Was Assistant Director For Space And Aeronautics For President Obama

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has named John Olson, Ph.D., former Assistant Director for Space and Aeronautics, Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President, as vice president of Space Systems.

“SNC and I are truly fortunate to have John Olson join our senior leadership team,” said Mark Sirangelo, head of SNC’s Space Systems. “John’s world-class experience, vision, and energy will enable our success with the Dream Chaser Space System and our strategic enterprise.”

In his former role at the White House, Olson was the assistant director for Space and Aeronautics in the Office of Science and Technology Policy where he was responsible for interagency civil, commercial, and national security space and aeronautics policy. In his new position, he will be responsible for space exploration and advanced development of the Dream Chaser program, including international, interagency, and industry relationships, as well as government affairs.

“I’m truly excited to join the SNC team as we stand at the dawn of a new era of human space exploration and opportunity. SNC is uniquely poised to lead the agile development of the nation’s next-generation crew transportation vehicle that is modern, safe, affordable, and capable of a diverse array of missions,” said Olson. “I look forward to helping to lead our outstanding team as we turn this dream into reality!”

Olson joins SNC with over 25 years of government service and extensive technical, programmatic, and operational aerospace experience in the United States Air Force, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the White House.

Prior to serving at the White House, he was a senior executive at NASA where he was the director of two divisions in the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters (HQ). Olson was responsible for NASA’s integrated human space exploration architecture, operations concepts, mission plans, and analysis of technology, capabilities, and systems, as well as, risk and knowledge management, communications, public outreach, and education. Olson also managed international, interagency, industry, and science partnership coordination.

In other NASA assignments, Olson was director of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Integration Office, where he oversaw the integration of NASA’s human and robotic space exploration activities. As the former exploration transition manager at NASA HQ, he was responsible for exploration planning activities and processes to support the retirement of the Space Shuttle Program and transition to the Constellation Program. He started his NASA career as the manager of International Space Station (ISS) Operations in the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance.

Before joining NASA in June 2004, Olson held numerous leadership positions in the U.S. Air Force as the chief of the Space Test, Operations, and Programs Division at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM; chief of Test, flight commander of Special Projects, and Airborne Test Branch chief at the Air Armament Center at Eglin Air Force Base, FL; Special Operations flight test program manager at Hurlburt Field, FL.; and at the Air Force Advanced Composites Program Office at McClellan AFB, CA. Olson continues to serve as the director of the Joint Reserve in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering at the Pentagon.

FMI: www.sncspace.com