Featured Story

SMA Leadership Profile: Ronnie Rodriguez

6-minute read
SMA Leadership Profile: Ronnie Rodriguez

Merriam Webster defines a leader simply as a “person who leads.” For Kennedy Space Center Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Director Ronnie Rodriguez, a leader is better defined by why people follow him or her.

Read More
Items per page:

SMA Leadership Profile: Grant Watson

8-minute read
Grant Watson Profile

Grant Watson unknowingly spent his entire career preparing for his new role, a role that didn’t even exist until this year. As the director of the newly-formed Institutional Safety Management Division of the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, Watson’s 25 plus years in Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA), as well as his executive role as Langley Research Center’s SMA director, give him the knowledge and experience to succeed.

Read More

SMA Leadership Profile: Eric Isaac

6-minute read
Eric Isaac

What does it mean to be the Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) director at Goddard Space Flight Center? According to the man himself, Eric Isaac, it’s as the title implies: it’s about being a leader that promotes keeping people safe and assuring the mission.

Read More

SMA Leadership Profile: Jennifer Kunz

6-minute read
Jennifer Kunz

Jennifer Kunz, Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) director at Kennedy Space Center, believes everyone should have a life quote that defines how he or she operates.

“You’ll hear something some time and it will resonate with you,” she explained. “When you hear it, write it down.”

Personally, she’s guided by

“When you’re good, you will tell people; when you’re great, they will tell you.”

Read More

SMA Leadership Profile: Tim Crumbley

4-minute read
TimCrumbley

In March, Crumbley stepped into a new role as the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Software Assurance technical fellow. Crumbley is responsible for establishing the agency-level Software Assurance procedures, policies, training and requirements for NASA. Overall, Crumbley leads Software Assurance policy development and provides research program oversight, technical direction, and support for the agency and its partners.

Read More

Planetary Protection Welcomes New Deputy Officer

3-minute read
Elaine Seasly

The Office of Safety and Mission Assurance recently named Elaine Seasly as the deputy Planetary Protection Officer. In this role, she will be supporting the Office of Planetary Protection in its efforts to promote the responsible exploration of the solar system by implementing and developing efforts that protect the science, explored environments and Earth.

Read More

SMA Leadership Profile: Harmony Myers

3-minute read
Myers

In June, Harmony Myers transitioned from serving as the System Safety Technical Discipline Team Lead to overseeing the NASA Safety Center (NSC) Technical Excellence Office (TEO). Myers is excited for her new role as director of TEO and already has plans on how to improve collaboration among the NSC’s four offices and across the agency.

Read More

SMA Leadership Profile: Anthony DiVenti

4-minute read
diventi

Last December, Anthony “Tony” DiVenti stepped into a new role as the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) technical fellow. DiVenti sought this position because of his passion for R&M and his desire to improve tools, methods and training and hopefully remove barriers that may prevent R&M professionals from performing their jobs in the most effective and efficient manner.

Read More

Raynor Taylor Receives Yes-If Coin, Supports Safety Reporting Culture

1-minute read
Taylor With Yes, If Coin

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Program Manager Raynor Taylor received a NASA Yes-If Challenge Coin for raising a safety concern while visiting a NASA center. Since he brought up the concern, project personnel have created a clear path forward to practice better safety measures.

Read More

SMA Leadership Profile: Richard Burt

4-minute read
Rick Burt

Richard “Rick” Burt, Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) director at Marshall Space Flight Center, has what he calls the “Fundamental Four”:

  • Do the right things
  • Do them right
  • Do them now
  • Own them
Read More

SMA Leadership Profile: Richard Barney

5-minute read
Richard Barney

Typically, employees look to their leaders for guidance, but Goddard Space Flight Center’s Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Director Richard Barney wants his employees to know he’s looking at those around him for inspiration.

Read More
Items per page: