According to t he Stanford University web site, Dr. Marie Elizabeth Pate-Cornell was born to a French family in Senegal, Africa. Her father was a Colonel in the French Marines.
According to the Rice University web site: http://rice.iit.edu/engineersweek/timeline.htm
Elizabeth Pate-Cornell - PhD in engineering economic systems, Pate-Cornell is Distinguished Professor and Chair of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management at Stanford University. She is currently making developments in risk reduction for technological activities such as space shuttle flights and construction of dams and off-shore oil platforms. Pate-Cornell was the first female engineering faculty member from Stanford to be elected to National Academy of Engineering, member of the National Research Council and serves on the NASA Advisory Committee.
Mrs. Pate-Cornell has had a long and distinguished career in the management of risk in complex engineering systems. In 1994 she was hired by NASA to complete a risk management survey of "Shuttle Tile" systems. Her expert analysis, she concluded that 85% of the risk of severe damage to the shuttle came from just 15% of the tiles. Mrs. Pate-Cornell's conclusions also warned of the likelihood of catastrohpic failure. She now works for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.