Roy D. Bridges Jr., Director of NASA’s Langley
Research Center (LaRC), Hampton, Va., today named Lesa
Roe as Deputy Director.
Roe will assist in the general management of the Center
and act with the authority of the Director in his
absence. She will help plan, organize and direct Center
and inter-center activities to advance research
significant to national aerospace programs and
objectives.
“Lesa Roe’s experience base is an outstanding blend of
educational, technical and leadership qualifications,”
Bridges said. “She has a broad perspective gained from
working at multiple NASA centers, and she has
considerable insight into the issues that face Langley.
I am thrilled to have her as my partner in leading
Langley during these exciting times,” he said.
Roe has served as LaRC Associate Director for Business
Management since August 2003. She was responsible for
business functions and provided leadership in the
development, evaluation and recommendation of new or
modified business objectives.
NASA’s Deputy Administrator Frederick Gregory said,
“Lesa is a great addition to the Langley leadership
team. Her diverse background, management skills and
business acumen will be invaluable as we work toward
return to flight and to implement the Vision for Space
Exploration.”
Roe has more than 18 years experience in engineering,
technical and managerial positions, working for both
government and private industry. Her background includes four
years International Space Station Program Management; nine
years experience in Technical Management and Project
Engineering; and five years experience in Radio Frequency
Communications Test and Payload Systems Engineering.
Roe started her engineering career performing satellite
communications analysis for Hughes Space and Communications
in El Segundo, Calif.
She began her NASA career at Kennedy Space Center (KSC),
Fla., in 1987 as a radio frequency communications engineer in
the Space Shuttle Engineering Directorate. From 1990 through
1999, Roe successfully managed the processing and launch of
multiple payloads through the KSC Payload Processing
Directorate and International Space Station (ISS) Hardware
Integration Office.
From 1999 through 2003, she managed the ISS Payloads Office
at Johnson Space Center, Houston. She was responsible for
development, integration, and on-orbit operations of ISS
research and technology payloads.
Roe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical
engineering from the University of Florida, Gainesville,
Fla., in 1986 and a Master of Science degree in electrical
engineering from the University of Central Florida, Orlando,
in 1991. She completed executive management programs at
Harvard University, the University of Michigan and Smith
College.
She received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA
Superior Accomplishment Award and a NASA Continuous
Improvement Award.
LaRC, founded in 1917, is the nation’s first civilian
aeronautical research facility and NASA’s oldest field
center. For information about NASA, agency programs and
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