Robert M. Lightfoot Jr.

{{Short description|American space agency executive}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. | image = Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. official portrait.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2017 | title = Acting [[Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] | president = [[Donald Trump]] | deputy = [[Lesa Roe]] (acting) | term_start = January 20, 2017 | term_end = April 23, 2018 | predecessor = [[Charles Bolden]] | successor = [[Jim Bridenstine]] | office1 = Associate Administrator of the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] | president1 = [[Barack Obama]]<br>Donald Trump | deputy1 = [[Lesa Roe]]<br/>[[Krista Paquin]] | term_start1 = September 25, 2012 | term_end1 = April 30, 2018 | predecessor1 = | successor1 = [[Stephen Jurczyk]] (Acting) | birth_date = | birth_place = [[Montevallo, Alabama|Montevallo]], [[Alabama]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | education = [[University of Alabama]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]]) | spouse = Caroline Smith<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100527142117/http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/management/center_directors/pages/lightfoot.html NASA.gov]</ref> | website = [https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/lightfoot_bio.html NASA Biography] }} '''Robert M. Lightfoot Jr.''' is a former [[List of Administrators and Deputy Administrators of NASA|acting administrator]] of the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA), serving from January 20, 2017 until April 23, 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aviationweek.com/awin-only/lightfoot-radzanowski-will-head-nasa-temporarily|title=Lightfoot, Radzanowski Will Head NASA Temporarily|website=aviationweek.com}}</ref> Succeeding [[Charles Bolden]], Lightfoot became the space agency's acting associate administrator on March 5, 2012. That job became permanent on September 25, 2012. He had previously served as the eleventh director of the [[NASA]] [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] in [[Huntsville, Alabama]], from March 2009 until his promotion in March 2012. On March 12, 2018, he announced his retirement from NASA effective April 30, 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |date=2018-03-12 |title=Robert Lightfoot, NASA's Acting Administrator, to Retire as Trump's Nominee Is Stalled |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/science/robert-lightfoot-nasa-retirement.html |access-date=2022-06-01 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Early life== Lightfoot has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the [[University of Alabama]].<ref name="hvt825"/> In October 2007, he was named Distinguished Departmental Fellow for the University of Alabama, Department of Mechanical Engineering and selected as a University of Alabama College of Engineering fellow in 2009. Lightfoot serves on the University of Alabama Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board.<ref name="lightpr">{{cite press release |publisher=NASA |title=Lightfoot Named Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2009/H-09-195.html |date=August 24, 2009 |accessdate=August 30, 2009 |archive-date=October 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026181842/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2009/H-09-195.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Career== Lightfoot joined NASA in 1989 as a test engineer and program manager at Marshall.<ref name="hvt825">{{cite news |first=Shelby G. |last=Spires |work=[[The Huntsville Times]] |title=Marshall keeps Lightfoot |url=http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?/base/news/1251191756326600.xml&coll=1 |date=August 25, 2009 |accessdate=August 30, 2009 |archive-date=June 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609095834/http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews%2F1251191756326600.xml&coll=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1998, he was named deputy division chief of Marshall's propulsion test division. Lightfoot moved to NASA's [[John C. Stennis Space Center]] in 1999 as chief of propulsion test operations. In 2001, he was named deputy director of the Propulsion Test Directorate at Stennis and in March 2002 he was promoted to director.<ref name="lightpr"/><ref name="bish">{{cite news |work=[[The Sun Herald]] |title=Stennis Ready to Respond to New Challenges |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BX&s_site=sunherald&p_multi=BX&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FB3344FCA39AFBE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=January 10, 2003 |accessdate=August 30, 2009 |page=18}}</ref>

From 2003 to 2005, Lightfoot served as assistant associate administrator for the [[Space Shuttle Program]] in the Office of Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="lightpr"/> He returned to Marshall in 2005 as manager of the Space Shuttle Propulsion Office. In 2007, Lightfoot was named deputy director of Marshall where he shared responsibility for managing the center.<ref name="hnt19">{{cite news |publisher=[[WHNT-TV]] News 19 |title=NASA Names Robert Lightfoot Director of Marshall Space Flight Center |url=http://www.whnt.com/whnt-robert-lightfoot-marshall-director,0,6147053.story |date=August 24, 2009 |accessdate=August 30, 2009}}</ref> He served in that capacity until becoming acting director on March 26, 2009, after the retirement of the previous director, [[David A. King (engineer)|David A. King]].<ref name="kingpr">{{cite press release |publisher=NASA |title=King Retires as Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center |url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/mar/HQ_09-071_MSFC_King_Retires.html |date=March 26, 2009 |accessdate=August 30, 2009 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090232/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/mar/HQ_09-071_MSFC_King_Retires.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lightfoot was formally named as the eleventh director of the Marshall Space Flight Center on August 24, 2009.<ref name="hnt19"/> He led Marshall through the transition from the Shuttle era to the [[Space Launch System]].<ref name="ht110803">{{cite news |first=Lee |last=Roop |work=[[The Huntsville Times]] |title=NASA's Marshall center reinventing itself after shuttle program |url=http://blog.al.com/space-news/2011/08/nasas_marshall_center_reinvent.html |date=August 3, 2011 |accessdate=August 3, 2011}}</ref>

In February 2012, NASA announced that Lightfoot would become the space agency's acting Associate Administrator as of March 5, 2012. The position opened when [[Chris Scolese]] was named the new director of the [[Goddard Space Flight Center]] in [[Greenbelt, Maryland]]. Lightfoot's successor at Marshall was [[Arthur E. Goldman|Arthur E. "Gene" Goldman]], named as acting director in March 2012.<ref name="pr120405"/> Lightfoot shifted from acting to permanent Associate Administrator on September 25, 2012.<ref name="msfc120925">{{cite press release |first1=Jennifer |last1=Stanfield |first2=David |last2=Weaver |publisher=[[NASA]] [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] |title=NASA Announces Senior Leadership Changes |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2012/H-12-335.html |date=September 25, 2012 |accessdate=November 28, 2012 |archive-date=November 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108164942/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2012/H-12-335.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2018, Lightfoot was elected as a fellow of the [[National Academy of Public Administration (United States)|National Academy of Public Administration.]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Incorporated |first=Prime |title=National Academy of Public Administration |url=https://napawash.org/fellow/1811 |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=National Academy of Public Administration |language=en}}</ref>

On March 12, 2018, Lightfoot announced that he would be retiring from the agency on April 30, 2018.<ref>[http://nasawatch.com/archives/2018/03/robert-lightfoo.html Retirement letter in NASAWatch]</ref>

In July 2018, Lightfoot joined the Advisory Board of [[Firefly Aerospace]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Firefly Aerospace Announces Formation of Advisory Board |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/firefly-aerospace-announces-formation-of-advisory-board-300684342.html |accessdate=30 July 2018 |agency=CISION PR Newswire |date=30 July 2018}}</ref>

In April 2019, Lightfoot joined Lockheed Martin as the Executive Vice President of its Space division.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot Joins Lockheed Martin |url=https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2019-04-29-Former-NASA-Acting-Administrator-Robert-Lightfoot-Joins-Lockheed-Martin |access-date=2022-10-03 |website=Media - Lockheed Martin |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-24 |title=Robert Lightfoot |url=https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/leadership-governance/robert-lightfoot.html |access-date=2022-10-03 |website=Lockheed Martin |language=en}}</ref>

==Awards and honors== A native of [[Montevallo, Alabama]], Lightfoot has received several awards during his career, including the [[Presidential Rank Award]] for Meritorious Executives in 2006 and a [[NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal]] in 2007 for "outstanding and exemplary leadership of the Shuttle Propulsion Office" and "assuring safety for the shuttle's return to flight".<ref name="lightpr"/>

==References== <references>

<ref name="pr120405">{{cite press release |first=Angela |last=Storey |agency=[[NASA]] |publisher=[[Marshall Space Flight Center]] |title=Russell, Miss., Native Arthur E. 'Gene' Goldman Named Acting Director of NASA's Marshall Center |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2012/12-037.html |date=April 5, 2012 |accessdate=April 6, 2012}}</ref>

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== External links == *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100527142117/http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/management/center_directors/pages/lightfoot.html NASA biography] *{{C-SPAN|63877}} {{s-start}} {{s-gov}} {{s-bef|before=}} {{s-ttl|title=Associate Administrator of NASA|years=2012–2018}} {{s-aft|after=Stephen Jurczyk<br>{{small|Acting}}}} {{s-bef|before=[[Charles Bolden]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Administrator of NASA]]<br>{{small|Acting}}|years=2017–2018}} {{s-aft|after=[[Jim Bridenstine]]}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightfoot, Robert M. Jr.}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Montevallo, Alabama]] [[Category:American mechanical engineers]] [[Category:Directors of the Marshall Space Flight Center]] [[Category:University of Alabama alumni]] [[Category:Administrators of NASA]] [[Category:Presidential Rank Award recipients]] [[Category:1963 births]] [[Category:Obama administration personnel]] [[Category:First Trump administration personnel]]