To stay ahead of the curve, the enterprising executive vice president of Information Systems and Global Services, who started her Lockheed career writing code for the Peacekeeper missile, has consistently delivered solutions for IT operations in the federal domain. Gooden told One-on-One in 2006, the year she was named Black Engineer of the Year, that change comes in three dimensions in the IT market. And it was the nexus of new technology, new customers, and new buyers that helped Gooden to first predict where technology would take a client and then develop a high-tech start up—Lockheed Martin Information Technology—to meet those business needs. She grew the unit over 10 years to become a multibillion dollar business.

“It started with generating a shared understanding of, and commitment to, the customer’s mission,” she says looking back. “We understood IT could improve operational efficiencies and, ultimately, delivery of services,” she says, adding, “People were inspired by the opportunity to make a difference, and when they understood that as the objective, they were on board.”

As vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Software Support Services unit in 1998, Gooden took a $43.9 million assignment that involved development and integration of software technology to support the Social Security Administration. Gooden conceived the architecture, which allowed for integration of distinct modules—her team wrote the software that pays social security checks.

It was while working on this software development project that she saw a fantastic IT opportunity, which would later become a driver in the establishment of Lockheed’s civil agency business. Gooden had not only seen the signs that the government intended to automate its gargantuan IT infrastructure, she also saw that if Lockheed were to unleash its potential to automate federal business processes, the company would improve efficiencies and delivery of social services.

With buy-in from Lockheed’s corporate leadership—$600,000 seed money and fifty-seven employees to pursue contracts—Gooden established the Lockheed Martin Information Technology unit. The venture brought in $24 million in its first year and grew to a multi-billion-dollar business over 10 years.

Following a realignment in 2003, the IT venture became a part of Lockheed’s Information Systems & Global Services business unit, which was established in February 2007. Today IS&GS includes a staff of 54,000 people in more than sixty countries working on more than 4,000 programs across the federal government, including the Department of Homeland Security. In 2008, IS&GS grossed $11 billion in sales.

Now Gooden has helped design IT that impacts daily life, where else does she see technology going?

“We appreciate millions of Americans rely on receiving an accurate check every month from the Social Security Administration,” she says. “We know millions of air travelers depend on a safe and efficient air traffic management system.  We understand warfighters need timely, tactical information to conduct their operational missions and come home safely,” she adds. “Along with increasing reliance on computer networks, warfighters and other government customers are facing a growing cyber security threat to their missions. Our employees appreciate the challenges our customers face, and they excel in leveraging the vast capabilities of our corporation to create compelling solutions that meet their requirements, ” she says.
 
In 2009, the government announced its goal to build a highly trained federal cybersecurity workforce. Check the Special Career Section (USBE&IT Homeland Security, Government, & Defense Edition)
for mission-critical jobs that deal with the evolving nature of cyber threats.