On International Womens Day, the ECE Diversity and Inclusion committee would like to highlight one of the first African American women to graduate our department, Ms. Lynne T. Hamilton-Jones.

Ms. Hamilton-Jones graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a commission in the U.S. Air Force. Prior to entering the corporate world, Lynne served 25 years in the USAF, she served as an engineer, technical acquisitions specialist, and project manager on major communication systems and aircraft development programs including F-16, Joint Strike Fighter, and C-17. She served as program director of a $500M Major Defense Acquisition Program before retiring as a Colonel in 2009. She has extensive knowledge of DOD acquisition policy and strategy, systems engineering management, and national security and strategic policy.

Lynne is currently the Senior Engineering Project Manager responsible for the timely execution, management, and reporting of the Department of Energys high priority cybersecurity capability projects. These projects are critical to the operations of our customers multiple networks across the customer enterprise. She also provides project management guidance to the Criterion Cybersecurity Project Team performing engineering work, project analysis and project coordination for those high-priority projects.

Over the past 12 years, Lynne has been a corporate executive in the defense industry performing roles in program management, corporate operations, cybersecurity management, and business development. She is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Project Management Professional (PMP) certified and Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) Level III Program Management certified. Lynne served as Chair of our Departments Industrial Advisory Board 2018-2020 and Vice Chair, 2016-2018.

Lynne also holds a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University, an M.A. in National Security Strategy from Naval Command & Staff College and M.S. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the National War College. She is a Life Member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

Lynne and her husband Ray, also retired from the Air Force, met at Virginia Tech and have been married for over 35 years. They have two children, Captain Marcus Jones, USAF, and Ms. Morgan Jones who is a 2020 graduate of Virginia Tech.