Julia Laurenzano MacDonough Named Draper VP, General Manager

Julia Laurenzano MacDonough, a seasoned military and civil space professional, has been appointed vice president and general manager for Air Force and missile defense strategic systems at Draper.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said Wednesday MacDonough will manage Draper’s research, development and production programs for the U.S. Air Force and Missile Defense Agency. Some of the programs she will oversee focus on navigation and control systems for air-breathing hypersonic missiles, missile defense systems and ballistic missile guidance systems.

MacDonough, who succeeds the retiring Frank Serna, will serve on the company’s executive team and report directly to Jerry Wohletz, president and CEO of Draper.

Julia MacDonough’s Career Highlights

MacDonough joined Draper in 2023 as VP and general manager of space systems, responsible for overseeing its growth strategy and mission fulfillment.

Prior to Draper, the executive spent over eight years at BAE Systems. She served as director of both the FAST Labs Sensor Technologies and optical electronic warfare advanced technologies. In these roles, MacDonough spearheaded the research and development efforts for electro-optical, infrared, radio frequency, electronic warfare and multi-modal sensing technologies.

The Draper executive also worked as VP of business development at MetiSpace Technologies, systems engineer at Integrity Applications and associate at Booz Allen Hamilton.

MacDonough also served in the Air Force in various leadership positions, including chief of the satellite ground processing branch of the National Reconnaissance Office and a physicist in what is now known as the Air Force Research Labs.

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