Women@NASA 2015 Cindy Stemple

Biography

In 1981, Cindy Stemple graduated from Long Beach High School in Long Beach, Mississippi. She continued her education by attending Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi where she graduated cum laude, earning a Bachelor of Science in computer science in 1985. Stemple co-op’d as an information technology instructor at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. In 1989, Stemple started working at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama as a software engineer. She designed and developed data systems for testing NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and vital International Space Station Science facilities, including the Microgravity Glovebox and the Materials Science Research Rack. In 2008, she became the data systems lead for lander technology development project, and then eventually became the assistant project manager. In 2012, she was named Deputy Manger of Program Planning and Control of the Flight Programs and Partnerships Office. During a detail assignment, Stemple worked for the NASA Headquarters Office of Agency Council Staff to develop decision packages for Agency leaders. In 2015, Stemple was named the acting project manager for the SERVIR project. SERVIR, a joint venture between NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development in Washington, provides state-of-the-art, satellite-based Earth monitoring, imaging and mapping data, geospatial information, predictive models and science applications to improve environmental decision-making among developing regions in eastern and southern Africa, the Hindu-Kush region of the Himalayas and the lower Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia. She has received a variety of awards during her NASA career, such as the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Engineering Director’s Commendation, Space Flight Awareness Honoree, and the NASA Silver Achievement Medal. Stemple enjoys new hobbies, challenges and ways to serve her community outside of work. She loves to bake bread, water ski and travel with her husband. In 2011, she became a Hero of Hope for the American Cancer Society, acting as its ambassador, encouraging others affected by cancer. Stemple continues to check off her bucket list interests, such as participating in half-marathons and triathlons.