Yolanda has been in the Department of Defense for over 40 years in the capacity of a United States Marine Corps servicemember, Defense Contracted Systems Engineering, and Civil Servant. As an Operational Research Analyst serving as the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command Science Technology Engineering and Math Federal Action Officer (NAVWAR STEM FAO) national lead and the Naval Information Warfare Center STEM Director. In the role of NAVWAR STEM FAO, she has provided input that positively impacts Naval STEM in policy, strategies, and evaluation and led STEM programming across the Naval Information Warfare Centers Pacific and Atlantic across six states. As NAVWAR STEM FAO, STEM Director, and strategist, she is keenly adept in operationalizing initiatives into actionable efforts. 

In addition to being recognized for best practices, she has created collegiate outreach programs, mentored and professionally developed team members and colleagues, and during COVID, designed and implemented STEM virtual internship programming, which incorporated the 21st-century skills of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking.  As a leader with a growth mindset, her teams pivoted, reimagined, and synergized NAVWAR STEM during the first nine months of the COVID pandemic, which resulted in over 100 events. Over her tenure, NAVWAR increased STEM insight, awareness, and opportunities to tens of thousands of students each year, focusing on developing a technologically Department of Defense future workforce by engaging the workforce of tomorrow through STEM.

In her current role at Northrop Grumman, she is the Pathways Engineering Department Manager in Space Systems Payload and Ground Systems. The Pathways program within her department is a three-year rotational program for entry-level professionals. Through three rotational opportunities, employees have guided intentional experiences to acquire a breadth of technical skills to establish a foundation in their careers and develop business acumen. In leading this department, she continues to build upon her passion and purpose of contributing to STEM avenues to the workforce and developing early career STEM professionals.

She continues to embrace complex problems and the intersection of analysis, strategy, and action while using research to positively inform and impact STEM education in the workforce. Yolanda has a B.S. in Computer Information Systems, a Graduate Certificate in Counseling, an M.A. in Education, and completing a Doctorate at Northeastern University in Education with a dissertation emphasis in STEM.