An Air Force general who leads one of the United States’
largest organizations responsible for developing and fielding
military space missions has been selected to become deputy
director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Lt. Gen. Eugene L. Tattini, 58, commander of the Space
and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, will
join JPL in early July, announced JPL Director Dr. Charles
Elachi. Tattini will succeed Larry N. Dumas, who is retiring
after serving as deputy director for the past nine years.

“Gene Tattini has an imposing background in managing
large, complex space programs similar to the flight projects
we develop at JPL,” said Elachi. “He brings to JPL a keen
management ability and great depth in working with the
aerospace community.”

Tattini, who in moving to the Laboratory will retire from
the Air Force after nearly 36 years of service, has spent a
total of 12 years at the Space and Missile Systems Center
managing the research, design, development and acquisition of
launch systems and satellites.

“This is a natural transition for me,” said Tattini.
“Military space and civil space have many similarities, and
the business practices, management and engineering are
essentially the same.”

“Gene emerged very clearly and early as a great match for
JPL,” said William A. Jenkins, the California Institute of
Technology’s executive vice president for administration who
led the nationwide search to fill the position. “He stood out
not only in his skills and experience, but in his values —
his non-bureaucratic, commonsense approach to management and
leadership.”

Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Tattini graduated from
Hampton (Virginia) High School in 1961. A distinguished
graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the
University of Illinois, he entered the Air Force as a second
lieutenant in 1965. During his Air Force career, he has
served in various space, acquisitions and logistics
assignments.

Tattini holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial
management from the University of Illinois and a master’s
degree in business administration from Oklahoma City
University. His major Air Force awards and decorations
include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit
with oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with
three oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal and
the Humanitarian Service Medal.

Tattini and his wife, Jene, have two grown daughters.

JPL is a federally funded research and development center
managed and staffed for NASA by the California Institute of
Technology. In addition to being NASA’s lead center for
robotic exploration of the solar system, JPL has major
programs in Earth sciences, astronomy and physics, and
technology development.