NASA Marshall Director Singer Announces Retirement

NASA plans a nationwide search and open competition for a successor to replace Jody Singer, who announced her retirement as Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) director on July 17.

Singer has held the director’s post since 2018, after serving two years as MSFC’s deputy director. Her departure is effective July 29.

The center’s current deputy director, Joseph Pelfrey, will serve as acting center director through the replacement selection process.

The first female director of MSFC, Singer has had a career with NASA that spans more than 38 years.

Funded at about $5 billion annually, MSFC is home to about 7,000 on- and off-site civil service and contractor personnel. The center has led development of the Artemis program’s Space Launch System rocket and commercially partnered lunar Human Landing System and is participating in development of a nuclear thermal propulsion system for future human and scientific deep space exploration missions.

MSFC manages much of the scientific payload activity aboard the seven-person International Space Station and provided contributions to the James Webb Space Telescope and Double Asteroid Redirection Test.

“I know individuals at the beginning of their career at NASA and members of the Artemis Generation who dream of working here will be inspired by Jody’s service, knowing their contributions can help return NASA astronauts to the Moon and prepare us for crewed missions to Mars,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said as part of Singer’s retirement announcement.