named an Outstanding Alumni of Harvey Mudd College. She is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the Department of Defense Pride Civilian Leadership Award. Her team received the DARPA Award for Significant Technical Achievement in 1999. Ms. Simpson earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Harvey Mudd College, a Master of Science in Engineering from California State University, and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Arizona. She is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics serving on the Systems Engineering Technical Committee, Executive Steering Committee, and Corporate Member Committee. She is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and serves on the board of the Washington DC Chapter. She serves on the boards of directors of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Thermal Batteries Inc., and chairs the board of directors of the Airbus Institute for Engineering Research.

Ms. Simpson holds both an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and a Certified Flight Instructor license, and has logged nearly 3,000 hours of flying in more than 60 different types of aircraft including floatplanes, flying boats, unmanned drones, and multi-engine jets.