Named Chief Operating Officer Of National Space Science And
Technology Center
William R. Hicks has been named
chief operating officer of the National Space Science and
Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville, AL.
The state-of-the-art NSSTC research facility is a partnership
between NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville and the
Alabama Space Science and Technology Alliance, a consortium of
seven Alabama research universities.
In his new role, Hicks is the NSSTC's key liaison with NASA,
educational institutions and industry. He also is responsible for
day-to-day management and operation of the science center,
including strategic business planning, safety oversight and
supervision of facility resources. He serves as a principal advisor
to NSSTC Executive Director Gerald W. Smith, and to the Marshall
Center's Science and Technology Directorate.
"Bill Hicks plays a critical role in the work of the NSSTC,"
said Smith. "His depth of knowledge and insight into the business
of research and discovery will improve our ability to conduct
science in a broad range of fields -- exploring the unknown and
bettering our society, our nation and our planet."
Hicks previously served for four years as deputy business
manager for the Marshall Center's former Science Directorate.
There, he supervised personnel, facilities and equipment, and other
program resources. He has held a number of key positions at the
Marshall Center, including research and technology programs manager
and business manager for the Microgravity Research Program, which
sought new understanding of the effects of gravity on biological,
chemical and physical systems; business manager of science payloads
for the International Space Station Payloads Projects Office, which
plans and oversees all experiments aboard the orbiting research
facility; and program and projects budget manager for the Office of
the Comptroller, which maintains and audits the organization's
business accounts.
A 23-year NASA veteran, Hicks first joined the Agency in 1980 as
a program developer, estimating costs for the Marshall Center's
role in building the International Space Station.
He spent a year away from NASA in 1986, working for Applied
Research Inc., in Huntsville, as deputy project manager supporting
the US Strategic Defense Initiative.
Hicks, a Chattanooga, TN, native, earned a bachelor's degree in
industrial engineering in 1980 from Tennessee Technological
University in Cookeville, TN. He received a NASA Exceptional
Achievement Medal in 1994 and an Exceptional Service Medal in 2000
-- both recognizing distinguished efforts serving NASA's
organization and missions.
The National Space Science and Technology Center unites
government, academia and industry to conduct cutting-edge research
into seven scientific and engineering disciplines: atmospheric
science, optics, biotechnology, information technology, materials
science, propulsion and space science.
The Marshall Center provides the NSSTC with Earth science, space
science and information technology expertise, and helps the
organization foster education of the next generation of American
scientists and engineers.
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