NASA Rocket Scientist Tracey Van Houten to Address Women of Inspiration Luncheon | Good for Santa Barbara

Girls Inc. of Carpinteria will celebrate the empowerment of women and girls at its annual Women of Inspiration fundraising luncheon, 12-1:30 p.m., Monday, April 11, at the organization’s campus, 5315 Foothill Road , Carpinteria.

The keynote speaker will be Tracey Van Houten, rocket scientist and chief engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

This year’s luncheon will honor four winners of the 2022 Women of Inspiration Awards: Lynda Fairly, Catherine Brozowski with the Audacious Foundation, and Mercedes Millington and Susan Torrey with the Mithun Foundation.

During his nearly two decades at JPL, Van Houten has worked on the Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rover missions, an Earth science mission called SMAP, and more than 100 conceptual space missions.

Currently the Principal Engineer of the Europa Clipper System Test Bed at JPL, Van Houten calls herself a “STEMinist” – an activist, advocate and mentor for women and all those who have historically been excluded from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“Our mission at Girls Inc. is to ignite the potential of girls so they can break through barriers, reach for the stars, and achieve their goals,” said Jamie Collins, Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Carpinteria.

“Tracy is a shining example of what it means to be strong, smart and bold; and her incredible story of discovering a world beyond her own underscores the importance of encouraging girls to dream big and follow their aspirations,” Collins said. “We are thrilled to have Tracey share her inspirational journey with the community at this year’s luncheon.

In 2017, Van Houten campaigned to be the first female engineer in the United States House of Representatives and is currently appointed by the State Assembly to the Technical Advisory Committee on Oil Spills and Recovery of California. She is a life member of the Society of Women Engineers, a California board member of the National Women’s Political Caucus, and an advocate for public schools.

Luncheon tickets are $75 and all proceeds will support Girls Inc. of Carpinteria’s mission to inspire girls to be strong, smart and bold. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 805-684-6364 or visit girlsinc-carp.org.