CURRENT News

8/2005 - Debbie Kropp Receives Outstanding Leadership Award

Washington, DC – Women in Aerospace (WIA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in aerospace and related careers, and to recognizing the achievements of outstanding women in aerospace, awarded Deborah Ann Gardecki Kropp, president and CEO of MRI Technologies in Houston Texas with the Outstanding Leadership Award for overcoming stereotypes and creating a successful business that provides opportunities to women and encouraging risk-taking and personal growth. 

The awards will be officially presented by high-ranking members of the Administration and Members of Congress during a reception on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington Cemetery.

Excerpt from the nomination:

From the start, Debbie stayed the course by providing opportunity to women, constructing benefits to support single mothers, and encouraging risk taking. She has attracted high-caliber people to her company and management team (over 90% of the company and management team are women) while fostering an environment that promotes a balance of work and family. Her emphasis on education has lead to an education benefit that has produced entry level employees obtaining their college degree and moving to challenging positions and careers in an industry known for rejecting women at the first interest in a career and a family. The benefits package provided to her team fully supports career and family. MRI fully pays for medical, vision, dental, disability, and life insurance, maternity and paternity leave, tuition reimbursement, and generous retirement contributions without taking a penny from a team member's paycheck. The results of this business strategy have provided MRI a stable work force that has sustained growth at the remarkable average of 20% annually for the past three years. All these actions and initiatives combined further promote family friendly flexibility for her team members and creates an environment that fosters a family-first atmosphere. One team member recently commented when discussing this nomination, "You should mention flexible working hours, since my girls have been in school (my oldest is a senior in high school), I have attended at least 95% of their school functions due to flexible working hours.