Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr., Director, John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH

As Director of NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr. controls an annual budget of approximately $650 million and manages a labor force comprised of roughly 1,619 civil service employees who are supported by 1754 contractors working in more than 500 specialized research facilities.

NASA Tech Briefs: What is the Glenn Research Center’s primary mission, and what role does it currently play in America’s space program?

Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr.: Dr. Woodrow Whitlow Jr.: I’m going to change that question a little bit. Our primary competencies are aerospace power, aeropropulsion, in-space propulsion, communications, and human systems. We have roles in aeronautics and space. We conduct aeronautics research for subsonic fixed wing and subsonic rotary wing aircraft, supersonic aircraft, and hypersonic aircraft. We work on things such as noise and emissions technologies, and aviation safety technologies.

In terms of space, we conduct research and that includes human development technologies to ensure human health, which, of course, impacts astronauts; advanced space propulsion systems, such as ion-propulsion systems for spacecraft; and advanced power systems. In terms of the mission for space exploration, we are leading development of the service module for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, and we will be testing the Orion Vehicle – the full-scale vehicle – in our Space Power Facility, which is located at Plum Brook Station.

We designed and we’re testing subsystems for the upper stage of the Ares 1 crew launch vehicle, and we’re actually – right here on Center – manufacturing the simulated upper stage for the Ares 1 test vehicle that’s scheduled to launch in late spring of next year.

For the Ares 5 heavy lift vehicle, we’re developing the thrust vector control systems; we’re providing electrical power systems; and we’re developing the payload shroud, which will be the world’s largest payload shroud. We’re also providing propulsion, power and testing for the lunar lander, and we will provide power and communications for the other surface systems – the rovers and the spacesuits that are lunar based. So we have a pretty wide array of activities going on here.

NTB: You control an annual budget of approximately $650 million and you manage a workforce of roughly 1619 civil service employees (who are supported by 1754 contractors) What would you say are some of the more challenging aspects of your position as Director?

Dr. Whitlow: The center directors are responsible for providing the infrastructure to implement the programmatic goals, so I’m really concerned with making sure our facilities and infrastructure are available, operating, and able to be used to conduct tests, all while being challenged to make sure that we’re within the bounds of our human resource limits. I have to make sure that we have enough of the available skills to be able to implement the mission and deliver on our commitments.

NTB: With such a wide array of programs and such a diverse array of projects, that must get complicated at times.

Dr. Whitlow: Yes, workforce management is a very complicated process that we deal with here. I know that’s the case in all of our facilities and, in some cases, across the agencies. How we make sure we have all the people with the right skills, and make sure that we minimize the number of people whose skills are no longer relevant, is a very big challenge. And, of course, dealing with the demand for time and extensive travel schedules…that can be difficult at times.

NTB: When you took over the Glenn Research Center in late 2005, times were kind of tough. There were budget cuts, downsizing, morale problems. How did you turn that around?

Dr. Whitlow: Well, the biggest thing is that the administrator was – and still is – committed to using all of the resources within the Agency, and using them effectively. You’re probably aware of his concept of making sure that every center is healthy. So, working with headquarters PA&E – which is Program Analysis and Evaluation – organization that had done a study of Glenn, looking at our ability to take on major new roles, I was able to identify some specific actions that needed to be taken. One of the things they found was that we had tremendous capabilities in our workforce. We just needed some changes in leadership. So I was able to recruit some key leaders from space flight centers, a former commander of the Arnold Engineering Development Center from the Air Force, one who had been program manager for Space Station Freedom. These people provided experience running large space flight programs and put together some strategies for how we could implement large spaceflight programs. And so, working with the Administrator and knowing his commitment, working with other headquarters offices, and really partnering with the other centers and working with program managers to identify work that we could do, we were able to secure some pretty major roles.

The Administrator has put together a great team that works well together as a team. When we meet, we’re not there as directors of our individual centers; we’re there as the board of directors for the Agency, so it’s really looking out for the health of the entire Agency.

NTB: Do you think having worked at the other centers, like Langley and headquarters and the Kennedy Space Center, gave you an edge in this respect?

Dr. Whitlow: It certainly did, because one of the key things is having a relationship with people who know you and are comfortable with you and are confident that you can deliver on those things that you say you can deliver on. That provided a real big advantage because when people know you and you call them, it’s not just some person calling, it’s somebody they actually know.