Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Ezinne Uzo-Okoro (MPA 2021)

Overview

Dr. Ezinne Uzo-Okoro (MPA 2021) determines civil and commercial space policy for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Her portfolio includes Orbital Debris, In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM), Earth Observations, Space Weather, Aeronautics, and Planetary Protection.  

She holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; masters’ degrees in Systems Engineering, Space Robotics, and Science & Technology Policy, from Johns Hopkins University, MIT, and the Harvard Kennedy School, respectively; and is the only Black woman to earn a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. 

Share a little bit about your background. What sparked your interest in engineering and more specifically, space?

I wanted to become an inventor since I was nine years old. In fact, I studied Computer Science in college because I felt that it would be the shortest path to becoming an inventor. I thought that learning about software could help me to solve many of the problems I noticed as I was growing up. 

My interest in Computer Science eventually led me to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). At a college job fair, I remember challenging the NASA recruiter because he was not accepting resumes. After he explained that he was simply there to expand awareness, I made the case that my classmates and I needed to be hired by organizations like NASA. He asked to see my resume and the rest was history. I joined NASA and felt like a kid in a candy store. 

At NASA, I supported seven missions as an engineer providing software and hardware expertise. After those missions, my path evolved from serving as a hands-on engineer to managing people and dozens of programs, and leading missions as a program executive. After 17 years of deep engineering experience and a role in over 60 missions, the White House called, and I moved into policy-making. 

How did your professional path lead you to the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)?

I have always had an interest in ideas and inventions that support global good and advance humanity. For example, before HKS I was building robots that could assemble small satellites. I was also examining possibilities for growing food on Earth and in space to address global food security challenges. I realized that at some point, I would need to merge these divergent aerospace, robotic, and food security interests, and learn how to work with policymakers to ensure that some of these ideas and inventions could become reality.

I came to HKS to learn from policymakers. I wanted to understand how decisionmakers write and develop good policy so that I could converse with them in the future about inventions and ideas that advance the global good. I was also clear about the fact that I did not want to learn solely about space policy. I believe that good policy is good policy, regardless of the subject matter. 

HKS ended up changing my life and career trajectory by facilitating my transition into policymaking. By the time I was writing my finals at HKS, I had accepted and began a position at the White House. I went from wanting to simply learn how to work with policymakers to support future conversations about advancing science and technology-related interests to having the opportunity to serve as a policymaker at the highest levels of government.

How did your HKS experience impact your post-HKS career? 

 I joined the White House Office of Science and Technology as an engineer with 17 years of rich engineering experience. What was special about HKS was that beyond my technical experience, it allowed me to amass knowledge and first-hand stories from seasoned government leaders who had served other White House administrations and draw from their policy experiences to inform my own thinking in my new position. HKS provided a unique and privileged opportunity to be taught by policymakers who had held similar positions and lived the experiences I was encountering. At HKS, I remember professors sharing experiences that made sense while I was at the school, which became even more relevant once I was on the job. 

What challenges did you encounter as you transitioned from technical program management roles to policymaking roles? What have you found most fulfilling as a policymaker?

One challenge was coming out of the NASA bubble to learn the intricacies of how the White House ecosystem and Executive Branch operate. I had been a NASA program executive leading missions, helping to energize teams, and working to set a vision for the program. I had always been taught that you should not become a manager right away and that there is value in gaining expertise and depth in a particular skill. A great thing about the policy world was that there are so many different people with different backgrounds writing and developing policy. There are young people on Capitol Hill and in the White House writing and shaping policy. 

One of the most fulfilling things about working as a policymaker has been the opportunity to positively shape policy by providing technical context and perspectives for colleagues. It became very clear, very quickly, that there is value in having policymakers with science and technology backgrounds to support policy making in their area of discipline. Someone who has had experience performing or leading the work in question can help think through the various levels that may be needed to implement a policy.

What topic would you select if you could return to HKS to teach?

I returned to HKS as a guest lecturer to discuss mining on the moon, and it was a lot of fun. We did a bit of role play with the students (pretending to serve in my current role) advising me (acting as the U.S. President) on space policy. There are so many topics I would enjoy covering if I were to return. Space sustainability and orbital debris, building new technologies and capabilities to enhance life on earth, using robotics and artificial intelligence to improve manufacturing and my favorite topic, galvanizing a space economy to add to our GDP, are just a few of the many topics I would enjoy discussing with HKS students.

Any final words?

I would like to highlight the importance of the HKS community. I found the community to be incredibly supportive, enriching, and encouraging. The HKS community feels like a family and that is something that is valued and needs to be protected.