
Lynn F. H. Cline
NASA Advisory Council Member
Ms. Cline retired from NASA in December 2011 from the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations after 36 years at the agency. She was appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Operations in March 2003. That organization merged with the Office of Exploration in mid-2011. In this position, she was responsible for oversight of a broad variety of activities across the NASA spectrum of human space flight, launch services and space communications. She worked closely with the Executive Branch and NASA’s international partner agencies.
From June 1997 to March 2003, Ms. Cline served as Deputy Associate Administrator for External Relations. She led U.S. delegations to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. She supported numerous interagency activities, such as the development of national Space policy.
From November 1993 to June 1997, as the Director of the Space Flight Division in the Office of External Relations, she was lead negotiator for the International Space Station agreements with Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia. These agreements were signed on January 29, 1998.
Ms. Cline joined NASA as a Cooperative Education student in September 1975 and rose through the ranks of the Office of International Relations, negotiating international agreements for space and Earth sciences programs, such as the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn, a cooperative program with the European Space Agency. She also supported the international component of NASA’s programs worldwide.
Ms. Cline enjoyed mentoring university students and young NASA personnel. She was also a frequent speaker at NASA’s mid-level management programs, focussed on leadership qualities and how the interaction of executive and legislative organizations affect NASA programs.
She received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and several NASA Exceptional Service Awards. She received the rank of Distinguished Executive in the Senior Executive Service in 2010. Other awards include the American Astronautical Society Advancement of International Cooperation Award in 2015, the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Stellar Award in 2009 and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics International Cooperation Award in 1998.
As a member of the American Astronautical Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Women in Aerospace, she supported workshops on international cooperation and programs to mentor young aerospace professionals.
Ms. Cline received her B.A. from East Carolina University in 1976 and her M.A. in French Language and Culture from the University of California Santa Barbara in 1979.
Ms. Cline has been a member of the Human Exploration and Operations Committee of the NAC since 2021.