George Whitesides | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2009 | |
Personal details | |
Born | George Thomas Whitesides March 3, 1974 Massachusetts, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Loretta Hidalgo |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | George M. Whitesides (father) |
Education |
Princeton University (
BA) King's College, Cambridge ( MPhil) |
Awards | NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2010) |
Website | Campaign website |
George Thomas Whitesides (born March 3, 1974) [1] is an American businessman and public official. He was CSO (Chief Space Officer) [2] and long time CEO of Virgin Galactic, [3] a firm developing commercial space vehicles at the Mojave Air and Space Port. He still serves as a member of the Virgin Galactic Advisory Board. [4] Whitesides was previously Chief of Staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Administrator Charles Bolden, [5] a position to which he was named after serving on the NASA transition team for the incoming Obama administration. [6] On February 22, 2023, he announced his candidacy for California's 27th congressional district in the 2024 election.
Whitesides studied in Newton North High School, graduating in 1992. [7] Afterward, he attended Princeton University, graduating from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1996. [1] [8] He served for four years on Princeton's Board of Trustees upon graduation. [6] He later earned an MPhil in Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing from King's College, Cambridge. [5] He was also a Fulbright Scholar in Tunisia. [1] [9]
From 2004 to 2008, Whitesides served as the Executive Director of the National Space Society. [10] He is the co-creator of Yuri's Night, alongside his wife Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides. [11] [1] In 2007, Whitesides was named Senior Advisor to Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's space tourism company. [12]
Whitesides worked on the presidential transition of Barack Obama. [13] After Obama took office, Whitesides was appointed as chief of staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where he served until May 7, 2010. [1] [6] Upon his departure, he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the agency's highest award. [9] [14]
After leaving NASA, Whitesides returned to Virgin Galactic, where he became the first person in the company to hold the CEO title and later its first CSO. [1]
Whitesides was the Chairman of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Working Group of COMSTAC, the advisory committee for the FAA's Commercial Space Transportation Division. [1] He was also a board member of Astronomers Without Borders and the Space Generation Foundation. [6] [5]
In March 2021, Whitesides announced he would be leaving Virgin Galactic to pursue public service, but would still be in an advisory position to the publicly traded company. [15]
He has also served as a coach for Zero Gravity Corporation's parabolic flight service. In July 2021, as co-founder and project lead of the SciAccess Initiative's Mission: AstroAccess, opened applications for people with disabilities to partake in a ZERO-G parabolic flight, which was initially scheduled on October 17, 2021 in Long Beach, California. [16] Over a year later, on December 15, 2022, its first formal research parabolic flight was flown, with 14 disability ambassadors from 5 countries in the mission. [17]
On February 22, 2023, Whitesides announced he was running for California's 27th congressional district in the 2024 election as a Democrat. [18]
George is married to Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, and they have two children. [1] [5] His father is George M. Whitesides, a professor of chemistry at Harvard University. [1]
George Whitesides | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2009 | |
Personal details | |
Born | George Thomas Whitesides March 3, 1974 Massachusetts, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Loretta Hidalgo |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | George M. Whitesides (father) |
Education |
Princeton University (
BA) King's College, Cambridge ( MPhil) |
Awards | NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2010) |
Website | Campaign website |
George Thomas Whitesides (born March 3, 1974) [1] is an American businessman and public official. He was CSO (Chief Space Officer) [2] and long time CEO of Virgin Galactic, [3] a firm developing commercial space vehicles at the Mojave Air and Space Port. He still serves as a member of the Virgin Galactic Advisory Board. [4] Whitesides was previously Chief of Staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Administrator Charles Bolden, [5] a position to which he was named after serving on the NASA transition team for the incoming Obama administration. [6] On February 22, 2023, he announced his candidacy for California's 27th congressional district in the 2024 election.
Whitesides studied in Newton North High School, graduating in 1992. [7] Afterward, he attended Princeton University, graduating from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1996. [1] [8] He served for four years on Princeton's Board of Trustees upon graduation. [6] He later earned an MPhil in Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing from King's College, Cambridge. [5] He was also a Fulbright Scholar in Tunisia. [1] [9]
From 2004 to 2008, Whitesides served as the Executive Director of the National Space Society. [10] He is the co-creator of Yuri's Night, alongside his wife Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides. [11] [1] In 2007, Whitesides was named Senior Advisor to Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's space tourism company. [12]
Whitesides worked on the presidential transition of Barack Obama. [13] After Obama took office, Whitesides was appointed as chief of staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where he served until May 7, 2010. [1] [6] Upon his departure, he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the agency's highest award. [9] [14]
After leaving NASA, Whitesides returned to Virgin Galactic, where he became the first person in the company to hold the CEO title and later its first CSO. [1]
Whitesides was the Chairman of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Working Group of COMSTAC, the advisory committee for the FAA's Commercial Space Transportation Division. [1] He was also a board member of Astronomers Without Borders and the Space Generation Foundation. [6] [5]
In March 2021, Whitesides announced he would be leaving Virgin Galactic to pursue public service, but would still be in an advisory position to the publicly traded company. [15]
He has also served as a coach for Zero Gravity Corporation's parabolic flight service. In July 2021, as co-founder and project lead of the SciAccess Initiative's Mission: AstroAccess, opened applications for people with disabilities to partake in a ZERO-G parabolic flight, which was initially scheduled on October 17, 2021 in Long Beach, California. [16] Over a year later, on December 15, 2022, its first formal research parabolic flight was flown, with 14 disability ambassadors from 5 countries in the mission. [17]
On February 22, 2023, Whitesides announced he was running for California's 27th congressional district in the 2024 election as a Democrat. [18]
George is married to Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, and they have two children. [1] [5] His father is George M. Whitesides, a professor of chemistry at Harvard University. [1]