Jessica A. Holmberg

Mrs. Jessica Holmberg is the Head of the Aeromechanics Division in the Air Systems Group at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) at Patuxent River, MD. She oversees all aspects of Aerodynamics, Performance, Flight Dynamics (Air Vehicle and Store Separation) and Flight Controls domains, with the integral supporting functions of Modeling and Simulation. She is the NAWCAD Technical Warrant Holder for Aeromechanics, charged with enacting technical authority as well as defining and revising technical standards in support of all Naval Aviation in the areas of Flight Vehicle Performance, Flight Dynamics, Flight Controls and Store Separation.

Jessica was previously the NAWCAD Flight Dynamics Branch Head (2020), F-35 Joint Program Office Vehicle Controls Integration Lead Engineer (2018-2020), and Flight Dynamics Team Lead for ASW programs (2012-2018), UAV programs (2005-1012), and F/A-18A-D team lead (1999-2005). Jessica has worked in some capacity on all fixed wing Navy and Marine Corps aircraft programs within the Aeromechanics disciplines, with expertise in high angle-of-attack/out of control flight regimes, airshow development, and flying qualities for manned and unmanned systems. She has mentored K-12 students, interns, college students and engineers at all levels.

Jessica has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech (1996), and M.S. in Aviation Systems Engineering from the University of Tennessee (2003), is a graduate of the United States Naval Test Pilot School (1998), and a graduate of the Naval Air Systems Command Senior Executive Management Development Program (2005). She has received the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award, various NAVAIR/NAWCAD Commanders Awards and was part of the F-35 team that won the 2018 Collier Trophy for Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System Development. She has been an active member of the Virginia Tech Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department Advisory Board since 2000 and actively recruits Hokies to work for the Navy whenever she gets a chance!

Jessica and her husband Carl live in Calvert County, Maryland with their two sons. When not working at Pax River she is active in volunteering with the local homeless programs (Safe Nights of Calvert County), moving equipment and fixing uniforms for the Calvert High School Marching Band, coordinating camping activities for the boy scouts of Troop 430, and walking her two dogs.