NASA Goddard Center-wide Email (Update)

Keith’s 17 June update: A correction the 12 June note was sent out to GSFC employees on 17 June. It is included below. Keith’s 12 June note: This email was sent to NASA Goddard employees on 12 June 2025 – note that there will be a Town Hall on 16 June. — “Dear Colleagues: I’m happy to share that Gavin Schmidt, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has been awarded the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s 2025 Planetary Health Award in recognition of his work on climate change and its impacts. The foundation’s board of directors recommended Gavin for this high honor, and Prince Albert II himself made the final selection. GISS has been a leader in understanding planetary atmospheres and systems – especially those of our home planet – and its work remains critical. Please join me in congratulating Gavin on this high honor and for his ongoing leadership in the field of climate change.” (more below)

As Acting Administrator Janet Petro mentioned in her weekly message last week, NASA is working to begin pivoting the agency to its new priorities. To help align the workforce and resources to the administration’s priorities, NASA is offering voluntary separation programs to civil servants. We are now several days into the open window for the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA), and Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP). The window for all three will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, July 25.

The decision to apply for any of these is deeply personal, and one that you should discuss among your families, friends, and colleagues while assessing how you fit within the administration’s budget priorities.

The president’s budget request also has us reviewing institutional changes, some of which we are implementing immediately. Some measures will be seamless to the workforce, while others will be more noticeable. For example, our contract for the Veo scooter service will end Monday, June 16. Soon after the contract expires, the scooters will be removed. We will explore possible transportation alternatives and will keep you posted on that and other institutional changes.

Obviously, there’s a lot going on, and we’ll discuss what we know about these actions and initiatives at the next centerwide town hall this Monday, June 16, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Hinners Auditorium in Building 8 on the Greenbelt campus, with overflow in the Goett Auditorium in Building 3. Doors to both locations will open at 12:30. The town hall will also be streamed here.

Finally, I want to highlight that our colleagues in the legal office have organized several training sessions to answer questions related to possible employment outside of Goddard and post-employment training, with some sessions tailored toward scientists. Attendance is optional, although many should find the sessions beneficial during this transition period. Related to post-employment, I want to highlight that Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia have all launched websites specifically for federal workers transitioning out of federal service.

See you Monday at the town hall.

Makenzie

Dr. Makenzie Lystrup
Center Director

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UPDATE

June 17, 2025 at 11:39AM
A MESSAGE FROM THE CENTER DIRECTOR
Dear Colleagues:

I’m writing to provide a few follow-ups from our town hall yesterday, June 16. 

First, I want to clarify a comment I made about the fact that severance payments were not a guarantee for all civil servants should the Agency conduct a reduction-in-force (RIF). I want everyone to understand with as much clarity as possible the circumstances under which that might be the case.

My goal was to emphasize there are certain situations during a RIF in which severance pay is not authorized. For example, severance pay will not be paid to term employees; employees with less that 12 months of continuous service; employees eligible for an immediate annuity; or to employees who decline a reasonable offer of assignment to another position. In particular, my concern is for an employee who is offered a reasonable assignment that is outside of the employee’s career goals and passion. If an employee turned down such an offer, they would not be eligible for a severance. 

This fact sheet from OPM is a helpful resource as it contains a more thorough analysis of severance pay authority.

Next, there is a slight change in the Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) program from last week. The VSIP was originally only offered for roles the agency planned to eliminate. Now, we have been given more flexibility and the position will no longer need to be identified as “no backfill” in order for VSIP to be approved.

Best regards,
Makenzie
Dr. Makenzie Lystrup
Center Director