Janet Kavandi, a former astronaut and current deputy director at NASA‘s Glenn Research Center, has been appointed director of the Cleveland-based space technology research facility in a move that takes effect Monday.
She will succeed Jim Free, who will transition to a new role as deputy associate administrator for technical at NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate., the agency said Tuesday.
“Janet has demonstrated extraordinary leadership throughout her NASA career, from her spaceflights to her continued dedication to our mission at the Johnson Space Center and Glenn,†said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
She previously worked as deputy director of the Johnson Space Center’s Health and Human Performance Directorate and managed a team of flight surgeons and human research investigations in that capacity.
She also directed flight crew missions at the center and held responsibility over the Astronaut Corps and Ellington Field’s aircraft operations.
Kavandi joined NASA in December 1994 as an astronaut who supported Johnson’s space station payload integration, capsule communications, robotics programs.
The agency veteran has spent more than 33 days in space and has worked as mission specialist on the STS-91 mission in 1998, STS-99 in 2000, and STS-104 in 2001.
