Steven G. Schmidt

Steven G. Schmidt was the assistant director for Strategic Implementation at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, retiring in 2018. He led efforts to analyze and recommend appropriate action for the effective integration or transformation of strategy, policy and planning functions within the center. He was responsible for pursuing and maintaining mutually beneficial, long-term strategic partnerships and collaborative agreements for NASA Armstrong.

Experience

Schmidt previously served as the director of Safety and Mission Assurance, responsible for planning, directing and coordinating all activities necessary to ensure that proper safety policies, objectives, processes and standards were established, adhered to and maintained. He also served on the Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review Board that provides independent assessment of each flight project’s readiness to proceed to flight.

Schmidt served as director of the Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility (now Building 703) in Palmdale, California, from 2008 through 2011 and as deputy center director at NASA Dryden (now Armstrong) from August 2004 to 2008.

Schmidt joined NASA in November 1994 as a project manager. He was involved in the X-33, X-38, X-43A, F-15 Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles and SR-71 projects. He became deputy associate director for planning in 2001.

From 2002 through 2004, Schmidt was a special assistant to the NASA Administrator in Washington and was the executive director for the President’s Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy. He was also the executive secretary for management on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board and the executive assistant for the International Space Station Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force.

Before joining NASA, Schmidt was employed by Rockwell International Corp. as an aerospace engineer at the company’s space shuttle manufacturing operations facility in Palmdale. In 1984, he became a project and flight test engineer in the full-scale development and flight testing of the Rockwell B-1B aircraft. He was later involved in the X-30 National Aerospace Plane program, the C-27 competition and several weapons development programs, and he was lead flight test engineer on the X-31 Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability program.

Schmidt’s aerospace engineering career began in 1977 at the U.S. Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, and included work with the A-10, F-4, F-16, F-111, B-1A/B and B-52.

Education

He graduated from California State University, Fresno with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. He completed a fellowship in the National Security Studies program and earned a Master of Arts in public administration from Syracuse University, New York.