05.08.06
Jessica Rye
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
(321) 867-2468
RELEASE: 32-06
STEPHEN J. ALTEMUS TO LEAD NEW KSC ENGINEERING ORGANIZATION
NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Jim Kennedy announced today the
center is standing up a new organization called the Engineering
Directorate with Stephen J. Altemus as its director.
The new 800-person Engineering Directorate is being created to
centralize the center's engineering activities, processes and
personnel into one organization that will have an independent
reporting line of authority and to ensure the highest quality of
engineering rigor at the center.
"I'm extremely excited to have a person with Steve's strong technical
background and exceptional commitment to engineering excellence join
our management team," said Kennedy. "He not only brings tremendous
leadership abilities, but having previously worked at Kennedy, he
shares a unique perspective on center operations."
The new directorate will be fully staffed by Oct. 1 and will be
responsible for supporting projects and programs at Kennedy by
furnishing design, development and operations engineers to these
offices.
Since January 2005, Altemus has been serving as acting and then deputy
director for engineering at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
He was responsible for providing engineering design, development and
testing, as well as technical expertise in support of hardware,
software and systems for human space flight programs such as space
shuttle, International Space Station, and advanced spacecraft for
human exploration initiatives.
Prior to joining the Johnson team, he served at KSC as the chief of
the Shuttle Launch and Landing Division, where he supervised and
managed a team of engineers and technical experts in the specialized
fields of shuttle ground processing and launch and landing
operations.
In this role, he also served as the Columbia reconstruction director
for the Space Shuttle Program and KSC. During this six-month period,
he managed a diverse team of up to 400 engineers, scientists and
technicians from multiple NASA field centers, government agencies and
contractor organizations. The team was responsible for cataloging,
identifying and assembling more than 85,000 pieces of Columbia
debris.
Altemus holds a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and a master's degree in
engineering management from the University of Central Florida.
Steve and his wife, Brunella, have two children, Samantha and Joseph.
-end-
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