Deputy Administrator Reportedly Going To ALPA

NASA announced Tuesday that Deputy Administrator Lori Garver is departing the agency for a job not connected with space.

Garver (pictured) informed her colleagues of her departure in an e-mail on Monday. "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,” she said.

Space News reports that the private sector job is with ALPA. Her exact role with the union was not reported.

"I have had the pleasure and honor of working side by side with Lori for the past four years, as we sought to position the agency for 21st century spaceflight, scientific discovery and deep space exploration,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a statement officially announcing Garver's departure. "She has been an indispensable partner in our efforts to keep NASA on a trajectory of progress and innovation.  In a time of great change and challenge, she has been a remarkable leader who has consistently shown great vision and commitment to NASA and the aerospace industry."

"Lori Garver has worked tirelessly in support of this administration’s aerospace priorities, from human space exploration and technology development to Earth science and aeronautics research, said Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren in the same release. "She ensured that U.S. taxpayers were getting the most for their money from NASA with innovative public-private partnerships in space and on Earth, and her focus on getting more women and other underrepresented groups engaged in science, technology, engineering, and math was just as important."

FMI: www.nasa.gov, www.alpa.org