Eren Ozmen is Chairwoman and President of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the global aerospace and national security leader based in Sparks, Nevada. As sole owners of SNC since 1994, Eren and her husband, Fatih Ozmen, who is SNC’s CEO, are the driving force behind SNC’s remarkable journey from small high-tech startup to multi-billion dollar global leader in space, aviation, national security and defense.

Entrepreneurial and humanitarian, Eren embodies an inspiring American Dream story. She came to the U.S. to earn her MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). In 1994, the Ozmens acquired SNC when the company had just 20 employees and grew it to become the top woman-owned U.S. Government A&D contractor  and among The World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Space.

Known for her tenacity and drive, Eren is actively involved in all key aspects of SNC’s business management to ensure the company has a solid foundation for continued growth and success. Under her leadership, Eren has steered SNC to expand in new and promising directions, including 20 strategic acquisitions.

SNC is best known publicly for its Dream Chaser® spacecraft, America’s Spaceplane®, which was selected by NASA to service the International Space Station. Through innovation, agility and best-of-breed, open architecture integrations, SNC is a trusted leader in solving the world’s toughest engineering challenges in an affordable way. For nearly 60 years, SNC technology has protected and saved countless lives with state-of-the-art civil, military and commercial solutions. SNC has delivered more than 4,000 space systems, subsystems and components to customers worldwide, and participated in more than 500 missions to space, including 14 missions to Mars.

Over the years, Eren and Fatih have received many prestigious awards and recognition for their achievements and impact. Under their leadership, SNC is the only aerospace and defense firm selected as a US Best Managed Company. SNC is also recognized repeatedly as a Tier One Superior Supplier for the U.S. Air Force and is among “The World’s Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Space.” For their contributions to national security, Eren and Fatih were both honored with the BENS Eisenhower Award. Fatih and Eren were awarded honorary doctorates by their alma mater, the University of Nevada, Reno, and honored as Living Legends of Aviation. Eren is also a recipient of the Service to the Flag Award from Women in Defense.

With humility and gratitude for the opportunities America has afforded them, the Ozmens are committed to pay it forward to the country that catalyzed their success. In particular, Eren is proud of her role in creating and supporting thousands of American jobs.

Eren’s vision for making a positive impact extends beyond the walls of the company. Through the Ozmen Foundation, they support a variety of U.S. military and veteran causes, as well as STEM initiatives and medical research to cure cancer. The Ozmens also founded the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship and the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies at UNR. Both organizations foster collaboration across varied disciplines and geographies. The Ozmens received honorary doctorate degrees from UNR, in 2016.