Dawn C. Stanley earned her B.S.E. from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a major in Chemical Engineering and minor in Biological Sciences. Mrs. Stanley is currently the Deputy Director of Cross-Program System Integration for the Exploration Systems Directorate at NASA HQ. In this capacity she collaborates with the Space Launch System (SLS), Orion Crew Module and Exploration Ground Systems as the Agency develops, manufactures, tests and launches the next generation rocket.

Throughout her NASA career, Mrs. Stanley has supported various programs/projects and initiatives including: Ares I-X, Space Shuttle, International Space Station, X-33, Chandra, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and numerous payloads. Mrs. Stanley has received several honors including the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, Silver Snoopy Award and Space Flight Awareness Honoree.

Mrs. Stanley is involved in various community organizations including Girls, Inc., Burritt Museum, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Links, Incorporated. She serves on the Board of Directors of Redstone Federal Credit Union. She is the Management Committee Chairperson for Redstone Title Services and Redstone Realty. Ms. Stanley is immediate past Board Chair for the Burritt Museum Board of Directors and currently serves on the Burritt Museum Foundation Board. She is a graduate of Leadership Huntsville/Madison County and Leadership Alabama program.

Working with youth is a calling for Mrs. Stanley, who has worked with youth for 20 years since she first served as Christian Education Director and Youth Director at Liberty P.B. Church. She has organized programs for middle and high school students, including the international award winning Emerging Young Leaders program and ASCEND (Achievement, Self-Awareness, Communication, Engagement, Networking, and Developmental Skills), respectively. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics were key aspects of these programs, which included collaborations with Hudson Alpha, NASA, Alabama A&M University, and the Sylvan Learning Center to name a few. She leads the Girl of the Month Program, a long established partnership between her sorority and Girls, Inc, at which elementary and middle school girls are recognized for being helpful, sharing and caring. She has organized Girls Summits with Girls Inc. She has supported Girl Scouts and Reading is Fundamental, serving as a school coordinator at Montview Elementary School. In Jack and Jill of America, Inc., she has served as grade group coordinator, Carole Robertson Memorial Day/Jack and Jill Day Coordinator, Lead Teen Sponsor, Program Director and currently serves as Chapter President. On Sundays, you can find her teaching Sunday School to students in grades 7-9 at Progressive Union Missionary Baptist Church.

Mrs. Stanley is married to Thornton Stanley, Jr. They are the proud parents of Thornton Stanley III, Drew Stanley and Hannah Paige Stanley.