In 1990, Etter left New Mexico to become professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Etter left the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1991 after President of the United States Bill Clinton nominated her as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology,[4] a post she held from June 1998 through July 2001.

Upon leaving office, Etter joined the Electrical Engineering faculty of the United States Naval Academy.

She was responsible for the Navy and Marine Corps' acquisition of ships, aircraft, vehicles, and information technology.

[7] In June 2008, Etter joined Southern Methodist University in a joint appointment between the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science departments.