Lori Garver is Leaving NASA

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver will be stepping down from her position next month to take a job with the Air Line Pilots Association. She gave the news to colleagues via email, and an official announcement from NASA was just released today.

In the email, Garver wrote:

After quite an extensive decision process, I have decided to make a career change. I will be resigning from my position as NASA Deputy Administrator, effective September 6 and have accepted a new position in the private sector outside the space industry. NASA will be sending out a formal announcement tomorrow with all the details. It has been great working with you all these years and I’m sure that our paths will continue to cross.

Garver has been back and forth between NASA and private sector jobs a few times in her career. She began working at NASA in 1996 as an advisor to Daniel Goldin, the Administrator at the time. She left that position in 2001 to work as a vice president at DFI International, advising companies like Lockheed Martin.

Since she’s already left NASA and returned once, it could happen again. Maybe that’s what she meant when she said, “I’m sure that our paths will continue to cross.”

NASA released their own announcement not too long ago, but Garver made it official on Twitter earlier this morning:

Thanks to the #NASA team and #spacetweeps everywhere for your support. Sad to go; excited for next challenge with @WeAreALPA!

— Lori Garver (@Lori_Garver) August 6, 2013

(via SpaceNews, image via NASA)

Meanwhile in related links

• Garver would like you to stop all the dangerous asteroids please
• The new class of astronauts is 50% women for the first time in history
• Garver did a Google Hangout with our friend Bill Nye