Tanya Pemberton is president and chief executive officer of The Aerospace Corporation, a leader in advancing national space capabilities. Pemberton, who assumed her role on October 18, 2025, is responsible for guiding Aerospace as it works to solve the hardest technical problems and deliver on national priorities.
Previously, Pemberton was executive vice president at Aerospace, working to strengthen the depth of Aerospace’s differentiating technical expertise and develop emerging capabilities like modeling and simulation, artificial intelligence, and data technologies that are critical to delivering integrated solutions across missions and customers. She has led significant strategic efforts to position Aerospace for the future and meet the evolving needs of our government partners, including long-term investments in Aerospace’s people and its world-class labs and facilities.
Prior to that, Pemberton was senior vice president of the National Systems Group, responsible for Aerospace’s support to the national security space and intelligence communities in the acquisition, launch, and orbital operation of advanced technology space systems and their supporting ground systems.
Before joining Aerospace, Pemberton was the chief information officer (CIO) and director of Information Technology (IT) Services for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). There, she led and directed NGA’s mission and enterprise IT development and operations, transforming NGA’s technical infrastructure into a modern, cloud-based, data-centric architecture to better serve the geospatial intelligence needs of the nation. As CIO, she also oversaw strategy, policy, implementation, and governance of NGA’s IT investments.
Pemberton has more than 30 years of experience in both industry and government, leading numerous major space development programs and overseeing the transformation of ground and data systems. This includes delivering large-scale technical systems and working problems across multiple business sectors (space systems, mission ground systems, information technology, and analytic organizations). Earlier in her career, Pemberton served at the National Reconnaissance Office, managing acquisition and development for technical programs in the Geospatial and Signals Intelligence Directorates. Most notably, she was program director for a next-generation, multibillion-dollar imaging satellite system, managing acquisition, development, and delivery. Her various senior executive assignments include chief of staff, associate deputy director for Science and Technology, and director of the intelligence community’s Open Source Center.
Education
Pemberton has a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the California Institute of Technology.
Awards and Honors
Pemberton received the NGA Distinguished Civilian Service Medal in 2019; the Presidential Rank Award in 2013; the NRO Gold Medal of Distinguished Service in 2009; the NRO Leadership Award in 2003; and the NRO Director’s Circle Award in 1999.
Affiliations
Pemberton is a member of the board of directors of Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded as a gateway to unite the global space community and advance its growth and success via education, collaboration, and information.