Celeste Volz FordCeleste Volz Ford

Celeste Volz Ford is the founder and CEO of Stellar Solutions, Inc., a professional aerospace engineering services firm. Under her guidance since its inception in 1995, Stellar Solutions has become a recognized leader in the aerospace field by participating in critically important government and commercial, national and international satellite programs.

Ms. Ford is well known and widely recognized, having served on congressional commissions in the aerospace industry as well as on panels focusing on entrepreneurship and women in business. She is a member of the University of Notre Dame College of Engineering Advisory Council, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the United States Space Foundation (USSF).

Ms. Ford began her career as a guidance and control engineer for COMSAT (Communications Satellite Corporation) in 1978. She left COMSAT to become a project manager at the Aerospace Corporation, where her work with NASA on the Space Shuttle led to recognition as "Woman of the Year" in 1984. Ms. Ford then joined Scitor Corporation where she successfully started and grew a satellite launch business. In 1995, she founded Stellar Solutions, which she has guided to a position of international prominence as a global provider of aerospace engineering expertise.

Ms. Ford has also been a recipient of the following awards:
  • 2003 Fortune Small Business Magazine "Best Bosses"
  • Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses (#9) - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal - August 2003
  • Top 100 Largest Women-Owned Businesses in the Bay Area - San Francisco Business Times - April 2003
  • 2001 NAWBO Enterprising Woman of the Year
  • 2001 Working Woman Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for "General Excellence"
  • "Outstanding Woman of 2000" presented by the American Business Women’s Council as part of the 21st Century Dynamic Women Awards
  • 2000 Working Woman Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards for "Best Employer" and "General Excellence"
  • President's Award from the National Association of Women Business Owners
  • Woman's Award of Achievement from the University of Notre Dame College of Engineering

Ms. Ford currently serves on the board of directors of the California Space Authority (CSA) and the Women's High Tech Coalition (WHTC). She holds a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.S. from Stanford University, both in Aerospace Engineering.

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