Congratulating Vanessa Wyche, Director of Nasa Johnson Space Center

Floor Speech

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Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an exceptional public servant. NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche, on receiving the prestigious Quasar Award for Economic Development Excellence from the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP). BAHEP presents its renowned Quasar Award to an outstanding elected official or business leader who has demonstrated a strong and continual effort to support the business foundations of the greater Bay Area Houston communities.

Serving as the 13th Director of Johnson Space Center (JSC), Vanessa Wyche oversees the home of America's astronaut corps, Mission Control Center, International Space Station, Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, Orion and Gateway programs, and the more than 11,000 civil servants and contractors in Houston and the White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Among her many responsibilities, Wyche manages a broad range of human spaceflight activities, including the development and operation of human spacecraft, commercialization of low-Earth orbit, and JSC's role in landing the next American on the surface of the Moon. Under her leadership, JSC was recognized by Forbes and Statista as the number one best employer among Texas' major employers.

Vanessa previously served as deputy director at JSC for 3 years, starting in 2018. Her previous leadership positions include assistant and acting deputy director of JSC, director of the Exploration Integration and Science Directorate, flight manager of several missions of the Space Shuttle Program, executive officer in the Office of the NASA Administrator, and led several other center-level technical and program organizations. Prior to joining NASA, Vanessa worked for the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C.

Director Wyche is a native of South Carolina. where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Master of Science in Bioengineering from Clemson University. In 2019, she was inducted into the Thomas Green Clemson Academy of Engineers and Scientists at Clemson University. As a dedicated advocate for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, Vanessa serves as a member of Clemson University's College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences advisory board, the University of Houston's C. T. Bauer College of Business advisory panel, and is a past chair of the Space Center Houston board of directors. Additionally, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Science degree from Coastal Carolina University in 2022.

Throughout her distinguished career, Vanessa bas been recognized for her outstanding service. She is the recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, 2 NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, 2 NASA Achievement Medals, a JSC Innovation award, a Woman at NASA award, a Rotary Stellar Nomination, a national Women Worth Watching honoree, and a Coastal Carolina University Inspiring Woman nomination. Vanessa is an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Associate Fellow and completed the International Women's Forum Fellows Program.

Vanessa Wyche is married to George Wyche Jr., Esq., and has one son, George Wyche III.

It is a distinct honor to congratulate my friend, Vanessa Wyche, for receiving the esteemed Quasar Award. She is an outstanding leader who has served both the Bay Area and America's space program exceptionally. I look forward to our continued work to take us back to the Moon, and in the near future, Mars. Onward and upward.

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