2022 Empowering Women in Missile Defense
Monday, Aug. 8, 2022 • VBC East Hall 1
Biographies of Panelists
The Women’s Business Council (WBC) of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber is pleased to present Empowering Women in Missile Defense, an opportunity to recognize and celebrate female voices from across the aerospace & defense industry and the roles they play in the missile defense mission.
Tay Fitzgerald
President of Strategic Missile Defense, Raytheon Missiles & Defense
Tay Fitzgerald is president of Strategic Missile Defense at Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a business of Raytheon Technologies. She leads a team that aligns to all Missile Defense Agency programs including development, production and deployed support of the U.S. missile defense system. Fitzgerald’s portfolio of advanced missile defense technologies includes command and control, sensors and effectors that enable a missile defense capability from detection to interception.
Before that she was acting vice president of Advanced Concepts and Technology for Raytheon Intelligence & Space, leading an innovative technology incubator that delivers emerging and disruptive solutions to ensure customers’ asymmetrical advantage.
Previously, Fitzgerald led a corporate cross-functional, cross-business team responsible for combining the four former Raytheon Company businesses into two Raytheon Technologies businesses, each with over $14 billion in sales, following the merger with United Technologies Corporation.
She was vice president of operations for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, responsible for the production of a diverse and complex product portfolio, and has held many other challenging technical and leadership positions throughout her career, including program director of a strategic proprietary program and SM-6® missile deputy director.
Fitzgerald holds an MBA from the University of Arizona and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Alabama and the University of Southern California, respectively.
Melissa E. Morrison-Ellis
Program Director, Raytheon Missiles and Defense
Melissa Morrison-Ellis is a director in the Strategic Missile Defense business for Raytheon Missiles and Defense, a business of Raytheon Technologies, which is one of the world's largest aerospace and defense companies, with 195,000 employees and $74 billion in annual sales.
Morrison-Ellis received the Yellow Hammer News, 2020 Alabamian Women of Honor distinction and was amongst just 12 leaders to receive the 2019 Program Leadership Award, the most prestigious award for Program Leaders within Raytheon. Morrison-Ellis was also recognized at the 2016 Women of Color STEM Conference receiving the Professional Achievement Award in Industry. Morrison-Ellis was recently featured in an anthology, Goodson and Rice (2019). Women in Leadership Living Beyond Challenges: 11 Stories of Courage and Triumph. Tucson: Amanda Goodson Global, LLC. Morrison-Ellis is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts USA and 2nd VP to their North-Central Alabama Board of Directors.
Morrison-Ellis is known for her high level of integrity, passion for details and realistic approach and leverages her strong change management and interpersonal skills to plan, track and promote transparency and collaboration across her programs. Morrison-Ellis excels at multitasking, strategic thinking and conflict resolution.
Morrison-Ellis is a seasoned instructor for Program Leadership for Integrated Product Team Leads, contributing directly to the knowledge of future leaders.
Morrison-Ellis earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University and attended Tufts University, where she received her master’s degree in engineering management.
Morrison-Ellis is a native of Arlington, Mass. and in 2018 relocated to Harvest, Ala. with her husband, Mark. She enjoys managing real estate investments in Pittsburgh, as well as traveling and at-home workouts, and strives to embrace a culture of work-life balance.
Morrison-Ellis excels as a leader in her profession and community, bolstered by a strong sense of self-discipline as well as her Christian beliefs. She uses her faith to get through the many tests and trials that come with being just a little bit different from the “norm”, and is in constant pursuit of her journey’s next stop.
She was vice president of operations for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, responsible for the production of a diverse and complex product portfolio, and has held many other challenging technical and leadership positions throughout her career, including program director of a strategic proprietary program and SM-6® missile deputy director.
Fitzgerald holds an MBA from the University of Arizona and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Alabama and the University of Southern California, respectively.
Jami Peyton
CEO, Canvas Inc.
Vice Chair - Small Business, Huntsville/Madison County Chamber Board of Directors
As CEO Jami Peyton is responsible for total management of the Canvas organization. With a desire to form a culture of creative excellence in business practices, she founded Canvas in 2007.
Peyton has over 20 years of experience in corporate roles and providing program, test, and integration management for numerous clients within the Department of Defense (DoD). Prior to starting Canvas, she gained experience in the workforce consulting with the DoD, Department of Labor, and Department of Agriculture programs.
Peyton earned an undergraduate degree in Accounting and Finance from Athens State University, a Master’s in Business Administration from Auburn University, and attended the Systems Engineering certificate program at Georgia Tech Research Institute. She is married to Mike Peyton, and they have four children.
PeggyLee Wright
Owner, THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
Executive Director, Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Foundation
PeggyLee Wright is a former U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk pilot, having served at the 82d Airborne Division, Honduras Central America, and Fort Lee, Va. Following her military career, she used her experience in DoD, logistics, leadership management, behavior analysis, and education to create a new approach to business development and solutions providing.
Just prior to turning 50 years old, Wright started THE COMPANY YOU KEEP, a Woman-Owned, Veteran-Owned Small Business located in Huntsville, Ala. THE COMPANY YOU KEEP brings expertise in organizational leadership, business development, and program management to enhance operations & logistics, training, and engineering capability for customers across the government, military, academic, nonprofit, and industrial enterprise.
THE COMPANY’S DoD contracting & industry clients include RippleWorx, LINC Research, Innovative International Technology, Systems Planning Analysis, DCS Corp, Transcend: The Fearless Company, & LSINC. Within the academic arena, THE COMPANY is leading development for the Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering (ASCTE), a state magnet school that is being hailed as a national model for the rest of the country.
Wright is active in several nonprofits within the Huntsville community. She is on the Board for Huntsville SOF Network, an affiliation of Huntsville's unique abilities, technologies, facilities, labs, programs, academia and government, all motivated to connect cutting edge solutions with Special Operations Forces across DoD/USSOCOM, National Intelligence Programs and Interagency. Bullets, Bourbon, and Barbeque is the nonprofit’s annual fundraiser, having raised over $50K this past summer, and donating it to Still Serving Veterans.
Wright is Dancing for H.E.A.L.S. this year in order to help provide medical, dental and optometry services to children in our local school systems. She is also a mentor for WEDC Foundation, providing academic and professional guidance to young women in our area. Wright is the President of the Executive Board for Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theatre & Academy.
Mother of four incredible kiddos, she has been with her husband, TJ Wright, for 25 years.
Alka Bhargav
Founder/President, AUM Foundation
2022 Chair – Women’s Business Council
Originally from India, Alka Bhargav is a social entrepreneur who has become an integral figure in the Huntsville community. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Rajasthan University in India, as well as her MBA from the Birla Institute of Technology & Sciences in India. When Bhargav emigrated to the United States, she earned her Master of Arts in Communication from Washington State University.
Subsequently, she worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor in Seattle. After moving to Huntsville in 2000, Bhargav began a career in human resources and recruiting. She retired as HR director for Tecvox OEM Solutions in 2013. Her 14 years of HR experience gave her keen insight into what companies look for in high-potential employees. For many years, Bhargav desired to use her own life experiences and professional knowledge to empower young women from under resourced backgrounds to dream big and create a path to achieve generational prosperity.
In 2013, her dreams became a reality when she and her husband started a nonprofit organization called the Aum Charitable Foundation. Now serving as Founder and Board Chair, Bhargav has provided over 150 girls with invaluable resources for their futures.
Besides running the Aum Foundation, she also has served on numerous boards including New Futures, the Madison City Disability Advocacy Board and the North Alabama Society of Human Resource Management. She also served as president of the Women’s Economic Development Council (WEDC) Foundation Board in 2017 and currently serves as vice chair of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber’s Women’s Business Council (WBC). Additionally, Bhargav enjoys giving back to the community through volunteer work for Habitat to Humanity, the American Heart Association, Asha Kiran, and more. In 2020, she was recognized as the Woman of the Year by the Psi Alpha Zeta chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority.
In her free time, Bhargav likes to dive into a good book, cook delicious meals, or try out the latest interior decorating trends.
Moderator:
Haley Baker
Morning News Anchor, WAFF-48
Haley Baker works at WAFF 48 News, the NBC affiliate in Huntsville.
Haley has been with the WAFF 48 team since 2018, and her news career spans 15 years in television news and freelance medical journalism. She has worked as an investigative reporter and news anchor in Tennessee, Texas, Kentucky, and Alabama.
Her husband, Josh, recently retired from the Army, and now works in industry. During his time in the service, he served two tours of duty in Iraq, and Haley served as a Family Readiness Group Leader among other military spouses of deployed soldiers. She and Josh have two young daughters.
QUESTIONS? CONTACT:
Ashley Engles-Ross
Vice President, Small Business
Chamber Liaison for the WBC
256-535-2043
