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By NASA
Jennifer Scott Williams embodies leadership, innovation, and excitement for life. Her career has been a testament to her unwavering passion and versatility, navigating through various roles and significantly contributing to the agency’s milestones and evolution. In her 23 years at NASA, she has combined engineering, business, science communications, and leadership all into one.
Currently in the Center Director’s Office, Williams serves as NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche’s assistant for technical integration, supporting meetings such as readiness reviews for the International Space Station and Commercial Crew Programs. Her role also involves coordinating skip-level meetings for Dare | Unite | Explore and overseeing senior staff meetings to ensure that leadership remains informed about the activities happening across the center.
Official portrait of Jennifer Scott Williams. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel She also plays a role in the International Space Station Program’s Research Integration Office, ensuring crews aboard the space station have the tools they need to complete their research.
“Like many of our laboratories where astronauts conduct their research, understanding the engineering components of the facilities we use on board is crucial,” said Williams. “Understanding the science is also critical,” she added. “It adds meaning to our work when we help execute the science onboard and communicate the creative insights and results from the experiments conducted. Being a good communicator is extremely important and creativity makes that message real and mean something to the public.”
Jennifer Scott Williams (front) during a senior staff outreach event at the Remembering Columbia Museum in Hemphill, Texas. Her journey also included groundbreaking work on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, where she served as the instrumentation and communications officer on the Boeing Mission Operations Team. Her efforts established operational foundations that will shape its future space missions. Williams was instrumental in developing the vehicle communications systems, understanding its operations, creating simulations, coding, and comprehending the computer systems, addressing all the fundamental aspects necessary for the spacecraft.
Beyond her technical contributions, Williams is deeply committed to inspiring the next generation of explorers. She also managed the Minority University Research and Education Project, encouraging students of color to engage in STEM fields.
She led a team that collaborated with students, teachers, and educational institutions through the Pre-Service Teacher Program. Williams said that working in the Office of STEM Engagement was a new experience that became life-changing for her. “I really rediscovered a passion that I have for students and education,” she said. “I love being able to help interns navigate the NASA environment and help people of color be able to apply for NASA jobs. It takes all perspectives to accomplish our mission.”
Williams earned dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and electrical engineering from Spelman College and the Georgia Institute of Technology. She later received a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Houston. She belongs to the Spelman College National Alumni Association and holds a lifetime membership in the National Society of Black Engineers.
Jennifer Scott Williams’ headshot in the 2024 International Space Station calendar.Credit: NASA/Bill Stafford Williams is an advocate for youth interested in pursuing STEM careers. Her advice is, “Come on and do it. We are out here,” she added “I love that we are embracing our differences instead of shunning differences because having people with different backgrounds, personalities, insights, and perspectives is what’s going to help us get back to the Moon.”
“For the Artemis Generation, we need creative minds,” she said. “We need artists, scientists, engineers, technologists, physicians, attorneys, and financial connoisseurs. This next generation is going to have to be open-minded thought seekers. They need to be willing to do things that we have never done before and take the risks so that we can put boots on the Moon and Mars.”
Jennifer Scott Williams with her family at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station on March 15, 2023. Williams also plays an integral role in Dare | Unite | Explore initiatives. She works with senior leadership to make sure the workforce has professional mobility and is able to get the training and resources for new opportunities. “We want to encourage employees to try new things, to learn, and to grow in different organizations,” she said. “Dare | Unite | Explore ensures that the Johnson workforce is fully supported in our efforts as we grow and develop and that our facilities and processes can support us and are in alignment with our future initiatives.”
“I never really thought I would work at NASA, but when I came here to interview, they put me in the shuttle simulator and I was hooked,” she said. “I encourage my children to pursue careers in STEM because it has been so beneficial to me throughout my life. The people that I have come across in my time here have been phenomenal. It makes me want to keep coming to work.”
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By NASA
At NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, Jennifer Krottinger pairs her artistic vision with a passion for public service.
Name: Jennifer Krottinger
Title: Business Manager
Formal Job Classification: Business Management Specialist
Organization: Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Science and Exploration Directorate (Code 611)
Jennifer Krottinger is a business management specialist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City.Courtesy of Jennifer Krottinger What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
I play a key role in decision making on institutional support, and provide authoritative, technical advice, and consultation on the laboratory’s grants, cooperative agreements, personnel management, and procurement actions. Because no two days are alike, and I have the honor of working alongside brilliant, awesome, and equally humble people, my role is very interesting.
What is your educational background?
In 2002, I received my undergraduate degree, a bachelor’s in business administration, from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 2008, I received my graduate degree, a master’s in public administration, specializing in analysis and research, from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, I received another undergraduate degree, an associate of applied science in fashion design, from Parsons School of Design, School of Fashion, in New York, New York.
Please tell us about your service in Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA).
I worked for a small business during my undergrad and continued to after graduation. I was born into a family of entrepreneurs, maternally and paternally, and small business is in my DNA. I was ready for something different, yearning to “give back.” I applied to VISTA, the domestic version of the Peace Corps. I was ultimately offered a few different positions, opting for the West Coast, leaving Texas in 2003 to begin VISTA service. I worked on economic development initiatives, in California and Oregon at the county, city, and state levels of government. I served for three-and-a-half years and fell in love with public service. Thinking I would pursue an MBA post-service, I decided to study for a master’s in public administration instead, studying full-time while working part-time as a graduate research assistant for a department chair.
After graduating with my MPA, I returned to the private sector for a few years, and decided to take another leap of faith, answering the call of international service with the Peace Corps.
Please tell us about your experience in the Peace Corps.
From 2011 to 2015, I served in the Peace Corps, and my post was Sarteneja, Belize, Central America. My primary project was Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development (SACD), a non-governmental organization working on communications ranging from basic skills, such as teaching Belizeans how to use Google, to more advanced, working with the SACD Board of Directors on the development and implementation of the communications plan.
My secondary project was helping 10 women found a women-owned, -operated, and -led sewing and handicraft cooperative, Las Sartenejeñas Cooperative. They make and sell indigenous artisan work and school uniforms for the local schools. The project won the 2013 Charlotte Daniels Champions of Change award, selected from world-wide projects, from World Connect, and the cooperative is still flourishing. These women inspire me to this day.
After completing Peace Corps service, I stayed in-country working on projects, with the cooperative, as the technical business development manager, working for almost a year, post-service.
And, in the summer of 2022, while working at GISS, I participated voluntarily in the Peace Corps Virtual Service Pilot Program (VSPP), in Namibia, to capitate Ngato Vocational Training Centre staff in developing a financially, viable business plan for the center, enabling greater sustainability, an increase in student enrollment capacity, and expansion of scholarship program for youth who come from traditionally marginalized and disadvantaged communities.
What inspired you to attend Parsons School of Design?
The women at the cooperative were a great catalyst for me. Since I was five years old, I wanted to be a fashion designer, and it was time. The opportunity was presenting itself and working with the women fueled the motivation. It was the education I always wanted and deserved, and decided to go for it.
I returned to Texas in June of 2015 from Belize, and moved to New York City in July 2015. In August 2015, I started my position with the Small Business Administration Region II, New Jersey District Office, later transferring to the New York Metro District Office, and Parsons.
It was a tall order to work full time, while adapting back to the United States, let alone coming from a rural, remote village of about 3,500, to a city of about 8.7 million, and attend Parsons part time which was rigorous and grueling, with little to no fashion design experience. I loved my time at Parsons, learning a lot about myself, the grit and the gumption, including how strong I really was and how to successfully manage priorities, attaining almost straight A’s, graduating with top honors.
What did you do for the Small Business Administration (SBA)?
From 2015 to 2020, I worked at SBA, in Region II District Offices located in Newark, New Jersey, and New York City in government contracting and business development. The position as a business opportunity specialist allowed me to continue working cross-culturally with socioeconomic groups through managing portfolios of socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses, participating in federal government contract certification programs such as 8(a), Women Owned Small Business (WOSB), HUBZone, Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) and other certifications offered, providing technical assistance on the development of comprehensive business plans including robust financial planning. I also served as a district office technical representative for the Women’s Business Centers funded by SBA.
Why did you come to GISS?
In May 2020, I landed at GISS. NASA has always been an aspiration for me. One of my heroes is Katherine Goble Johnson, a NASA mathematician and “Hidden Figure.” One of my favorite quotes of hers is, “I’m always interested in learning something new.” I hold this quote near and dear to my heart; growth and learning are two of my values. I included this quote and explained its importance on my NASA application. If you are always learning something new, you are continuously improving and growing.
What do you do at GISS?
Every day is different, and as mentioned earlier, no two days are alike. My major duties are program management and coordination of GISS strategic planning activities, oversight of GISS partnership agreements and procurement duties as the contracting officer representative (COR). This tends to involve problem-solving, working through and undoing complexities, establishing and refining policies and procedures, providing guidance and technical assistance, implementing innovative and creative approaches, and a lot of listening. I’m also one of the founding members of the newly established GISS DEIA Committee and serve as a vice co-chair for the Women’s Employee Resource Group and Network (WEN) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
What is the coolest part about working at GISS?
Working at GISS is truly the coolest part, because again, NASA was an aspiration and achieving this, well sometimes I feel like pinching myself, ensuring its real. Also working directly and alongside Gavin Schmidt, the GISS director, and Ron Miller, the GISS deputy director, two incredibly brilliant and people-first leaders, who demonstrate everyday humility and humanity in leadership. For example, during the pandemic, when there was civil unrest across the country, Gavin told everyone at the weekly staff meeting that it was OK not to be OK, normalizing the taboo.
What are you currently doing for the United Nations?
The third goal of Peace Corps is to “help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans,” bringing back the country of service, to the United States. In March 2023, I became a representative for the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. Five Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, are voluntarily consulting on addressing worldwide poverty and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). My focus is SDG 5 Gender Equality, SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities. The consultancy involves attending UN meetings, summits, side events, briefings, and official ECOSOC written and oral statements.
“The third goal of Peace Corps is to ‘help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans,’ bringing back the country of service, to the United States,” said Krottinger. “In March 2023, I became a representative for the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.”Courtesy of Jennifer Krottinger What do you do for fun?
In January 2023, I launched my own fashion brand of prêt-à-couture garments and accessories with a focus on creative endeavors. It’s a refinement and a lifetime work-in-progress. I lose all track of time in fashion and the creative – from mood boards, to color theory, to fashion history, to textiles, to the business aspect. Right now, I love learning about colors and am currently reading “The Secret Life of Color,” which is explaining all the different histories of color.
In October 2022, I went to École Lesage in Paris to finally study embroidery, the Lunéville hook technique, one of the techniques used in haute couture, and learn more about fashion and craftmanship through a lecture series. I was supposed to go in 2020, but the pandemic had other plans for us all.
In October 2023, returned to Paris, to continue studies of one of the greats, Christian Dior, at the maison (house) on 30 Avenue Montaigne.
Who are some of your favorite designers?
I am old school. Some of my favorites are Claire McCardell, Hubert de Givenchy, Cristobal Balenciaga, Norman Norell, and Isabel Toledo. Present day favorites include Virgil Abloh (Off White), Pierpaolo Piccioli (Valentino), Lee Alexander McQueen (Alexander McQueen), Clare Waight Keller and Maria Grazia Chiuri (Christian Dior). Well-made garment construction is appealing, and I design timeless, classic garments to last forever, having a smaller footprint on Earth.
I’m truly loving the slow fashion movement and Tissuni, based in France. A group of haute couture seamstresses from Valentino, Dior, Paris Opera, Saint Laurent, and others, banded together during the pandemic, making much needed facial masks from leftover fabric and are distributing them for free. The group has continued the movement creating zero waste couture designs.
What is your motto?
Living life with no regrets!
What is your “six-word memoir?” A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
“The light you shed, will spread.” – RBG
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
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Last Updated Mar 05, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactElizabeth M. JarrellLocationGISS Related Terms
People of Goddard Goddard Institute for Space Studies Goddard Space Flight Center People of NASA Explore More
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Clayton P. Turner serves as the Director of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. His career at NASA Langley has spanned 33 years. Clayton P. Turner serves as the Director of NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. His career at NASA Langley has spanned 33 years. His experiences prior to his career with NASA include three years of military service. He graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
Who or what inspired you to choose your career and why?
A snowstorm in western New York inspired me to go back to college. An interest in engineering inspired me to pursue an engineering degree. The work of others behind the scenes brought me to NASA.
When I graduated from high school, I went to college to study what all my friends were studying. I didn’t have the proper motivation, so that didn’t go well. I went into the service and was in the military for three years. I worked as a recording engineer for about ten years. I worked repairing pinball machines and video games. It was in the last career piece where I was in a blizzard, outside on the back of a pickup truck when I decided to go back to college, significantly more motivated!
I think my story highlights the story of many people: there’s not a storybook path to get to NASA. Everybody’s path will be their own path.
What do you find most rewarding about working with NASA?
I find it rewarding that we get to reach for new heights to reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind. We get to change the lives of people in a positive way. We get to impact the country. I have a saying on my board that reads, “We have the privilege to serve our country and the power to unite it.” That’s what’s exciting about being at NASA for me.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy traveling. The thing I’ve enjoyed the most over the last two years was going to visit my grandson, who is my first grandchild.
What advice would you give to someone who might be interested in pursuing a career at NASA?
Once you find your passion and the thing that excites you, you need to come and talk with us at NASA! Yes, we need scientists and engineers, but we need accountants, lawyers, and communications specialists. We have a great need right now for technicians. There is a wide range of fields where you can come and do exactly what I described: reach for new heights to reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.
How does your background and heritage contribute to your perspective and approach in your role at NASA?
I think what was poured into me as I was growing up and was in the people who surrounded me was a desire and energy to serve and the insistence on making life better for others. That has been a big influence in me. I tend to be a bit of an introvert but because of my culture and because of my background I recognize it’s not actually about me, it’s about what you’re going to do for someone else.
The 2024 theme for Black History Month is “African Americans and the Arts,” spanning the many impacts that Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements and more. How have the arts played a role in your life?
The arts have pulled me out of my shell a bit and allowed me to try new things, experience new things, and listen to new things. If you listen to my playlist on my phone, you’d be surprised at what’s on there, but there are songs that come from a wide range of cultures that just light up my heart and make me think deeply. Being exposed to those things has made a big difference in my life.
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Last Updated Feb 29, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
Jennifer Kunz, associate director, technical, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, participates in a virtual Town Hall meeting on Jan. 13, 2022, for Kennedy employees. NASA/Kim Shiflett Jennifer Kunz, associate director technical of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, released the following statement after speaking Thursday at the SpaceCom / 50th Space Congress in Orlando, Florida.
“NASA’s Moon to Mars strategy rests on three pillars: pursuing science to better understand the universe and our origins; inspiring the next generation to achieve the seemingly impossible; and building on American preeminence in science, technology and exploration while strengthening economic and diplomatic ties with other nations. Kennedy is proud to be at the forefront of helping achieve the agency’s ambitious Moon to Mars Objectives for the benefit of all.
“Most people know Kennedy for launching rockets, but our spaceport also is home to new technologies needed to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon and exploration throughout the solar system. Today, Kennedy teams are working on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis campaign, which will return humans to the lunar surface after more than 50 years. Kennedy is the only place on Earth where the SLS rocket is fully assembled prior to launch. Once built, the rocket, spacecraft, and ground systems will undergo rigorous testing and validation in preparation for launching astronauts further and deeper in space than ever before.
“Engineers also are developing technologies that our astronauts will need on the lunar surface. These include 3D printing capability to build structures on the Moon; rovers, and instruments to find water, minerals, and other resources to help sustain a long-term presence; and electrodynamic dust shield technologies that repel the abrasive Moon dust and protect vehicles and sensitive equipment.
“Kennedy’s plant researchers continue working hard to find new ways to grow food in space to supplement the diets of astronauts with key nutrients. And as we advance these technologies, we also administer a number of programs that enable university researchers to help solve other key Moon to Mars challenges.
“While we focus on Moon and Mars, NASA continues to enable the growth of the commercial space sector. Beyond supporting Artemis, our industry and international partners make it possible to launch crews and conduct critical research on the International Space Station. We also rely on commercial expertise to launch many of our robotic science missions that study the Earth, the solar system, and beyond.
“As we stand at the dawn of a new age of space exploration, I can’t wait to see the innovations and advancements to come. We often hear that “space is hard,” and we at Kennedy take great inspiration from our history, which is full of stories of NASA engineers solving seemingly impossible problems. As we make the next giant leap to the Moon and Mars, Kennedy Space Center is proud to do our part to advance science, inspire the Artemis Generation, and strengthen America’s standing in the world.”
Kunz’s biography is available online, and file images are available from NASA’s image library in vertical and horizontal formats.
For more information about Kennedy Space Center, visit:
www.nasa.gov/kennedy
-end-
Patti Bielling
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-501-7575
patricia.a.bielling@nasa.gov
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By NASA
“I can almost directly trace my entire career back to [my extracurriculars] in high school and a mentor I had. My first foray into engineering was this high school program called the Robotics Science Academy. It was basically my high school’s attempt to put together a curriculum that was designed specifically to prepare students for an engineering track in college. But since it was the first year of trying this program, there were only about eight of us. The high school teacher leading the robotics track, Mr. Donelson, was always [encouraging] about trying new things and getting out of our comfort zone. And I think that always really helped me.
“So I owe a lot to him, for sure. He would stay after school with us and walk us through our assignments, and ended up encouraging us to enter an underwater robotics competition. Because we were fairly landlocked — which is obviously not great for underwater robotics that are meant for deep sea missions — we sort of lucked our way into the international competition.
“Even so, we ended up winning a ‘bang for your buck’ award based on the amount of tasks we completed in the mission and the cost of our robot, because the cost was very, very low. It was just this Frankenstein monstrosity of PVC pipes and messy high schooler soldering and wiring. But no matter how it looked, I was lucky to have teachers like Mr. Donelson to push all of us forward.”
— Jennifer Hamilton, Communications Lead, ISS Research Integration Office, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
Image Credit: NASA / James Blair
Interviewer: NASA / Thalia Patrinos
Check out some of our other Faces of NASA.
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