William W. Parsons, Jr.
Director of Kennedy Space Center (2007–2008)
William W. Parsons, a native of Mississippi, began his career in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer, then worked as a manufacturing engineer and later as an aerospace engineer at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. In 1990, Parsons joined the NASA team at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) as a Launch Site Support Manager in the Shuttle Operations Directorate and also worked as an Executive Management Intern and later as the Shuttle Flow Director of the Shuttle Operations Directorate at KSC. In 1996, he became Manager of the Space Station Hardware Integration Office at KSC.
In 1997, he was assigned to Stennis Space Center as the chief of operations of the Propulsion Test Directorate. Parsons relocated to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to become the director of the Center Operations Directorate and later served as the deputy director. In 2001, he returned to Stennis and served as director of the Center Operations and Support Directorate. His first stint as Stennis center director came in August 2002.
As Space Shuttle Program Manager, Parsons led the Return to Flight activities for the Agency and played a major role in the recent success of the Discovery STS-114 mission. His first stint as Stennis Center Director came in August 2002.
On September 13, 2005, Parsons was again named the director of NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center, succeeding retired Rear Admiral Thomas Donaldson, USN. He led hurricane recovery efforts at Stennis and the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. From 2007 to 2008 he was the director of Kennedy Space Station.
Parsons has received numerous honors, including NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal; the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement; the Silver Snoopy, awarded by astronauts for outstanding performance in flight safety and mission success; the Center Directors’ Commendation; and the Commandants Certificate of Commendation from the U.S. Marine Corps.
Parsons holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Central Florida.
Read William W. Parsons’ oral history interview from June 2007.