| April 06, 2023 RELEASE 23-042 NASA Administrator Names New Goddard Center Director
lystrup_swear_in.jpg NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, swears in Dr. Makenzie Lystrup as director of Goddard Space Flight Center, as NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy looks on Thursday, April 6, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Credits: NASA/Keegan Barber |
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has named Dr. Makenzie Lystrup director of the agencyâs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, effective immediately. She will make history as the first female center director at Goddard. Lystrup succeeds Dave Mitchell, who has served as Goddardâs acting center director since January 2023, and now resumes his duties as the agencyâs chief program management officer at NASA Headquarters in Washington. |
 Director of Goddard Space Flight Center Dr. Makenzie Lystrup poses for a photo following her swearing-in ceremony Thursday, April 6, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Credits: NASA/Keegan Barber |
âMakenzie is a natural leader, bringing to Goddard a scientistâs drive for discovery along with a wealth of industry experience and knowledge. As center director, she will lead a world-renowned team of scientists, engineers, and technologists focused on Earth and space science. Under her leadership, the Goddard workforce will continue to inspire, innovate, and explore the unknown for the benefit of all,â said Nelson. âIâd also like to thank Dave Mitchell for serving as acting center director since January and ensuring a seamless transition. We look forward to Dave resuming his role at headquarters.â
Goddard Space Flight Center is one of NASAâs largest field centers. Its sites include the primary campus in Greenbelt, Maryland, as well as Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification & Validation Facility in West Virginia,â¯the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, the White Sands Complex in New Mexico,â¯and the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Texas. Goddard is responsible for the oversight and execution of a $4 billion portfolio and is home to the nation's largest concentration of scientists, engineers and technologists dedicated to Earth and space science. Its workforce consists of more than 10,000 employees, both civil servants and contractors.Â
âGoddard is an incredible center and true national asset with the best and brightest minds in science and engineering â Iâm humbled and honored to lead such an amazing and diverse world-renowned team,â said Lystrup. âTo build upon our legacy, Iâm keenly focused on growing the next generation of innovators along with ensuring our team has the resources and tools to advance technologies and make new discoveries that boost the space economy and benefit us all.âÂ
Prior to joining NASA, Lystrup was vice president and general manager of civil space at Ball Aerospace, where she was responsible for the companyâs portfolio of civil space systems that span across all science fields, operational weather and Earth observation, as well as advanced technologies development objectives. In this role, she led Ballâs contributions to several missions, such as NASAâs James Webb Space Telescope, Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), Landsat 9, and the Roman Space Telescope.Â
Lystrup has also served as senior director for Ballâs Civil Space Advanced Systems and Business Development, where she managed new business activities for NASA, NOAA, and other civilian U.S. government agencies as well as for academia and other science organizations.
For more information on Lystrup, please see her biography online:
https://go.nasa.gov/43cQOgn
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