Wayne Hale, Jr. – NESC Academy Biography

Wayne Hale is currently a consultant for Special Aerospace Services of Boulder,Colorado.  In that capacity he provides services in technical consulting, seminars, technical analysis,and speaking engagements with aerospace, energy, and other high reliability organizations on safety,management, culture change, operations in high risk environments.

Mr. Hale retired from NASA in 2010 as the Deputy Associate Administrator of Strategic Partnerships atNASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.  Mr. Hale served in the senior leadership of NASA’s SpaceShuttle Program from 2003 to 2008 as Launch Integration Manager at the Kennedy Space Center followed by two years as Deputy Program Manager and finally asProgram Manager all during the post-Columbia return to flight effort.  From 1988 to 2003, he was aSpace Shuttle Flight Director for40 Space Shuttle flights,and prior to that as an orbiter systems flight controller in Mission Control for15 early Space Shuttle flights.

Mr. Hale counts as the capstone achievement of his career the transformation of NASA Space Shuttle management culture to be one that emphasized safety and mission success.  His tenure as ProgramManager marked seven successful space shuttle flights and set the safety expectations for the fly outof the space shuttle program.

Mr. Hale has received special honors and awards such as: three NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals;the NASA Exceptional Service Medal; Rice University Outstanding Engineering Alumnus; PurdueUniversity Distinguished Engineering Alumnus and numerous other awards.

Mr.Hale holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and a Master ofScience in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.