NASA Announces Senior Leadership Changes

Sept. 25, 2012

David Weaver
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
david.s.weaver@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 12-335

NASA ANNOUNCES SENIOR LEADERSHIP CHANGES

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced three
changes to his senior leadership team Tuesday.

Robert Lightfoot, acting associate administrator at NASA Headquarters
in Washington, will assume that role on a permanent basis. Patrick
Scheuermann, director of NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center near Bay
St. Louis, Miss., will become director of NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Scheuermann, will replace Robin
Henderson, who has filled the position on a temporary basis since
Gene Goldman's retirement Aug. 3. Lightfoot began his assignment as
acting associate administrator March 5.

Scheuermann's successor as the Stennis director is Dr. Richard J.
Gilbrech, who currently serves as that center's deputy director. All
three management changes are effective immediately.

"Robert, Patrick and Rick are three of NASA's finest public servants
who will continue to play key roles in our agency's future," NASA
Administrator Charles Bolden said. "America is fortunate to have
three such talented leaders assuming these important jobs at a
pivotal time for NASA and space exploration."

As associate administrator, Lightfoot is the agency's highest-ranking
civil servant, responsible for oversight and integration of NASA's
broad efforts in human space flight, science and aeronautics.
Lightfoot began his NASA career as a test engineer and manager for
the space shuttle main engine technology test bed program. He then
served in leadership positions at Marshall, Stennis and Headquarters.
From 2003 to 2005, he was assistant associate administrator for the
Space Shuttle Program, Office of Space Flight, at Headquarters.

Scheuermann has provided executive leadership, overall direction and
management of Stennis since being named that center's director in
2010. He is responsible for implementing NASA's mission in the area
of rocket propulsion testing, and developing and maintaining NASA's
world-class rocket propulsion test facilities.

Scheuermann previously served as Stennis' deputy director and
associate director, in addition to working as chief operating officer
of NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Since joining
NASA in 1988 as a propulsion test engineer, he worked on numerous
major test projects at Stennis, including serving as project manager
for NASA's Reusable Launch Vehicle program, a NASA-industry effort to
develop a new generation of safe and cost-effective rockets to send
payloads to space.

Gilbrech has served as Stennis' deputy director since 2010. He began
his NASA career in 1991 at Stennis in the area of propulsion test
technology. From 1998 to 2000, he served as chief of the Propulsion
Test Engineering Division at Stennis, and in 2003, he was named
manager of the Propulsion Integration Office, responsible for
managing NASA's rocket propulsion test facilities.

Later in 2003, Gilbrech relocated to Langley Research Center in
Hampton, Va., to become a principal engineer in the NASA Engineering
and Safety Center. He later served as deputy of the NASA Engineering
and Safety Center and as deputy director of Langley. In 2006,
Gilbrech was named director of Stennis, serving in that role until
assuming leadership of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate
at Headquarters in Washington.

All three men are highly honored NASA leaders, earning the
Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive and agency medals
for outstanding leadership.

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov


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