Jamie Bennet
Executive Mosaic is honored to unveil Pamela Melroy, deputy administrator of NASA, as the latest government official to be inducted into the 2023 edition of the Wash100 for her transformative representation in programs that drive the agency mission forward and encourage commercial innovation.
Melroy is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who received Senate confirmation in June 2021 to be the space agency’s second in command and previously managed Lockheed Martin‘s Orion Space Exploration Initiatives program office.
“Pam is an incredibly capable NASA deputy administrator whose career builds upon her impressive experience as space shuttle commander (STS-120), NASA astronaut and member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame,” said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and creator of the Wash100 Award. “Through her achievements and important continued work at NASA, she inspires many more women to follow a path of STEM, leadership and adventure,” Garrettson added.
In February 2022, NASA awarded a new round of grants under the Innovative Advanced Concepts program to fund early-stage technology research projects supporting aeronautics and cosmic missions.
“As we set our sights on ever more challenging destinations for exploration with humans and robots, innovative ideas and future thinking will be critical to helping us reach new milestones,” Melroy said at the time.
The agency revised its Moon to Mars objectives last year to ensure sustained solar system exploration in the areas of science, transportation and habitation, lunar and Martian infrastructure, and operations.
“These objectives are both practical and aspirational, and we were gratified by the thoughtful contributions of our workforce, industry and international partners who will join us in shaping our future together,” the former astronaut.
She outlined NASA’s priorities to maintain its position as the center of excellence in its field during the 37th Annual Space Symposium in Colorado.
“First and foremost, we will continue to be a global leader in science, aeronautics, space technology and human space flight. But in addition for the agency, we have three cross-cutting priorities: climate, workforce and the Moon to Mars strategy,” Melroy shared in her April 5 keynote speech.
She added that the agency is “ready to move just beyond a visit. In order to do that, we need to build a scalable infrastructure capability to provide that foundation for living and working in another planet.”
Melroy recently promoted NASA’s Acquisition Innovation Launchpad, a new online portal where GovCon experts can submit their ideas and recommendations to improve the agency’s procurement process.
“The launchpad is a safe space for anyone, including, but not limited to, contractors, engineers, and program managers of any level, to field and test ideas in a collaborative and managed risk-taking environment to help us improve life for everyone on the planet,” she remarked.
Forbes featured Melroy in the magazine’s second annual “50 Over 50: Entrepreneurs” list.
Her career includes previous leadership roles at the Federal Aviation Administration, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Nova Systems, an engineering services and technology services company in Australia.
Melroy’s career is an aspirational model for women, leaders and professionals who want to excel in the field of space exploration, and more broadly in government service. Her support for programs to improve the federal acquisition process is admirable, and for that, Executive Mosaic is honored to recognize her with the Wash100 Award.
Don’t forget to cast 10 votes at Wash100.com by April 28 to support the industry and the executive you believe deserves a GovCon champion status.
