Praise for retiring Marshall Space Flight Center director rolls in

Alabama leaders across the local, state and federal levels are sharing their appreciation and best wishes for Jody Singer after she announced her retirement Monday from a 38-year career with NASA.

Singer has served as director of the Marshall Space Flight Center since 2018 – she was the NASA center’s first female director. Her retirement is effective July 29.

As director, Singer managed one of NASA’s largest field installations, with nearly 7,000 employees and contractors with an annual budget of approximately $5 billion.

According to a news release, Singer joined NASA in 1985 as an intern. She came onboard the Space Shuttle Program in 1986 as an engineer and was the first female project manager for the reusable solid rocket booster project before serving as deputy manager of the Space Shuttle Propulsion Office until the program’s retirement. Cumulatively, Jody was part of 110 space shuttle launches.

She’s a graduate of the University of Alabama and was named a 2019 Woman of Impact by Yellowhammer News.

RELATED: Jody Singer is a 2019 Woman of Impact

At that time, she said, “Reach for your dreams, work hard, and don’t give up — even if it gets hard.”

“Reflecting on my own career, I know I would not have gotten where I am today without the guidance of others. So I would also say to women, seek out mentors and peers to help you grow into the leaders they are destined to become! The sky is the limit­ – literally.”

That mentality has inspired admiration from many state leaders:

Grayson Everett is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270