Kristin Houston

Kristin Houston is the Chief Executive Officer of Rocketdyne, an independent space technology company with more than 60 years of heritage serving national security space, civil, and commercial customers. Under her leadership, Rocketdyne is helping customers solve today's space propulsion, space electronics, and power systems challenges while investing in the capabilities they'll need for the next generation of space missions.

Rocketdyne employs approximately 1,300 people across five principal locations in the United States and builds on more than 60 years of spaceflight heritage and innovation. Houston became CEO in 2026, and is leading Rocketdyne through one of the most significant moments in its history as an independent company.

She brings more than 25 years of aerospace and defense leadership experience, with a track record of unlocking growth through technical innovation, operational excellence, and trusted customer relationships. Throughout her career, she has led multibillion-dollar businesses, mobilized workforces of nearly 5,000 employees, and managed multisite operations across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Her expertise spans propulsion, space power, integrated systems, sensors, missiles, avionics, and advanced manufacturing. She has served national security, civil, and commercial customers including NASA, the U.S. military, global prime contractors, and international allies to advance mission-critical programs and open new markets.

Before becoming Rocketdyne’s CEO, Houston served as the President of L3Harris’ Space Propulsion & Power Systems sector. In that position, she spearheaded business strategy, financial performance, operational execution, and growth across launch propulsion, in-space propulsion, and power systems. Prior to that, Houston was the President of the Electro-Optical sector within the Integrated Mission Systems segment, where she led a diverse $1.5B portfolio across multiple divisions, sites, and countries.

Earlier in her career, Houston spent 16 years at Boeing, where she held leadership positions and played a pivotal role in advancing engineering and program management across multiple large-scale programs. Her leadership roles included Vice President and Program Manager for Tiltrotor programs, Vice President and Chief Engineer for Vertical Lift, and Director of International Apache programs.

Houston holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an Executive MBA from Villanova University with Beta Gamma Sigma honors.

Houston is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and serves as a board member for the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and Coalition for Deep Space Exploration. The Philadelphia Business Journal named Houston to its 40 Under 40 Class of 2018. She is also an avid runner, cyclist, and triathlete.