B.S. – INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING ’87
With more than 25 years of experience executing multidisciplinary projects for the United States Army and Marine Corps, Christine Dedrick has positioned herself as a strategic problem solver and leader in the fields of defense, aviation, and aerospace engineering.
Dedrick, a native of Greensboro, Alabama, earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from The University of Alabama in 1987. In 2007, she graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Master of Business Administration.
After graduating, one of Dedrick’s most significant positions was as a project engineer at the Javelin Program Office, where she managed the Integrated Flight Simulation and countermeasure support efforts. She was later promoted to assistant product manager for Javelin and oversaw various systems engineering and production functions. From 2009 to 2018, Dedrick worked in a variety of roles, including the security assistance management chief at the Army Material Command and the
director of international programs for Close Combat Weapon Systems.
In summer 2017, Dedrick was selected to participate in the Senior Service College Fellowship (SSCF) Program. As part of this 10-month fellowship, she was equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead at increased levels of responsibility among various research, development, testing, acquisition, logistics, and sustainment- focused organizations across the Army. Upon completing the SSCF Program in 2018, she began working as chief of the Office of Research and Technology Applications for the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center.
Today, Dedrick is the lead systems engineer for the Common Infrared Countermeasure Program for the U.S. Army. She is responsible for the development of a lightweight, laser-based infrared countermeasure system that will interface with the Army’s Common Missile Warning System and defeat current and emerging missile threats.
Dedrick has earned numerous awards and accolades throughout her career. She annually receives recognition for exceptional performance. In 2017, she received the Army Superior Civilian Service Award, and she was also named the 2021-2022 United States Black Engineer of the Year for her outstanding technical contributions. She is a volunteer for the Leadership Greater Huntsville nonprofit organization and is a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
Outside of work, she is passionate about mentoring the next generation of engineers, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.