2006 Black Engineer of the Year Award winner Linda Gooden has been elected chair of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, USM announced today.

Gooden joined the board in July 2009. She retired as executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services and Officer of the Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Her many external awards include Maryland Business Hall of Fame, Corporate Board Top 50 Women in Technology, and Greater Washington Contractor Awards’ Executive of the Year.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Technology from Youngstown State University and a bachelor’s in Business and Administration and MBA from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC).

Following her election, Gooden gave a statement as the new Chair of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents on the recent controversy.

“While the board’s decision was far from unanimous, and many members voted a different way, everyone on the board now understands that the board’s personnel recommendations were wrong. For that, we apologize to the McNair family, the University of Maryland, College Park community, and to the citizens of our state. Our goal as a board is to govern in a manner that affords every student an opportunity for a safe, affordable, and quality education experience. Under my leadership, this board will accomplish that goal by recommitting to the principle of shared governance,” she said.

Gooden hopes to set up meetings with stakeholders in Annapolis and at the University of Maryland, College Park and across the system.

One of the most respected business leaders in defense and aerospace during her 40-year career, Gooden also serves on the Board of Directors of General Motors, Automatic Data Processing, Inc., The Home Depot, Inc., and Washington Gas Light Company.

Earlier, this year, Gooden presented the 2018 Black Engineer of the Year Award to GM’s Alicia Boler Davis during the 32nd Annual BEYA STEM Conference in Washington D.C.