Personnel News: October 2014 Archives

ALPA Names Dr. Elizabeth Robinson as Its New Chief Financial Officer

"Today, the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) announced that Elizabeth Robinson, PhD, will be joining the Association as director of Finance and chief financial officer (CFO) on November 3, 2014. Robinson will lead ALPA's finance team. Robinson comes to ALPA from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), where she held the position of CFO since 2009. "Having worked with her in the past, I'm confident in her tremendous ability," said ALPA's general manager Lori Garver. "I look forward to her bringing her expertise and commitment to ALPA."

NASA maintains lofty worker-satisfaction ratings for 2014, Washington Post

"National Aeronautics and Space Administration employees remained largely satisfied with their agency this year, likely continuing the agency's trend of ranking among the best places to work in the federal government, according to results from a recent survey. Seventy-one percent of NASA staffers who responded to the Office of Personnel Management's federal-employee viewpoints survey gave the agency a positive mark this year when asked about their overall impression of the organization. NASA in 2013 earned the highest composite score among all federal agencies for the second consecutive year."

2014 Annual Employee Survey Results, NASA

"These results indicate some challenges to be addressed by senior leaders, particularly around their continuing efforts to be intentional and authentic when communicating big Agency issues with their employees."

NASA OIG: Audit of NASA's Premium Air Travel

"Generally, the 2 years of NASA premium-class travel we reviewed was properly authorized and complied with Federal and Agency travel policy. However, we identified four instances of premium travel that did not fall within any FTR or Agency exceptions, errors and omissions in some travel authorizations, and inaccuracies in NASA's reporting of its premium travel to GSA. In addition, we found the Agency's travel policy did not include several elements required by GSA."

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts (NASA Excerpt)

"Dr. Dava Newman, Nominee for Deputy Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Dr. Dava Newman is a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She first joined the MIT faculty in 1993 and has held a number of different faculty positions since then. Dr. Newman is a Harvard-MIT Health, Sciences and Technology faculty member and became a MacVicar Faculty Fellow in 2000. She is also the Director of the MIT Portugal Program, Director of the Technology and Policy Program, and Co-Director of the Man-Vehicle Laboratory at MIT. From 1992 to 1993, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston. Dr. Newman received a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame and two S.M.s and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."

Dava Newman nominated for NASA post, MIT

The deputy administrator's specific duties, Newman says, include NASA's legislative and intergovernmental affairs; communications; the Mission Support Directorate; and international relationships, including the multinational partnership that manages the International Space Station. In addition, the post oversees educational programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Helping to spur the interest of young people in space, and in engineering in general, will be "a privilege," Newman says. "I'd like to change the conversation with kids about what it means to be an engineer" -- which she calls "the best job in the world, where you get to solve really challenging and extraordinary problems in the service of humankind."

Dava Newman - New Deputy Administrator at NASA, 8 October post

Shana Dale Joins FAA Commercial Space Office as Deputy AA, Space Policy Online

"Shana Dale will become Deputy Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as of November 3, 2014. She succeeds George Zamka who left AST this summer to join Bigelow Aerospace. Dale has served in a number of positions on Capitol Hill and in the George W. Bush Administration. She is perhaps best known in space policy circles as the first woman to serve as Deputy Administrator of NASA from 2005-2009 while Mike Griffin was Administrator."

Keith's note: Dava Newman from MIT will be the next Deputy Administrator at NASA - if confirmed.

P.S. She's cool.

- MIT bio
- Dava Newman - Aerospace Engineer/Sailor, PBS
- Shrink-wrapping Spacesuits. MIT