Eli Ouder

Eli Ouder serves as the Deputy Associate Administrator (Acting) for the Mission Support Directorate (MSD). In this role, he partners with the Associate Administrator to develop strategy and facilitate the delivery of NASA’s institutional support functions. 

In his previous role, Ouder served as the Procurement Officer for NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC) and the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) at NASA Stennis near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He provided executive leadership over a workforce of 68 civil servants and oversaw one of NASA’s largest acquisition portfolios, executing more than 18,000 contract actions annually with obligations totaling approximately $2B in support of missions across 10 NASA centers.

Ouder brings nearly 30 years of federal acquisition experience spanning Department of Defense and NASA service, with deep expertise in enterprise procurement operations, workforce leadership, and large-scale acquisition transformation. He is recognized for advancing centralized acquisition models, strengthening governance, and ensuring timely, mission-critical procurement support across the Agency.

He began his federal career in 1996 as an enlisted airman in the United States Air Force, serving nine years on active duty as a contract specialist at three installations. In 2006, he joined NASA as a contracting officer at the NASA Shared Services Center, managing agency-wide contracts supporting customers across the enterprise. He later served as a team lead within NASA’s Information Technology Infrastructure Integration (I3P) Program, overseeing a complex portfolio of IT contracts valued at more than $3B.

In 2016, Ouder was selected as Branch Chief for the Simplified Acquisition Threshold Branch, where he played a key leadership role in transitioning simplified acquisition purchasing from 10 NASA centers to a centralized buying organization at the NSSC—driving improved efficiency, consistency, and customer service. He served in this role until January 2022, when he was appointed Procurement Officer for the NASA Shared Services Center. In December 2022, he assumed dual responsibilities as Procurement Officer for Stennis Space Center. He was promoted to the Senior Executive Service (SES) on May 5, 2024.

Ouder holds two associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Faulkner University, and a master’s degree in contracts management from American Graduate University.

A native of Caesar, Mississippi, Ouder is a graduate of Pearl River Central High School where he lettered in football and earned All-District honors. He is married to his wife, Shawna, and has four children—Jonathan, Kelsey, Garrett, and Ty. Outside of work, he enjoys running, radio broadcasting, spending time with family, and serving on the school board and at his church, as well as volunteering in the local community.