REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (Feb. 26, 2024) – After 33 years as a member of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center, Technology Development Directorate Principal Deputy Susan Dunbar is retiring from federal service.
But what is not widely known is that missile subject matter expert is actually Dunbar’s second career.
“I was a critical care nurse,” Dunbar said, as she looked back over a professional life that took a turn early on.
Dunbar spent five years in nursing, but after she saw that the high stress of the critical care profession was going to eventually lead to burnout, started thinking about a career change. She initially considered anesthesia school, but her love of math and science led her to earn a degree in electrical engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. After graduation, she came onboard with an earlier incarnation of the Aviation & Missile Center and has never looked back.
Dunbar leaves the Center a better place for her contribution, said Christi Dolbeer, director for TDD.
“Susan Dunbar has made an indelible mark on science and technology within TDD,” Dolbeer said. “Her leadership, wisdom, consistency and genuine concern for others will be greatly missed by everyone who works with her. It has been my good fortune and honor to work closely with her for the past three years.”
Coming from a career that dealt with life and death experiences, Dunbar said that influenced her as she worked on such missile systems as Javelin, TOW, and the Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System, and later as she was responsible for the execution and oversight of all TDD staff, business management, science and technology activities, engineering support to acquisition programs of record, and sustainment of life cycle activities.
“It kept this job in perspective,” Dunbar said.
The Center has changed a lot in the three decades since she was a young engineer, Dunbar reminisced, change for the better as leadership today is more invested in employee growth – something that she wished were the case when she was rising in the ranks.
“Our senior leaders now encourage developmental assignments,” Dunbar said. “And that is so fantastic. I'm proud that our organization does that because I think it gives people different perspective and broadens their opportunities for paths they may want to go down -- paths they're not even thinking about now.”
Another change that Dunbar has been happy to see is that today, there are many more women in leadership roles, and the formation of a formal program for its younger and newer members.
“One of the other things that has happened is the young professionals’ group,” Dunbar said. “I would have given anything to have something like that, why didn't we do that? I am super proud of that for the organization.”
While she said she looked forward to a slower pace and more time to travel and visit her two children, it’s a bittersweet time as she leaves the co-workers and friends who have become like family to her over the years. Because even with the interesting work and the breadth of programs that she has worked on over the years – Dunbar said it was the people who kept her at AvMC.
“I have been so blessed to work with, and support, some of the smartest minds in the nation. They are who I will miss -- I will miss them dearly.”
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The DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the Army’s research and development focal point for advanced technology in aviation and missile systems. It is part of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command. AvMC is responsible for delivering collaborative and innovative aviation and missile capabilities for responsive and cost-effective research, development and life cycle engineering solutions, as required by the Army’s strategic priorities and support to its Cross-Functional Teams.
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