Linda R. Gooden retired as the Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Solutions (IS&GS) business area and an officer of the Lockheed Martin Corporation after nearly 40 years working in the Aerospace and Defense industry. Under her leadership, IS&GS included 40,000 experienced professionals who established a world-class cyber center; created digital platforms; led large scale transformations; and provided integrated mission critical information solutions, cyber solutions, and services in support of worldwide missions for civil, defense: intelligence and other government customers. The business was one of four principal business areas within Lockheed Martin; generated over $10 billions of annual sales; and operated in all 50 U.S. states and 20 countries around the world.
Ms. Gooden actively supports professional, academic and civic organizations, serving on numerous executive boards including Chairing Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) International; Chairing the University System of Maryland Board of Regents; and the American Heart Association. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for General Motors, Home Depot, and Washington Gas. She was appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) in 2010.
Fortune magazine named Ms. Gooden as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for the 3 consecutive years. In 2020, she received the Maryland Speaker’s medallion in recognition of her distinguished service to Maryland. Other honors include The Washingtonian magazine that recognized her as one of Washington’s Most Powerful Women as well as being inducted into the Career Communications’ Hall of Fame. Ms. Gooden was featured as one of Black Enterprise magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America. Ms. Gooden was inducted into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame and named to Corporate Board Member Magazine’s Top 50 Women in Technology. She was selected in 2007 as Executive of the Year by the Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards and in 2006 as Black Engineer of the Year by U.S Black Engineer and IT magazine.
Prior to assuming the current role, Ms. Gooden was Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin’s Information Technology & Global Services business area, and before that she was the Founder and President of Lockheed Martin Information Technology, a business unit she grew from $8 million to become a $2.5 billion-dollar business.
She received a degree in Computer Technology from Youngstown State University. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College. In 2005, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from the University of Maryland Global Campus in recognition of her service to the community and to higher education; in 2010, an Honorary Doctorate in Law from Morgan State University; and also, an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from Drexel University in 2012. She also successfully completed the Executive Program Manager course at the Defense Systems Management College and achieved Cyber Board Certification by NACD and Carnegie Mellon.
She and her husband Laird reside in the Annapolis area of Maryland.
Linda R. Gooden