At Sandia National Laboratories, Joan Woodard, a mathematics graduate in 1973, was the executive vice president and deputy laboratories director for more than 10 years. Woodard, who retired in May 2010, joined Sandia in 1974 and held various positions of increasing responsibility. She served as executive leader for the nuclear weapons program, as the executive for all programs in nonproliferation, military technology and systems, energy, environment and waste management technology, and intelligence, and as chief operating officer responsible for all operations of areas within the laboratories.