Keith’s note: According to this NASA release Dave Gallagher Named 11th Director of JPL as Laurie Leshin Steps Down: “Laurie Leshin has decided to step down as director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Sunday, June 1. David Gallagher, who has been serving as the Lab’s associate director for Strategic Integration, has been selected by Caltech to lead the federally funded research and development center. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.”

Keith’s note: According to “NASA Lab’s Workforce Woes Threaten Major Space Missions“ in Scientific American: “To many, it is a dream job. So why have some of JPL’s most vital workers jumped ship? To find out, Scientific American interviewed more than a dozen current and past employees who blame much of the brain drain on the high-stakes, high-stress atmosphere of the lab. Missions, not people, are the lab’s top priority, they say.” … “Even the harshest critics interviewed by Scientific American hold out hope for change—much of it tied to JPL’s newest director, Leshin. “It was amazing to see the amount of trust that was accorded to her right from the get-go” after her arrival a year and a half ago, says one current employee whom we will call Ava. “She was very open. She was welcoming. She was engaged. She was personable.”

Keith’s note: Several months ago Assistant Associate Administrator for the International Space Station Mark Uhran had been telling people that he was going to leave NASA on or around 1 October. Those plans have apparently changed. Former Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Laurie Leshin’s departure led to a change in the new HEOMD management structure (due to the fusion of ESMD and SOMD) and Uhran is […]

NASA Internal Memo: Laurie Leshin Is Departing “I wanted to share some news with you. I have accepted a position outside of NASA. I will be the Dean of the School of Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York starting in October. RPI will be announcing my appointment today. I will remain here at NASA HQ until mid- to late-September and look forward to continuing to work with […]