NASA Announces New Director of Johnson Space Center

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May 14, 2018, 04:14 ET

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced Monday the selection of Mark Geyer as the next director of the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. He'll assume the director's position on May 25, when current Center Director and former astronaut Ellen Ochoa retires after 30 years at the agency.

As Johnson's center director, he'll lead one of NASA's largest installations, which has about 10,000 civil service and contractor employees - including those at White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico - and oversee a broad range of human spaceflight activities.

"Mark brings with him almost three decades of distinguished NASA leadership experience at the program, center and headquarters levels – he's managed and he's worked his way through the ranks and knows what it's going to take to get our astronauts back to the Moon and on to Mars. Johnson has been NASA's home base for astronauts and mission control throughout our history, and Mark is eminently qualified to carry on this historic legacy," said Bridenstine. "I also want to thank Ellen for her years of service to America and this agency. Her legacy and contributions to this center and to NASA are timeless. She will be missed."

Geyer currently is serving as the acting deputy associate administrator for Technical for the Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. In this position, which he assumed Oct. 1, 2017, he's responsible for assisting the associate administrator in providing strategic direction for all aspects of NASA's human spaceflight exploration mission. Before that, Geyer served as deputy center director at Johnson until September 2017.

"It's an honor to be appointed to lead the men and women of this proud center," Geyer said. "The Johnson Space Center has unique capabilities that are critical to NASA's ability to execute our mission to take humans farther into the solar system, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you on the ambitious tasks ahead."

Born in Indianapolis, Geyer earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics Engineering as well as his Master of Science degree in Aeronautics from Purdue University in Indiana. Geyer is the recipient of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Meritorious Executive Rank Award and the Distinguished Executive Rank Award.

For more information about Geyer, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/2rwRxc9

For information about Johnson Space Center, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/johnson

SOURCE NASA