Thomas E. Cremins

Tom Cremins serves as the associate administrator for space security interests. In this role, he reports directly to the administrator and provides a broad security focus on NASA’s civil space efforts within the larger national and global environment. Cremins also supports enterprise protection and assessment efforts, representing NASA and working with the agency’s federal partners to secure and advance its national posture.

He previously served as the associate administrator for strategic engagement and assessments from November 2015 to October 2021 and served as the agency’s acting chief of staff from April to November 2018. Prior to that, he had served as senior advisor to the administrator for strategy and policy implementation since April 2014. Before that, he worked in a range of critical and leading edge governmental and executive assignments. His most recent position previously was serving as the director, legislative liaison division, at NASA Headquarters. Between September 2008 and December 2010, he served as the director, studies and analysis division, in the NASA administrator’s office. In this capacity, he oversaw agencywide strategic assessments, analysis, and studies on the breadth of NASA’s programs, institutions, and external relationships. In 2010, as a fellow on the Senate commerce committee, he played an instrumental role in the development and passage of the 2010 NASA Authorization Act.

Before these assignments, Cremins was the deputy associate administrator, management and policy, exploration systems mission directorate. He was responsible for the development and integration of strategy, international and commercial partnerships, resources and organizational development. In 2005, he served as a fellow on the Senate commerce, science and transportation committee where he played a key role in the crafting and development of the 2005 NASA Authorization Act, as well as providing expertise to the full committee on a range of areas. From 2002-2004, he served as the assistant associate administrator, assets and investments, NASA space operations mission directorate. His scope of responsibilities included ensuring the vitality of the workforce, facilities, and institutional organizations of four NASA centers. He also worked to ensure alignment between center activities and future requirements that built upon his involvement with prior exploration efforts in the 1990s.

Cremins has led senior-level negotiations among International Space Station and international agency representatives that provided recommendations to their respective governments on the scope and direction of the International Space Station program at the critical juncture of initial space station operations, the Shuttle Columbia tragedy, and the start of a U.S. exploration initiative. Cremins worked at the Johnson Space Center for a decade in a number of senior staff, programmatic, and management positions primarily focused on the joint activities between NASA and Russia’s human spaceflight programs. He served as the lead negotiator for a number of key programmatic, contractual, and policy activities between both nations. 

Before joining NASA in 1993, Cremins worked in the office of the secretary of the Department of Energy office of space. He organized and led initiatives with the national laboratories on a range of executive level and interagency task forces, including the National Space Council, dealing with a broad range of commercial, civil, and national security issues. Cremins worked for several years in Washington as a consultant on the relationship of technology and space to national and international security, including changes and opportunities in the Soviet space and defense sectors.

Cremins has been awarded NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal, Outstanding Leadership Medal, and Exceptional Service Medals, as well as numerous team and leadership Group Achievement Awards.