Utah Business has selected 10 women with enduring careers and exceptional impact, who we’ve named our “Most Influential Women.” Through their innovative efforts and inspiring examples, these women have significantly improved their workplaces, industries and Utah as a whole.
MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN: Amy B. Secrist
Strategic Military Space, Branch Head, Special Programs | Space Dynamics Laboratory
Over a 25-year career at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), Amy Secrist has built a reputation as a rare leader who can translate highly complex technical ambition into sustained business success. As branch head of special programs within SDL’s Strategic & Military Space division, she oversees a growing portfolio of advanced satellite and sensor programs supporting national security missions. Over two decades, her work has helped position northern Utah as a serious player in the global aerospace industry.
Amy’s path to engineering leadership wasn’t conventional. With a background in accounting and an MBA, she began her career at SDL as a proposal analyst and steadily rose through the organization. As she developed in the organization, it became clear that one of her strengths is bridging the gap between technical execution and strategic growth. Today, she leads 18 multidisciplinary teams and manages a portfolio projected to reach $44 million this year, ensuring not only mission success but disciplined financial performance and long-term customer trust.
Amy’s career is defined by her ability to build and scale what doesn’t yet exist, and do so in a way that lasts. One of her most notable achievements came as chief of staff for SDL’s C4ISR division, where she helped transform a small operation into the lab’s largest division, supporting 170 personnel and generating more than $30 million in annual revenue. “That experience sharpened my ability to operate at the intersection of strategy, execution and trust-building across technical and executive teams,” she says.
She carried that momentum into her current role, where she established and grew a new branch focused on strategic military space programs. Under her leadership, that effort has become a major contributor to SDL’s expanding footprint in small satellite technology and national defense. Over the past decade, Amy has helped secure and execute dozens of multimillion-dollar contracts with organizations including the U.S. Space Force and Air Force Research Laboratory. These partnerships have elevated both SDL and Utah’s aerospace ecosystem.
Her growth metrics are impressive, but her impact extends beyond them. A second hallmark of Amy’s leadership is her deep investment in people. She is known for creating opportunities that push teams into high-impact, technically demanding work. “I am most proud of creating opportunities for my teams to develop advanced systems, … helping shape the next generation of technical and program leaders,” she says. Many of those she has mentored now lead major programs of their own.
Underlying everything she has accomplished is a leadership philosophy rooted in trust and integration. “My unique strength lies in my ability to integrate deep technical expertise, strong business acumen and trusted leadership into a unified, highly effective approach,” Amy says. That ability to align innovation, execution and people has made her a trusted partner to government leaders and a steady force within one of Utah’s most complex industries.
As she looks ahead, Amy is focused on expanding her influence across divisions, strengthening collaboration and continuing to develop emerging leaders. It’s a natural next step for someone whose career has been defined not just by what she builds, but who she enables to grow.