NASA Names New Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration

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WASHINGTON -- Laurie Leshin has been named the new deputy associate
administrator of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA
Headquarters, effective in January.

Leshin previously served as the deputy center director for science and
technology at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
She has led the formulation of strategy and the start of new missions
since 2008 as Goddard's senior scientist, while providing extensive
scientific guidance to lunar architecture and other human spaceflight
planning activities.

"I am delighted that Laurie will be joining us as my deputy, and I
look forward to working closely with her," said Doug Cooke, associate
administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
"She has worked with Exploration in the past and has a great track
record. I think her experience and skills will be invaluable as we
move forward."

Leshin joined NASA in August 2005 as the director of Goddard's
Sciences and Exploration Directorate. She came to the agency from
Arizona State University, where she was The Dee and John Whiteman
Dean Distinguished Professor of Geological Sciences and director of
the Center for Meteorite Studies.

Through her research, Leshin sought to decipher the record of water in
objects in our solar system. A primary part of the research involved
using meteorites from Mars to assess the history of water and the
potential for life on the Red Planet. She has been on science teams
for several NASA missions, including the Mars Polar Lander and the
upcoming Mars Science Laboratory.

Earlier this year, Leshin also led the NASA Innovation and Technology
Study Group, a team of 15 that made recommendations on how NASA could
increase focus on innovative activities and technologies needed to
advance the agency's mission. She earned a bachelor of science degree
in chemistry at Arizona State University in 1987 and a doctorate in
geochemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1994.

Prior to coming to NASA, Leshin received the agency's Distinguished
Public Service Medal, the highest award for non-NASA personnel. The
International Astronomical Union has recognized her contributions to
planetary science with the naming of asteroid 4922 Leshin.

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

Source: NASA