[1] She was part of the first group of women to receive orders for Navy Flight Training in 1973 and was second to earn her pilot's wings.

She served as a senior manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where she led numerous large programs.

In 1966, Bruner enrolled at Ohio State University where she obtained a bachelor's degree in computer science.

For the remainder of her career, she held three Commanding Officer positions and also served as the Director of the Navy's Science and Technology Reserve Program.

[3] Bruner began her career with NASA in 1981, working first as a contractor for UNISYS Corporation as a Senior Systems Analyst on the Hubble Space Telescope mission.

When the Space Shuttle Columbia accident occurred in February 2003, Bruner served as the GSFC point of contact for the investigation.

[3] Bruner died on December 13, 2022, in Annapolis, Maryland[3] and then interred at Arlington National Cemetery on June 14th, 2024.