NASA's Johnson Space Center recently selected Georgia Tech College of Management to provide leadership training for engineers, scientists, and technologists who will be instrumental in extending the agency's reach deeper into space.

"We are extremely proud that NASA selected the College to design and deliver customized leadership training that will play a key role in NASA's new Vision for Space Exploration programs," says Dan Stotz, director of executive programs for the College. "We look forward to working with the Universities Space Research Association, the agency coordinating the training."

NASA officials say they are placing high priority on management and leadership training to prepare the agency for future space exploration. The Johnson Space Center's organizational functions include the Constellation Program Office, which is responsible for the overall development of space vehicles and infrastructure.

Tech's training program for the Johnson Space Center will last a total of 15 days, broken into five three-day modules between June 2007 and November 2008, including courses on leadership, project management, vendor and contractor relationships, financial and risk management, and systems engineering.

The Georgia Tech Research Institute and H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering will assist the College of Management with the training. "We are pleased to bring the systems engineering and management experience of the Georgia Tech Research Institute into this partnership with NASA," says Stephen Cross, vice president of GTRI.

The program's 30 participants, including many former astronauts, will be active in developing NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle to replace the Space Shuttle, which is scheduled for retirement in 2010. Other major goals of NASA's Constellation Program Office include launching the Crew Exploration Vehicle by 2014, completing the International Space Station, returning to the Moon by 2020 to establish a sustained human presence there, and leading human and robotic missions to Mars and other destinations.

"We're very excited about this terrific opportunity to employ Georgia Tech's strengths in management and technology to help NASA fulfill its ambitious mission," says College of Management Dean Steve Salbu. "Our College does an excellent job of customizing leadership development programs for a wide variety of companies and organizations."

In addition to NASA's Johnson Space Center, other clients of the College of Management's customized training programs include GE Energy, GE Healthcare, and the FBI Crime Labs.