Rex Geveden
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Rex Geveden is the Associate Administrator of NASA. He was selected for that position by NASA chief Michael Griffin on August 17, 2005, after having served in an acting capacity since June of that year. Griffin created the position immediately prior to assigning Geveden to fill it. The Associate Administrator's task is described as "oversight for all the agency's technical missions' areas and field center operations" [1]. Griffin also suggested Geveden was his right-hand man, saying "...if you get a decision from Rex, it's the agency's decision." [2]
Geveden joined NASA in 1990, and worked on hardware design for a number of science satellite missions, including as project manager for the Optical Transient Detector satellite, the Lightning Imaging Sensor satellite, and the Gravity B satellite, a successful test of frame dragging effects predicted by General Relativity. He was promoted to deputy director of the science directorate at Marshall Space Flight Center, then in 2003 to Deputy Director of Marshall Space Flight Center. In November 2004, he was promoted again to become chief engineer of NASA, simultaneously with a major expansion of that office's responsibilities, in the wake of the report of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Only seven months later, in the first weeks of Mike Griffin's administration in June 2005, Griffin made Geveden his acting associate administrator until the post was officially created.
Geveden is a native of Mayfield, Kentucky. He has two children, Bridget and Jake. He received a bachelor's degree in engineering physics and master's degrees in physics in 1983 and 1984 respectively, both from Murray State University in Kentucky. Geveden also graduated from the Program Management School at the Defense Systems Management College, and aside from his work, Geveden is also studying for a Ph.D. in materials engineering at Auburn University.
