Dr. Amy Donahue will join the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel
(ASAP), an independent organization advising NASA on the safety of
operations, facilities, and personnel. Donahue replaces Dr. Rosemary
O’Leary, who recently decided to step down from the panel.
Donahue is an assistant professor of public administration at the
University of Connecticut Institute of Public Affairs, Storrs, Conn.
She teaches graduate courses in public organizations and management,
policy analysis, intergovernmental relations, and research methods. Her
research focuses on emergency and public safety services.
Under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act, Donahue serves as Senior
Advisor to the NASA Administrator for Homeland Security. She also
serves as a member of the Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group,
the independent panel overseeing NASA’s implementation of the Columbia
Accident Investigation Board recommendations.
“Amy Donahue is a stand-out in her field, and we count ourselves lucky
to benefit from her expertise. She brings to the ASAP a rich background
as a firefighter, as an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps,
and as an academic,” said NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe.
O’Leary resigned in December, citing personal and professional reasons.
A professor of public administration at Syracuse University, N.Y., she
recently accepted a one-year research position overseas. “This agency
truly benefited from the tremendous work Rosemary O’Leary contributed
to the ASAP during her tenure,” O’Keefe said. “We will miss her
service, but wish her well as she pursues other endeavors.”
Congress chartered the ASAP in 1967, after the tragic Apollo 1 fire.
The panel consists of nine members appointed to two-year terms,
reaffirmed annually, by the NASA Administrator. The Panel reports to
the NASA Administrator and to Congress.
For information about ASAP, visit: http://www.Asap.nasa.gov
