Ann McNair has worked with NASA for over 53-years.
"When I came to work, we were still using slide rules," said McNair.
She started out as a mathematician in her 20’s. Now, at age 75, McNair is the director of the Officer of Center Operations at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
She says her secret to working happily for so many years is just doing what she loves.
But a lot has changed since she starting working in 1958.
"Back in the old days, you could get by with not working with other people a lot because
a lot of people didn't know what you were doing. But it's an international world now," McNair said.
McNair says it's import to understand how critical it is to integrate across all dimensions of different cultures if we are going to be successful. That, she says, is the biggest challenge we have today.
"Now, my favorite part is really working with all the different people."
When McNair first starting working at NASA, she was one of the only women.
Now she is being honored with the
“Women Honoring Women” award from the nonprofit,
“Women’s Economic Development council of Huntsville” "To be at the point now that we have so many outstanding young women, not only in engineering, but across all the disciplines at the center, and to feel like I've made a difference with them, is just really so rewarding and touching," McNair said.
She says this award is unlike any other she has ever won.
"It's so different for me, because anything I've done has been in connection with the NASA. And to be recognized by this outstanding group of women leaders in the community is really, really an honor. It's really touched me deeply," said McNair.
