Dr. Kathryn Sullivan: from outer space to the boardroom, this former astronaut is reaching for the stars.

• Author: Alioto, Maryann

From outer space to the boardroom, this former astronaut is reaching for the stars.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible.

-- T.E. Lawrence

In 1984, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to perform a spacewalk. A former astronaut and veteran of three space flights, her achievements seem patterned after the T.E. Lawrence quote that hangs on her office wall. "I put a lot of stock in being a dreamer of the day," she says.

In addition to her renowned experience on the Space Shuttle Challenger, Sullivan's other space flights include the 1990 Hubble Telescope deployment mission on the Space Shuttle Discovery and a 1992 flight on Space Shuttle Atlantis. She joined NASA in 1978, being selected from a pool of 6,500 applicants. From 1993-1996 she served as chief scientist at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

Since 1996, Sullivan has been president and CEO of COSI, an exhibition and learning center for science and industry, located in Columbus, Ohio. She is currently advancing COSI through a dramatic growth period, which will involve building a new facility and a complete renovation of exhibits and programs. Along with her current obligations, in December 1997 Sullivan joined the board of American Electric Power Co. Inc. "I suppose we come into and leave the astronaut experience with an unusually high percentage of type-A self-discipline, the kind that makes you foolish enough to add directorships to your other responsibilities," she laughs.

To prepare herself for this new role, Sullivan has been following the financial press and paying attention to the ongoing discussions about the deregulation of the utility industry. Sullivan also feels that her background as an astronaut will make her an effective director. "Being a systems engineer and complex systems operator is, when you strip it all away, what an astronaut really is'" she says. "A systems perspective is a pretty powerful one and hopefully a helpful one to bring to the table as a director." Sullivan believes that this training will give her a heightened capability to understand the engineering fundamentals of American Electric's plants and facilities.

Dr. E. Linn Draper, chairman, president and CEO of American Electric Power, feels that his new director's scientific knowledge and...