Periodically, the APL Chapter of the Johns Hopkins University Women's Network features female staff members who are making contributions to the Laboratory's mission.

Dr. A. L. Barrios

Dr. A. L. Barrios is currently the Aegis BMD Assistant Program Manager in the Air and Missile Defense Program Office of the Air and Missile Defense Department. She earned a B.S. in aerospace engineering in 1993, an M.S. in aerospace engineering in 1995, and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering in 1996 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. While there she performed theoretical and experimental work on single plate interferometry and boundary layer stability in steady and unsteady turbine blade flows, both cooled and uncooled.

Barrios joined the Physics and Modeling Group at APL as a postdoctoral fellow in 1996 where she investigated water wave mitigation. She became Senior Professional Staff in 1998 as a member of the Aerospace Sciences Group. While with that group her research included the development of advanced ignition concepts within scramjet combustors, assessment of advanced gas turbine engine cycle concepts for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), aero/thermodynamic evaluation of missile strakes and nosecones, optical instrumentation development for missile lethality assessment, and algorithm development for missile typing and tracking. In January 2002 she joined the Electro-Optical Systems Group. Her research included the simulation and evaluation of boost and terminal phase missile intercept scenarios for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and technical direction in electro-optical sensors for MDA’s Sensors Directorate and Tactical Services Element. Angela joined the Air and Missile Defense Program Office in 2004 as the SM-3 Project Manager for Kinetic Warheads and Avionics. She earned an additional M.S. in electrical and computer engineering in 2002 from The Johns Hopkins University in digital and communications signal processing and completed an M.B.A. in technology management from the University of Phoenix in January 2006.

Some of Barrios' most satisfying accomplishments are being a U.S. delegate to the NATO Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense, being an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) subject matter expert, assisting in the development of an MDA agency-wide EO/IR strategy, and being a CONTOUR accident investigation subject matter expert. She is also interested in the martial arts. Angela is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the International Society for Optical Engineering.

Here at APL, Barrios considers herself lucky to work with some of the top individuals in their fields and to have the opportunity to perform work and shape the future direction of efforts in the defense of our nation, friends, and allies.

S. Brethauer, an HR compensation analyst, joined the Laboratory in 2006. She is the coordinator for the Laboratory-wide salary review process and the Special Achievement Award program administrator for budget and issue resolution. In addition, she is teaming with ITSD on the PeopleSoft 8.9 upgrade, does market comparisons for various job classifications, and contributes to special projects on behalf of the HR Central Services Group. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and is a Certified Compensation Professional. Sara has 12 years of human resources experience in the recruiting, benefits, and compensation areas, across a variety of industries including temporary placement, manufacturing, and telecommunications.

For Brethauer, the opportunity to create process improvements and further automate the flow of information through technology is consistently rewarding. During her tenure with Nextel Communications, Inc., she created an automated scorecard to analyze and forecast benefit costs. The Corporate Executive Board Group adopted Nextel’s process as a best practice to share with other organizations. Sara applauds the direction in which the Laboratory is going: APL recognizes that in order to prosper and ensure its future, it also needs to embrace state-of-the-art technology.

When not at work, Brethauer enjoys reading, cross-stitching, and enjoying time with her family and friends. She is also a member of WorldatWork.

M. Chen is a Senior Professional Staff member in the National Security and Technology Department. She is the Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009 Controls Subsystem Development co-lead. Chen has worked at APL for almost 12 years. She has a B.S.E.E. and a B.S. in bioengineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and an M.S.E.E. from The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering. Her experience is in designing and developing biomedical imaging systems and other sensor systems. Her most satisfying accomplishment is assisting in staff career development. Chen enjoys the diversity in staff expertise and program/project diversities. Her other interests are music and her children.

D. Farrar is a Professional Staff member in the Sensor Science Group of the Research and Technology Development Center. She is currently working on two different research programs in the fields of MEMS and nanotechnology, one involving an optically transduced MEMS gyroscope and the other involving field emission from carbon nanotubes for electronic devices, including terahertz sources. She has been at APL for 6 years. Farrar has a B.S. in physics (cum laude) with a minor in chemistry from Lincoln University, a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland College Park, and an M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from The Johns Hopkins University, and she is currently pursuing  her Ph.D. Her doctoral work involves the use of a bipolymer composite with piezoelectric properties. She has served as engineering lead for the Boot PROM Assembly associated with the New Horizons mission to Pluto, as lead electrical engineer for the Variable Emittance MEMS Technology associated with the Space Technology-5 (ST-5) mission through NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, as program manager for the ElectroStatic Thermal Switch (patented technology), and as technical lead for the MidSTAR program. Given her multi-disciplinary background, Farrar enjoys the variety of projects that she has had the opportunity to work on. Each task is approached differently depending on the final application, and she believes it is this level of diversity that aids in her development as an engineer. In her spare time she enjoys mentoring, running, reading, and traveling. Farrar is a member of the APL Gospel Choir, the International Microelectronics and Packaging Society, the Materials Research Symposium, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers.

Y. M. Feilinger has been at APL for 5 years. She is the department administrator for the Applied Information Sciences Department (AISD) and supports R. Semmel, the department head, and his staff. In addition to her administrative responsibilities, Feilinger researches special topics and coordinates off-site meetings for the AISD leadership and develops plans and procedures to streamline department operations. She also works with JHU to assist in administration of the computer science and information systems and technology professional graduate programs.

One of Feilinger’s most satisfying activities is mentoring and providing help to other APL support staff members, thereby enhancing their productivity and enabling them to meet their goals. She enjoys working at APL because its atmosphere encourages creativity and innovation and allows her to meet interesting people with various backgrounds.

Before coming to APL Feilinger worked in the food brokerage business as an office manager and sales executive. She then went to work for a start-up software development company as a business manager. Feilinger is a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals and is on the committee of the JHU/APL Support Staff Development Working Group. Her long-term goal is to complete her degree in business management and apply her expertise to additional areas of laboratory operations.

E. A. Fields has been an APL staff employee for 12 years. She was an APL resident subcontractor in the Space Department in SDO Publications for two years before joining the APL staff. She transferred to the Budget Office and approximately 5 years ago moved into the National Security Technology Department (NSTD). She is currently an office administrator for NSTD’s C4 and Decision Technologies Group. One of Fields’ most satisfying accomplishments is turning a “bad” day into a “good” one. She enjoys the friendship, humor, and spontaneity of her job. Her supervisor says that “Fields is the only person in the group that ‘knows what is going on’ from all perspectives, and that is a testament to her good nature, trust-worthiness, and compassion that she shares with each of us.” Fields likes knowing that she can find other opportunities at APL. She also appreciates the diversity efforts as APL encourages the different ethnic culture clubs. Her family is one of the four founding members of Corner Stone Ministries Church where she is the head greeter and a member of the missionary board and the hospitality group. Her desires are to continue to help her co-workers in doing their work and fulfilling their responsibilities. She wants to continue to be a valued team player in her group.

K. Flester is an office administrator in the Electronic Systems Group in the Space Department. She has worked at APL for 24 years and has a B.A. in sociology and an M.A. in instructional systems development. Although the majority of her work experience has been as an office administrator, Kathy has some experience teaching elementary and middle school. Her proudest accomplishments are her three children. Flester considers APL to be a comfortable place of employment. Although the work can sometimes be challenging, assistance from other staff members at all levels is always available. Her weekends are often spent with her two grandchildren. She also enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, baking, and decorating. Flester's long-term goals include travel and student and adult mentoring.

L. Herrera is a Senior Staff software developer for the Ground Applications Group in the Space Department. She has worked at APL for 6.5 years and has a B.S. in computer science from Texas A&M University and an M.S. in computer science from The Johns Hopkins University. She was instrumental in transforming the mission operations software to be the basis for the common ground system for APL in operating multiple NASA missions. With that experience she stepped into a research role at APL in the areas of anomaly detection and space asset management and protection. She is currently working across organizational boundaries and collaborating with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Aerospace Corporation to meet the next-generation challenges in ground system architectures and space asset protection. Herrera is also the principal investigator on a research project to investigate the use of neural networks to detect and analyze spacecraft anomalies, which builds upon the Satellite as a Sensor (SAS) technology. Her work at APL has already made a mark in this research, and she has been invited to participate in continued Air Force Research Laboratory research to enhance U.S. Space Situational Awareness. In the fall of 2005 she was invited to speak at a technology colloquium series at the Baltimore Space Telescope Science Institute. She also served as a panelist during a session for the Ground System Architectures Workshop 2006 and the 8th JPL-GSFC Quality Mission Software Workshop 2006 conference. She was a 2006 Women of Color Technology All-Star Winner.

Herrera is a volunteer at the Laurel Boys and Girls Club, a volunteer for Voices for Children as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise, and a member of APL’s Hispanic Awareness Club, Exercise Club (club trainer), Young Professionals Network Club, and Health Improvement Committee.

D. Humphreys is the supervisor of the General Administrative Services Section within the Global Engagement Department’s Administrative Services Group. She has worked at APL for 26 years. Dee was hired by APL as a secretary in 1980. Over the years, she progressed up the secretarial/administrative career ladder to the level of administrative assistant. In 2001, Humphreys was reclassified to Associate Professional Staff; in 2006 she was appointed section supervisor.

Humphreys has had a number of satisfying accomplishments, including being reclassified as Associate Professional Staff and being appointed section supervisor. She likes working at APL because it is an organization where, through your own efforts, commitment, and dedication, you can make a significant contribution in an area that really does make a difference. As for outside interests, it’s family first and then a close second between golf and travel. Humphreys is a member of the International Facility Management Association and the International Communications Industries Association. Her long-term goal is to help build the General Administrative Services Section into a team of top-notch administrative service providers by assisting each member in achieving their full potential and after that, maybe Senior Professional Staff.

S. L. Shipley is an administrative secretary in the Air and Missile Defense Department (AMDD) for the Sensor and Communication Systems Branch. She is a member of the AMDD Mentoring Team. Shipley began working at APL in 1996 in the Fleet Systems Department as a senior secretary, and she is now a branch secretary. She also assists with four of AMDD’s closed areas’ eight protection profiles and is the Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) for two classified laptops. Shipley hopes she makes a difference to the people around her. She enjoys sharing what she knows with others and helps out in any way that she can. She thinks that all of us at APL make a difference in our communities as well as our nation. Susan is a member of the Heart of Maryland Classic Chevy Club, which supports the local chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association as its main charity.

A. P. Smalls is a financial reporting accountant in the Accounting and Finance Group of the Business Services Department (BSD). She has worked at APL for 1.5 years. She has an M.B.A. in finance from American University and a B.S. in accounting from the University of Maryland. Smalls reviews financial statements, prepares analysis of fiscal performance, and reviews financial reports for restricted funds. She also coordinates the annual financial and A-133 audit. She assisted in the development and implementation of the BSD New Staff Orientation Program.

Smalls previously worked at KPMG/Outsource Partners International where she served as the assistant controller for non-profit clients. She also worked at Marriott International where she managed the capital budget process for domestic and international lodging properties. In addition, she was a volunteer for Community Tax Aid where she prepared federal and state tax returns for low-income families.

One of Smalls' most satisfying accomplishments is assisting with the implementation of the new staff orientation program. Angie feels that it is imperative to ensure that new staff members are comfortable over the long term. She likes working at APL because of the goodwill and lighthearted rapport with her coworkers. Her supervisor’s support of her career growth and well-being exemplifies the Laboratory’s strong support of continuing education. Smalls is a member of the Greater Washington Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. She also enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, traveling, and reading.

A, Sutton is currently the department secretary for the Research and Technology Development Center. She was hired in April 2006 as the administrative secretary for the Business Area Executive but was quickly promoted to be department secretary, taking on much more responsibility. Sutton has over 15 years’ experience in the administration field. One of her greatest accomplishments is finding a balance between a challenging career and raising her children. Sutton feels that APL is a great place to work because employees are given such high value and each staff member is seen as an integral part of the organization. APL also encourages employees to set goals and provides them with the support and education needed to achieve them. She enjoys spending time with her children and is an avid Raven’s fan. Angie is a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals, and she would like to continue her education by obtaining a degree in business administration.