Carmel A. Conaty

Ms. Carmel Conaty is the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Chief Engineer at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).  Prior to this position, Ms. Conaty served as Associate Chief of the Mission Engineering and Systems Analysis (MESA) Division within GSFC’s Engineering and Technology Directorate (ETD). MESA’s engineers support a broad portfolio that includes systems engineering, attitude control systems, propulsion and navigation. Before her division role, she served as branch head and associate branch head in the Instrument and Payload Systems Engineering Branch, managing an organization of civil servants that included the technical authorities responsible for the technical development of a large portfolio of in-house instruments. 

Ms. Conaty began her career as a mechanical engineer at GSFC in 1988 with the Electromechanical Branch. She served as a product development lead and systems engineer for numerous in-house flight instrument developments including the Superfluid Helium on Orbit Transfer, Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter II and X-Ray Spectrometer. She held a key leadership role in the development of the Mission Design Lab and Instrument Design Lab and served as a systems engineer and team lead for mission and instrument design studies.

While in the Agency Leadership Development Program in 2004–2005, Ms. Conaty served as a systems engineer for the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD).  From 2006-2013, she supported GSFC’s Office of Education and helped develop a systems perspective for the Agency’s education portfolio. She served as the lead for the technical development programs and as the Systems Engineering Education and Development Program Manager for ETD from 2013-2018.

Ms. Conaty received a Bachelor and Master’s of Mechanical Engineering from the Catholic University of America and a Master Certificate in engineering management from University of Maryland, University College. She is the recipient of many awards, including the NASA medal for Outstanding Service.