PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Laurie Haack ’79, ’06
Chair, Resource Development Committee
Battlefield Radar Software Product Line Manager (retired)
Raytheon RTX
Laurie Haack has led efforts with Raytheon to support various CSUF College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) initiative. She has been the driving force behind the Women in Computer Science and Engineering program, the ECS Center for Cybersecurity, and the future Navigation, Controls, and Guidance Center.
Haack is highly involved with Cal State Fullerton activities including service as the chair of the CSUF Resource Development Committee and membership on the Board of Governors for the CSUF Philanthropic foundation. For the ECS college, activities include the ECS Leadership Council, ECS Professor for the Day, career fair recruiting, MS Software Engineering advisory board, Leadership and Diversity Summit, faculty research projects and student mentoring. As a liaison between Raytheon and CSUF, she encourages her Raytheon co-workers to sponsor directed research projects, teach as part-time instructors, and serve as judges for student projects.
Laurie volunteers as a coach/mentor for the Bridge to Connect Program, which is focused on enhancing first-in-family college students’ opportunities in the technology field.
Laurie grew up in Downey, California. Downey had a strong focus in aerospace (Apollo and Space Shuttle). As a kid she enjoyed biking to friends’ home and trying out new activities. Laurie was encouraged to pursue math and science, however during high school no one suggested engineering, computers were something being built in just a few people’s garages as a hobby and colleges such as Cal Tech were only open to men. She initially was majoring in accounting, took her first Fortan programming course as part of the accounting curriculum and felt such a connection to programming, that she switched majors to Computer Science.
Laurie Haack was the only female in her first undergraduate computer science course. Haack was named “Best Master of Science” student in the first graduating class of the Software Engineering Master’s program. Shortly after receiving her Master’s degree, she was named as one of CSUF’s, “50 Women of Distinction” for her career and life achievements. She was honored by CSUF as a “Vision and Visionaries” recipient in 2019.
Haack has enjoyed a 40-year career with Raytheon and is currently a Battlefield Radar Software Product Line Manager. Laurie has been the driving force for Raytheon’s internal efforts to support innovation and its commitment to recruiting the next generation of engineers and computer scientists.
Laurie enjoys spending time with her family and traveling. She and her husband, Paul, recently completed a cruise in French Polynesia and often spend time at their condo on Maui. She keeps an eye on her 90+ year old parents, cheers on her daughters in their careers in HGTV House flipping/design and Marine Biology. She loves to attend her grandchildren’s events. She has a real estate license. She participates in a neighborhood book club and recently started an investment club with other engineers.
