BETHESDA, Md., 10-NOV-05 -- Four Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] employees will be honored in February at the Black Engineer of the Year Award Conference in Baltimore, Md. Included among the award winners is Linda Gooden, President of Lockheed Martin’s Information Technology business unit in Seabrook, Md. Gooden has been selected for the coveted Black Engineer of the Year Award.

Three other Lockheed Martin engineering professionals also will receive awards at the Conference. These include Atherton A. Carty, an aeronautical engineer with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company (Most Promising Scientist); Stephanie C. Hill, Director, a technical operations specialist with Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors (Alumni of the Year); and William A. Hill, a circuit design engineer with Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems and Solutions (Outstanding Technical Contribution in Industry).

Carty is based in Palmdale, Calif.; Stephanie Hill in Baltimore; and William Hill in San Jose, Calif.

“We are very proud of each of our award winners and honorees. Their commitment to excellence and outstanding accomplishments serve as an inspiration to others,” said Robert J. Stevens, Chairman, President and CEO of Lockheed Martin. “We also salute this conference for raising public awareness and excitement for careers in science and engineering with a premier event featuring the best and brightest in the technical fields.”

As Black Engineer of the Year, Gooden will be honored for excellence in engineering, exemplary workplace and community leadership and for service as a role model and mentor to young professionals. In just seven years Gooden and her team have grown a small information group of 140 people into a multi-billion dollar business unit employing 16,000 personnel. Her business unit now provides information technology business systems, managed services, professional services and infrastructure solutions to U.S. defense and civil government agencies. Gooden’s company is one of the fastest growing business units in Lockheed Martin, the nation’s largest IT provider to the federal government.

The Black Engineer of the Year Award Conference is celebrating its 20th year of providing an invaluable tool to recognize outstanding achievement of African-Americans in science, engineering, mathematics and technology fields. This conference also serves as a venue to attract and retain talent and gives participants the ability to learn and network among the best and brightest technology minds in the country.

The Black Engineer of the Year selection panel members were drawn from professionals and leaders in science, engineering and technology, representing a wide cross section of industry, academia and government sectors.