Judith Kersey

Judith A. Kersey (born 1943) is an American engineer. She was the first woman guidance systems engineer at NASA Kennedy Space Center.

Education As a student at the University of Florida, Kersey initiated and chaired the first Florida State Symposium for Women in Engineering and Science in 1974. In 1975, she became a senior member of the Society of Women Engineers and was elected the national career guidance committee chair.

Career After earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering, she joined the engineering team at Kennedy Space Center. As one of the first female engineers at the spaceport, Kersey was not listened to by her superiors. After warning a senior engineer of a potential mistake, which was proven to be the correct judgment, she was promoted to the Systems Assurance Office to ensure similar mistakes were avoided. and received the Kennedy Space Center Federal Woman of the Year Award, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and was selected as a Fellow Member of the Society of Women Engineers. Upon her retirement, Kersey sat as a member of the Society of Women Engineers's electronic communications committee and a member of the scholarship committee.