Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Vickie Kloeris of Institute of Food Technologists On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience
An Interview With Candice Georgiadice
Networking is key. Networking through IFT not only landed me my job with NASA, but also set me up for success throughout my entire career. The food system at NASA is only one very small portion of the well-oiled machine that successfully launches people into space. It took cooperation and coordination from a lot of different people. I learned that, to be successful, I had to establish relationships with those around me and that when you go out of your way to help someone out, they’ll likely return the favor.
As a part of my series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Vickie Kloeris.
Vickie Kloeris recently retired from NASA where she worked in space food systems for 34 years. She authored and co-authored numerous publications and received several awards, including NASA’s highest award, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2019. During her career, she was twice awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and received the Johnson Space Center Director’s Commendation Award. In 2017, she was given an Outstanding Alumni Award by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences by her alma mater, Texas A&M University, where she holds a BS in Microbiology and an MS in Food Science.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was a microbiology major in my senior year of college about to register for my last semester and was one hour short of the required hours of microbiology electives. My advisor in the College of Science at Texas A&M suggested that I get with one of my professors and arrange to do a “white paper” for that hour. I saw a Food Microbiology course in the College of Agriculture that was on the approved list. My advisor argued against it wondering why I would want to take a four-hour course that included a lab. I insisted because I wanted the challenge and liked the idea of something different. That course gave me a keen interest in the application of microbiology to food processing and preservation and led to graduate work in food science.
My specific career with space food came as a result of my membership with the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). I was drawn to become a member, not only to get a better deal on a hotel at my first IFT annual meeting, but because the organization offered a breadth of research, learning resources, networking opportunities, and events that would help me become a stronger science of food professional. When I got my first food science job in Houston, TX, I began to attend meetings of the local section of IFT. At those meetings, I met food scientists who worked at NASA. I thought that working with the space food system had to be the most fascinating job a food scientist could have, so I asked them to reach out if they ever had an opening. About 18 months later, I got a call, interviewed, and became a contractor food scientist in the food lab at Johnson Space Center (JSC) leading to a 34-year career in space food.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
No day was ever the same while working in the space program, so I have lots of interesting stories, but I do vividly remember one day sitting at my desk when the phone rang. I picked it up, started talking and it took me a few minutes to realize that I was speaking directly with one of the astronauts who was on the International Space Station (ISS). Crew members had recently gotten the capability to “phone home” so he was calling to thank me for some of the special items we sent in his preference food container. It was one of those rare history-defining moments and I was so taken by surprise that I was practically speechless resulting in a pretty awkward conversation!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
One of the assignments I received during my tenure as a contractor in the food lab was to test a prototype food package that was under development. This involved flying the package on the KC-135, better known in the industry as the Vomit Comet. The plane would fly from Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center and would go out over the Gulf of Mexico. Once over the Gulf, the plane would fly parabolas where the pilot performs a specific maneuver resulting in a brief period of microgravity. As one of the few ways to simulate weightlessness on Earth, it allows us to test the prototype package as it would be used in space. The name Vomit Comet reflected the fact that many who flew experienced severe nausea due to reactions of the inner ear. Medications were available to take preflight to reduce symptoms, but I made the mistake of listening to my coworker who said that for my first time I should experience it without medication. I hesitated, but I convinced myself I could handle it and wanted to appear tough. After about 40 parabolas, I ended up being so sick that I lost five pounds from what I weighed that morning! Although I made two subsequent flights on the KC-135, I never again made the mistake of going without medication. I was never one of the folks who felt good enough to do somersaults at the top of the parabola, but I did manage to do the testing and make it through the next two flights vomit-free.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Although I am now retired, I think NASA stands out as a company by the unifying nature of space travel — it brings people together from all around the world and gives us something to root for despite our differences. Throughout my travels with NASA, I’ve always found that my international counterparts were really no different to me and just hardworking scientists who wanted to support the cosmonauts to the best of their ability. NASA, and space, have a special ability to draw people and nations together.
I’ve also been involved with the Institute of Food Technologists for 40 years. The members who make up this organization, spanning across food science and innovation, play an important role in solving issues facing our food system, including food security. According to the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, 38.3 million people in the U.S. lived in food-insecure households in 2020, including 6.1 million children. And a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations report confirmed that nearly 2.4 billion people — almost one in three — faced food insecurity at the moderate or severe level in 2020. At IFT, the community works collectively to solve increasingly complex problems in our food system. We provide an essential space for food scientists and innovators in pursuit of knowledge and discovery to network, collaborate, improve themselves, and advance our profession.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am currently serving as President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) which is a member-based organization dedicated to improving the global food system by eliminating food inequity and developing a safe, sustainable, and nutritious food supply. Within my role at IFT, I chair the Board of Directors and am laser-focused on finding better ways to serve IFT’s members as the science of food continues to evolve.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
I think there are still far too many young girls and women intimidated by studying STEM-related subjects or considering STEM careers. It’s been a long, long time since I was in high school, but I can attest to the fact that back in those days, counselors did not encourage women to pursue STEM careers. To get more women involved in STEM, it’s critical that the people female students look to for advice are including STEM careers as an option. I also think it’s important for women in STEM to encourage and mentor younger females in the field. The more women they see in STEM careers, the easier it will be to envision themselves in those same types of jobs.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?
I think that working women who have children are often assumed to have too many obligations and distractions to be able to be dedicated employees or leaders. I was once, years ago, asked in an interview about my intentions regarding marriage and children. I think that the implementation of family leave, which includes leave for fathers, has helped slightly to dispel this misconception, but there is still a lot of work to be done in this area. Additionally, there is often salary disparity between men and women in the same job. To combat this, IFT has begun conducting salary surveys for its employees to encourage transparency, credibility, and ultimately action within the industry. Continuing to present this type of data demonstrates this disparity while giving women a proof point when negotiating for higher wages. I would encourage women to take initiative and ask for better wages and benefits from their employers.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?
I think there is still a bias that women can’t be as strong of a leader as a man can. However, as more and more women continue to assume more significant leadership roles, this will help disprove that myth and hopefully empower women to aspire to these types of positions.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Networking is key. Networking through IFT not only landed me my job with NASA, but also set me up for success throughout my entire career. The food system at NASA is only one very small portion of the well-oiled machine that successfully launches people into space. It took cooperation and coordination from a lot of different people. I learned that, to be successful, I had to establish relationships with those around me and that when you go out of your way to help someone out, they’ll likely return the favor.
- Take advantage of every training opportunity that comes your way. NASA is particularly big on training. At the beginning of my career, the availability of internal training was often limited to technical and safety training rather than leadership training. Over the years that changed significantly, and I took advantage of as much leadership training as time allowed and feel I benefited a great deal from that.
- Volunteering can provide you with unexpected opportunities that make you a better leader. Early on in my career, I was encouraged by one of the managers at NASA to join the Johnson Space Center National Management Association and I owe her greatly for that. Once I became a member, I volunteered for various tasks in the organization which allowed me to be around and work with higher-level managers that I would never have crossed paths with at that point in my career. I learned a lot about leadership by hearing their points of view and seeing their thought processes on a variety of topics discussed within the organization.
- Change can be hard. I started at NASA early in the Shuttle program — 16 of the 135 Shuttle flights had flown before I came on board. Despite this, there was already an established way in which things were done. Over the years, many changes to the food system took place and were almost always met with resistance. However, change is necessary if we want to advance and continue growing.
- Diverse workforces create meaningful impacts. When you bring together diverse voices and experiences, good things can happen. Inclusive environments encourage employee empowerment, enhanced problem-solving and improved performance. On the contrary, when we limit the people included in the decision-making process to those of like-minds or like-appearance, we exclude valuable points of view and expertise that could enable better decisions. In 1994, Dr. Carolyn Huntoon became the first female center director at JSC. She not only represented a shift in diversity being a woman, but she was also a scientist instead of the usual engineer.
What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?
Encourage your team members to network within the company and externally through other organizations like professional or community organizations. It is critically important for individual team members, both for their own and for the broader group’s success, to build and nurture a professional network.
What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
Trust your team and don’t be afraid to delegate. Throughout my career, I learned that delegating responsibility and tasks plays an important role in your team members’ growth. I used to have a tendency to want to do things myself or to micro-manage for fear of things slipping through the cracks. I quickly learned I could not do everything myself and had to rely on my team, but to grow a reliable team required delegation. The delegation process can sometimes be painful, and mistakes will be made, but it is the only way your team will learn to make better decisions.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am grateful for my first boss at NASA: the late Dr. Charles Bourland. When I first started the role, he was a food scientist and the contractor manager of the food lab at Johnson Space Center but later became the civil servant manager of the International Space Station food system. After I had been a contractor for four years, an opportunity came up to manage the Shuttle food system. NASA management sent Dr. Bourland to persuade me to take it but wanted me to assume that role as a contractor rather than hiring me as a civil servant. I pointed out to him that if I took the job, I would have to switch to a lower salary and fewer benefits so he went back to his NASA management and convinced them to offer me the civil servant manager position instead. I owe him greatly for giving me the start to my civil service career and that was just one of the many times he helped me, serving as a mentor to me throughout the years until his retirement.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I love doing career outreach, especially with students. Outreach was a huge part of my job at NASA. There has always been tremendous interest in what the astronauts eat in space. A significant part of my job was conducting tours for visitors to the food lab and briefing them on the space food system and answering their questions. I learned that I enjoyed outreach and so became a volunteer for the Johnson Space Center Speakers Bureau. As a volunteer, I spoke on numerous occasions to students about my job and food science as a career. Although I can’t know for sure, I hope that I have inspired some students along the way. As a volunteer for IFT, I have been a contributor to and served in a leadership role in Feeding Tomorrow, the charitable foundation of IFT. This foundation works to attract students to food science as a career, supports food science students with scholarships, and works to provide food science expertise to developing countries around the world.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
A movement that would eliminate food inequity in the world. People cannot succeed when they are without food or inadequately nourished.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that I was sometimes guilty of not living up to this quote, but I almost always found if I treated others well, they would do the same.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
A few female scientists that I find particularly inspiring are primatologist and environmental activist Jane Goodall; marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson, who is credited with revolutionizing the modern environmental movement; and NASA physicist and mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose calculations of orbital mechanics were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S.-crewed spaceflights.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Vickie Kloeris of Institute of Food Technologists On The 5… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.