Becoming one of the
Vietnamese boat people, they eventually arrived in the
Philippines. From there, they were assigned to a refugee camp. Her family then contacted the
Embassy of the United States, Manila and were given
political asylum in the
United States. She graduated from the
University of Maryland, College Park with both a B.S. degree in
chemical engineering and a B.S. degree in
computer science.
[1]
In 1983 she started working as a
chemical engineer at the
Indian Head Naval Surface Weapons Center. From 1991-1999, she managed all navy basic, exploratory research and advanced development programs in high explosives. She also served as the
U.S. Navy focus point for
explosives and the transition of Navy explosives into weapon systems, providing consultation to government/military, industries and allied nations. From 1999-2002, she managed all NSWC Indian Head's technical programs in Explosives and Undersea Weapons, from concept through engineering development to production and demilitarization.
She successfully assembled and led a team of scientists and engineers to develop a thermobaric bomb. They then proceeded to limited production and delivery to the
Air Force, all in an unprecedented period of 67 days.
