Michelle A. Frieling

Michelle A. Frieling currently serves as the Director of the Human Health and Performance (HH&P) Directorate. In this role, she is responsible for integrating and leading a team of civil servants and contractors in the technical disciplines within the Directorate including human system risks, space medicine and clinical operations, biomedical and environmental sciences, human systems engineering and development, business administration, occupational medicine, and industrial hygiene in support of human space flight programs.

Education

Ms. Frieling received her bachelor of science degree in molecular biology at Vanderbilt University in 1996. 

She is a certified Kepner-Tregoe project management instructor and is an active member of both the Space Medicine Association and the Aerospace Medical Association.  Over the course of her career, she has been recognized with a Silver Snoopy Award and the National Management Association Manager of the Year Award.

Experience

Ms. Frieling has over 20 years of experience at NASA.  She began her aerospace career with Wyle Laboratories at JSC in 1999 as a Biomedical Flight Controller in the Medical Operations Branch of the Space Life Sciences Directorate.  In 2001, she assumed responsibility as the Biomedical Flight Controller Shuttle and Training Lead, where she oversaw development and implementation of both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) training for the biomedical flight control discipline.  During this time, she also served as the lead Biomedical Flight Controller for both STS-104 and STS-107.  She later became the Space Medicine Training Manager for Wyle, overseeing biomedical flight control, flight surgeon, and crew training.  In 2007, Ms. Frieling had the opportunity to utilize her expertise in human space flight operations to concentrate on the emerging commercial human space flight market as the Wyle Project Manager for Commercial Space Operations.  During this time, she co-chaired the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Council Reusable Launch Vehicle Working Group Task Force on Training.  As a part of this task force, Ms. Frieling co-authored the Commercial Human Space Operations Training Standards.  Beginning in 2009, Ms. Frieling served as the Flight and Medical Operations Department Manager, overseeing a staff of 300 responsible for crew and ground medical operations, radiation operations, ISS medical project implementation, behavioral health and performance, epidemiology, and industrial hygiene.  She served as the Program Manager for the Human Health and Performance Contract, with overall responsibility, authority, and accountability for the $150 million/year contract and more than 1000 employees supporting research, medical, and humans systems engineering for NASA’s Human Health and Performance Directorate.