Sean O'Keefe
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Sean O'Keefe
Sean O'Keefe (born January 27, 1956) was the 10th Administrator of NASA, leading the space agency from December 2001 to February 2005. His tenure was marked by a mix of triumph and tragedy, ranging from the tremendous success of the Mars rovers to the disintegration of the Space Shuttle Columbia.
O'Keefe is currently the chancellor of Louisiana State University, a job he took after resigning from his NASA position.
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Tenure as NASA Administrator
O'Keefe became NASA Administator on December 21, 2001 after his nomination by President George W. Bush was confirmed by the Senate. O'Keefe's tenure at NASA can be naturally divided into roughly three equal periods, each marked by a single problem or event of overriding importance:
- December 2001 through January 2003: O'Keefe eliminated a $5 billion cost overrun in the construction of the International Space Station.
- February 2003 through December 2003: O'Keefe helped NASA to cope with the trauma of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and its aftermath.
- January 2004 through February 2005: O'Keefe re-organized NASA to start working on President George W. Bush's newly announced plan to send humans to the Moon and Mars.
Controversy at NASA
Sean O'Keefe's most controversial decision occured in Feburary 2004, when he attempted to cancel an upcoming mission by the Space Shuttle to service the aging Hubble Space Telescope. O'Keefe claimed that, in light of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, the mission would be too risky, especially since if the shuttle was damaged while visiting the Hubble, the shuttle would not have enough fuel to dock with the space station as a "safe haven." This decision was assailed by numerous astronomers, who felt that the Hubble telescope was valuable enough to merit the risk. Ultimately, the decision to service Hubble will be made not by Sean O'Keefe, but by his successor as NASA Administrator, Mike Griffin. Mike Griffin has expressed a willingness to reverse O'Keefe and send up a shuttle, but has not made a final decision. [1] (http://www.space.com/news/050429_hubble_griffin.html)
Career outside NASA
Sean O'Keefe is currently the chancellor of Louisiana State University, having replaced the out-going chancellor, Mark Emmert.[2] (http://appl003.lsu.edu/unv002.nsf/PressReleases/PR3005). Before his jobs at LSU and NASA, Sean O'Keefe served as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget from January to December 2001, a job that strengthened his reputation, in the eyes of some, as a "bean counter" -- someone who counts every penny.
Prior to that, O'Keefe served as United States Secretary of the Navy from 1992-1993 under President George H. W. Bush.
Prior to joining the administration of George H. W. Bush, O'Keefe was the Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy, an endowed chair at the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He was also a Professor of Business Administration and Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Pennsylvania State University.
Before serving as Secretary of the Navy, O'Keefe had been Comptroller and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Defense since 1989. Before joining the Department of Defense, he served on the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations staff for eight years, and was Staff Director of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
Education
O'Keefe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 from Loyola University New Orleans, and a Master of Public Administration degree in 1978 from the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
References
- The Career and Education portions of this article are based on public domain text from NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/AN_Feature_Administrator.html).
- Some definitions are from Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=bean%20counter).
| Preceded by: Daniel Howard (acting) | United States Secretary of the Navy 1992-1993 | Succeeded by: Frank B. Kelso II |
| Preceded by: Dr. Daniel R. Mulville (acting) | NASA Administrators 2001-2005 | Succeeded by: Frederick D. Gregory (acting) |