NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

"NASA has advanced the discipline of project, program, and portfolio management by example," said Ricardo Viana Vargas, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PMI. Vargas also noted that 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of PMI and the Apollo 11 moon landing.

NASA Chief Engineer Mike Ryschkewitsch accepted the recognition award on behalf of the agency. "As our missions have become increasingly international and collaborative, we are grateful to PMI for its tireless efforts to advocate for project management competencies and standards that reflect the global nature of complex projects today," he said.

Ryschkewitsch also acknowledged Dr. Ed Hoffman, Director of the NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership, for building a close partnership between the organizations.

The recognition ceremony took place during PMI's Global Congress-North America, a three-day event that attracted more than 2,400 attendees from 54 countries.

NASA and PMI have worked together for many years toward shared goals of project management excellence. Through the Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL), NASA has collaborated with PMI on research and educational efforts including project management certification. PMI recognizes NASA as a provider of professional development units for its training courses and knowledge sharing events. NASA has also participated as members of PMI's Global Corporate Council, a group of project-based organizations committed to improving performance on complex projects. Additionally, in 1998, PMI named the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Pathfinder Mission project as the Project of the Year for its innovative approaches.

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