Robert Gibbs, Associate Administrator for the Mission Support Directorate

Mr. Robert (Bob) Gibbs is the Associate Administrator for the Mission Support Directorate (MSD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Gibbs joined NASA as the assistant administrator for the Office of Human Capital Management and NASA’s chief human capital officer in May 2017. In this role, Gibbs had stewardship responsibility for NASA’s workforce and for carrying out responsibilities in accordance with the Chief Human Capital Officers Act of 2002. His responsibilities included: setting the agency’s workforce development strategy; assessing workforce characteristics and future needs based on the agency’s mission and strategic plan; aligning the agency’s human resources policies and programs with organizational mission, strategic goals, and performance outcomes; and, serving as a member of the Office of Personnel Management-led Chief Human Capital Officers Council.

From 2013 to 2017, Gibbs served as the chief human capital officer at the Department of Energy, where he was responsible for implementing agency-wide efforts on shared services, accountability, engagement and human capital transformation. 

Prior to becoming a member of the Senior Executive Service, Gibbs completed the nuclear training pipeline and served at sea onboard the USS. Daniel Webster, the USS Henry L. Stimson and USS Simon Bolivar, completing numerous strategic deterrent patrols; and ashore at nuclear repair facilities including the Trident Refit Facility, Bangor, Maine, and the Washington and Naval Reactors Headquarters.

His assignments at Naval Reactors, a joint Department of Energy and Department of Navy program, included positions in the Office of Resource Management, ultimately serving as director of navy budgets and selection by Adm. F. L. Bowman to serve as director of civilian programs. While still on active duty, he was selected by Adm. K. H. Donald to serve as director of management and administration. In that capacity, he was responsible for management, personnel, and support programs and policies. He has led several enterprise-wide initiatives (total force management, succession planning, pay for performance, industrial relations, outreach and enterprise consolidation) to structure the workforce to meet current and future requirements in a challenging and diverse environment across two federal agencies and multiple field offices.

Gibbs was born and raised in Boston. A retired naval officer, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in business management from the University of Washington and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from George Mason University. He is a member of the Maryland and American bar associations. Gibbs is the recipient of numerous military awards and citations. He resides in Southern Maryland with his wife and four children.