How do you engage a workforce of 8,000 employees? How do you keep your own career going while at the same time groom leaders across your organization? What do C-suite leaders look for when they decide who to sponsor? Listen to Shan Cooper, Vice President and General Manager at Lockheed Martin share her insights.
Shan Cooper is Vice President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and General Manager of the company’s Marietta, Ga., facility. She is also in charge of the company’s subassembly sites in Meridian, Miss., and Clarksburg, W.Va. She was named to her current position in January 2011. As General Manager, she is responsible for the more than 8,000-employee Marietta operation, which designs, produces, modifies and maintains military aircraft for the United States and air arms of nations around the world. Marietta programs include the C-130J Super Hercules, F-22 Raptor, P-3 Orion, C-5M Super Galaxy and F-35 Lightning II.
Mrs. Cooper previously served as Vice President of Human Resources for Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions (IS&GS), based in Gaithersburg, Md. An experienced operational leader, she was responsible for all aspects of the Human Resources function for 36,000 employees based in 48 U.S. states and 64 countries. Before moving to IS&GS, Mrs. Cooper was Vice President and Deputy of Human Resources for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company with responsibility for Human Resources operations and site security for more than 27,000 employees across the country. At the same time, she served as Human Resources Site Lead for the Marietta, Meridian and Clarksburg sites.
She joined Lockheed Martin in 2002 as Senior Manager, Diversity Workforce Management. While at corporate headquarters, she progressed through positions of increasing responsibility before being named Vice President, Diversity and Equal Opportunity Programs in 2004. Before joining Lockheed Martin, Mrs. Cooper held leadership positions with Lucent Technologies and consulted with various other Fortune 500 companies. She has received several national honors, including the Women of Color in Technology Corporate Responsibility Award and the YWCA Tribute to Women of Achievement. She was named to Diversity MBA Magazine’s 2009 Top 100 Under 50 Executives and one of Georgia Trend Magazine’s Most Influential Georgians in 2012.
Mrs. Cooper is on the board of Boy Scouts of America Atlanta Area Council, the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee. She also is a member of The Executive Leadership Council and the Marietta Kiwanis Club. She sits on the Board of Trustees for the Woodruff Arts Center and the WellStar Foundation, both in Atlanta.
She holds an MBA from the Roberto C. Goizueta Business School at Emory University and is a graduate of the Rutgers Global Executive Masters in Human Resource Leadership Program.
