NASA History Community:

                As Bob Jacobs notes, please join us in congratulating Brian on this big news!  Thanks,

                Steve

 

Stephen Garber

(he/him)

NASA History Division

Office of Communications

NASA Headquarters

Mary W. Jackson Building, Room 5P25

Washington, DC 20546

202-358-0385

http://history.nasa.gov

 

 

 

 

Hey team, we are excited to announce that Dr. Brian Odom has been selected as NASA’s next Chief Historian. Brian took over the office in an acting capacity in August 2020 after Dr. Bill Barry retired.

 

Before taking on those additional responsibilities, Brian was the historian at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville from 2016 until he took on the acting lead position. If you have ever dealt with Brian, you know he is not only knowledgeable, but friendly, cooperative, and willing to do what it takes to help find the answer to your question.

 

Brian is the co-editor of NASA and the ‘Long’ Civil Rights Movement, which was awarded the 2019 Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award by the American Astronautical Society. He is also the editor of the forthcoming works NASA and the American South and Rise of the Commercial Space Industry.

 

In March 2022, Brian received the NASA Silver Achievement Medal for outstanding contributions in preserving and communicating the agency’s rich history, especially NASA’s role in promoting civil rights, diversity, and social justice. Brian holds a Ph.D. in Public History from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, as well as a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Brian was born and raised in Uriah, Alabama.

 

Please join me in congratulating Brian.

 

Cheers,

Bob