NASA Advisory Council Welcomes New Members, Sets 2022 Goals

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Feb 16, 2022, 09:49 ET

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Wednesday he appointed new members to the NASA Advisory Council (NAC), which provides leadership counsel and advice on a variety of important and complex agency programs and topics.

Retired Gen. Lester Lyles will continue to chair the NAC and its more than 50 members appointed across the council and five committees supporting aeronautics, human spaceflight, science, and STEM, as well as technology, innovation, and engineering.

Among the new council members are former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, former Rep. Jane Harman, and former Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning. Additional council appointments include former NASA Chief Scientist Dr. Waleed Abdalati, former NASA astronaut Dr. Danny Olivas, and former director of the Defense Contract Management Agency Charlie Williams Jr. New NAC council chair appointments include Darin DiTommaso as chair of the NAC Aeronautics Committee and Michael Johns as chair of the NAC Technology, Innovation and Engineering Committee, plus numerous new committee members. Additional members may be added in the future.

"I take great pride in our team at NASA and the incredible accomplishments we achieve every day as a global leader in exploration. NASA attracts the best and the brightest – which makes it easy to attract high-caliber talent to the NAC," said Nelson. "As we push forward into yet another busy year for the agency, I look forward to hearing the recommendations from new and existing experts serving on the NASA Advisory Council."

The NAC usually meets three times per year and the first virtual meeting of 2022 is slated for Tuesday, March 1, and Wednesday, March 2. This year, the NAC will align its work across the following agency priorities: