Taking Flight

— By Brendan J. O’Brien, Director of Communication

Modeling risk across the space enterprise. Assessing America’s air operations in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Instilling violence prevention measures within the United States Air Force.

The aforementioned are just a few of the responsibilities Amanda (Rasmussen) Gustave ’02 has had on her to-do list as an officer in the military. She also has a Master’s in Public Health from George Washington University, and another Master’s in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. She has managed a team of 60 military personnel. She has managed a project with a $600 million budget. She has served as a Master Mathematics Instructor in the U.S. Navy. These days, she is on active duty as a Joint Force Analyst at a top secret facility in Norfolk, Virginia. The team she oversees is responsible for managing global response to conflict and crises.

Yowza.

Her day-to-day life is made up of intelligence briefings and interactions with senior military and White House officials. If all this sounds like the stuff of a Grisham novel or a Netflix series, well, that’s because it is. The 2020 Netflix comedy series “Space Force” featuring Steve Carell is based on the work Gustave and her team did while part of a Space Task Force at the Pentagon.

“Our main focus was developing a foundational structure to create the most productive and capable force possible,” she says. “We dealt with a lot of ambiguity while interfacing with senior military, Congressional and White House officials. The show was based on our trials and tribulations. The production team actually came in to interview us. A lot of the comedic elements are true. During this time, I also learned the value of being able to articulate complex analytical topics to a nontechnical audience.”

Gustave does indeed possess an ability to make complex concepts easier to understand, to warmly welcome her listener or reader into the complexities of her world without making them feel overwhelmed.

Earlier this spring, we sent her a number of questions hoping she could find the time to reply. She did so…and then some.

Confident, articulate, and comfortable in her own skin, Gustave – as is often the case with intelligence officials –understood the assignment beyond the assignment, routinely taking advantage of an opportunity to weave Prairie’s impact into her answers.

Growing up, did you ever think you’d one day lead a Space Force Task Force team at the Pentagon?

Absolutely not!

However, I have always had a passion for aeronautics and space. The [Space Force Task Force] project was particularly challenging because the Space Force was in the early stages of development (pre-Congressional approval for a 6th service).

If you’re not in the military, most don’t realize that all military space capabilities – think GPS, weather satellites, intelligence satellites – were originally managed by the Air Force. Most people think it’s NASA, but they are completely different organizations. NASA is focused on exploratory space research and human spaceflight.

The primary focus of the Space Force Task Force team was to develop the foundational organizational structure that would create the most productive and capable force.

As you might imagine, I work in a very structured environment. Currently, I’m stationed at a Naval Base in Norfolk, VA in a top secret facility on the Joint Staff. “Joint Staff” refers to the fact that although I’m in the Air Force, I work in a Joint Service environment alongside Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force personnel.

The first thing my team does in the morning is a daily operations and intelligence briefing with the Pentagon (think Prairie morning meeting!). During this meeting, we get the most up-to-date information about the current global situation that will drive our daily actions. My office manages the deployment of forces in response to conflict/crisis. Therefore, in light of current events, there are busy days and there are BUSIER days.

My specific role is to conduct the analysis of the forces we have available to accomplish defined objectives. I try to take a break during the day for a workout since this always helps my focus and mental state. It also makes it easy to pass my annual fitness test!

The afternoon is usually a bit more predictable and I reserve this time for developmental work, which could mean data manipulation, coding, communication products with data visualizations, or meeting with my team to plan and strategize about upcoming tasks.

Whether it’s the way you lead your team in Virginia, or your decision to enroll in a MIT certificate program after already securing a pair of Master’s Degrees, it’s obvious the pursuit of knowledge is important to you. Where does that desire come from? Does it wane?

I have always been encouraged to be a lifelong learner — the influence came from parents, friends, mentors, and teachers at Prairie. Specifically, about Prairie, I feel extremely lucky to have been exposed to such a diverse variety of opportunities. Whether it was outdoor leadership training at Camp Manitowish, courses/travel immersion offered during Interim, innovative teaching techniques, or educators who were truly invested in their students, I always felt encouraged to be curious.

While my desire was fostered at a young age, perpetuating this desire came from surrounding myself with like-minded people, accepting new challenges, and just an overall curiosity about the world around me. Postformal education, travel has been my most influential “teacher.” Exposure to new cultures and being able to navigate new places, language barriers, public transportation, and enjoying different cuisine is a learning experience on its own.

I don’t think my desire wanes, but it does vary between periods of growth and fine-tuning. For example, for me currently, after just completing an AI/ML course, I won’t immediately launch into another one. I’ll take some time to apply what I learned in my work setting and try to develop the skill set of my team.

Math! While that probably isn’t a surprise, my close second was drama. I think it’s so important to be able to stand in front of an audience and speak about a topic, whether you’re an expert or a beginner. It is also an important skill to be able to read an audience and understand how that might change your delivery.

Math. Science. Engineering. Aeronautics. You’ve built a brilliant career on the backs of these things. When did you know you wanted them to be the focus of your life’s work?

I have always liked math and science, but I didn’t necessarily know they would be the focus of my work until I could envision myself in a career I love using these subjects.

I attended the Air Force Academy thinking I would be a fighter pilot and had my heart set on that. The Academy

“trend” at the time was that pilots were also aeronautical engineers so I promptly declared my major and didn’t look back. My junior year, after having the opportunity to shadow a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base during a summer immersion program, I quickly realized that might not be for me. I wanted a career path that focused more on working with teams on technical projects and solutions. This realization helped me understand and accept that there are MANY different career paths that can pertain to your interests.

I think Prairie’s culture also helped foster this frame of mind because I always felt supported to follow my unique interests. While I have undoubtedly focused in the technical realm, a very important component of every position I have held is the ability to communicate through formal technical writing and provide verbal presentations in front of a large audience. It might sound crazy, but this all began with practice at Prairie’s own morning meeting!

Do you think there’s such a thing as born leaders?

That’s a tough one. While I think some people are natural charismatic leaders, I believe that anyone can learn to lead. I think leadership is a set of skills that if practiced can be developed over time. A few important leadership skills I’ve used for teams I’ve led are:

1) Understanding how to be supportive when needed –whether this is on a personal level or for the entire team, leveraging knowledge of the situation and person serve as a foundation.

2) Influence your team to thrive and succeed – understand your team’s strengths and weaknesses and encourage their top performance.

3) Lead through action – take pride in your own work and health, make time for what’s important to you and enjoy life because people will notice and do the same.

What do you and your family do for fun?

My husband, Dimitri, and daughters, Chloe and Olivia, love hiking and going to the beach, as well as traveling together. Most of our travel involves going somewhere we haven’t been to explore and find the best local cuisine. My husband was born in Paris so we also love searching local bakeries for the best croissants. I have introduced him to O&H Kringle. He is a big fan.

The theme of this issue is women doing remarkable things in STEM. How has being a woman impacted your career path?

I had the privilege of serving under Gen (Ret.) Lori Robinson – look her up, she’s incredible and has a quick feature in TIME magazine called “Firsts.”

I admired the way she spoke about her accomplishments as a woman. Echoing her sentiments, she would have responded, “Yes, I am an engineer, Air Force Officer, data scientist, and I happen to be a woman...and now, let’s get to work!”

As a female in my field, you stand out which can be good and bad. That said, I do hold myself to a high standard and remind other women that our integrity needs to be remembered at all times so that we can help pave the way for those women just entering the field.

What piece of advice would you give a young girl reading this and thinking, ‘Wow, I would love to have a career like this when I grow up?’

Be curious!

Be willing to learn, ask questions, and receive new ideas. Specifically, if you’re interested in a career in STEM, it’s moving FAST. Our society’s reliance on technology and data has transformed all areas of our daily lives. Most decisions we make, even personal ones, are data driven. We buy items from Amazon that are based on our purchase data, we binge watch our shows based on our click metadata, we connect with people on social media platforms based on connection data, and the list goes on. I encourage everyone to find an area of the field to explore and be curious about. The impact this can have is immeasurable.

What do you miss most about Wisconsin?

That’s easy. Packer fans and Midwestern hospitality.