Teresa Vanhooser has been named deputy director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., NASA announced Nov. 29.

The post has been vacant since Marshall’s previous deputy director, Gene Goldman, retired in July after a four-month stint as acting director.

Vanhooser previously managed Marshall’s Flight Programs and Partnerships Office. Prior to that, she served as deputy manager, acting manager and manager of Ares Projects, the launch vehicle program that laid the foundation for NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket.

“There is no better candidate than Teresa Vanhooser to help me lead the Marshall Center into NASA’s next era of exploration and discovery,” Marshall Director Patrick Scheuermann said in a statement.

Scheuermann held the top job at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi before moving to Marshall earlier this year.