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Marshall Bids Farewell to Former Center Director with Retirement Ceremony

Former Center Director Jody Singer, left, hugs Acting Center Director Joseph Pelfrey after being presented with a plaque honoring her 38 years with NASA and Marshall. The plaque was made with wood from Building 4200, which Singer decided to have demolished during her tenure, and flags that flew on the last Challenger mission and Artemis I.

Credits:
NASA/Charles Beason

By Jessica Barnett

Hundreds filled Activities Building 4316 on Sept. 21 to offer their best wishes to former NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Jody Singer as she takes on her next big adventure: retirement.

Marshall team members brought gifts, recorded messages, and lined up for a hug or handshake with Singer as part of the celebration. A select few were invited to stand on stage and speak about Singer’s many career accomplishments, as well as how deeply she would be missed.

We have SLS (Space Launch System) in part because of the hard work of Jody, and that’s pretty amazing.

Bob Cabana

NASA Associate Administrator

“All that she did led up to her being the deputy director at Marshall, and from there, an amazing five-year tenure as the director.” added Cabana.

Singer joined NASA in 1985 as an engineer and then supported the Space Shuttle program in 1986. In all, she was involved in 110 shuttle missions. She was named the first female project manager for the Reusable Solid Rocket Booster Project in 2002 and was holding three deputy positions simultaneously just eight years later.

Eight years after that, in 2018, she became Marshall’s first female center director, overseeing 7,000 employees, a $5 billion budget, and one of NASA’s largest field installations. Singer retired July 29.

Joseph Pelfrey, who took over as Marshall’s acting center director, said he’s learned just how heavy a load Singer carried in his few weeks in the role.

“It can’t be overstated the impact that Jody had on our center, on our agency, and especially me, personally,” Pelfrey said. “To believe in me, to believe in the people that followed you – it’s your way of paying it forward, as you always said, and it can’t be overstated how much we appreciate that.”

Singer received numerous awards during her 38-year career with NASA, and the recognition continued at her retirement ceremony. Cabana joined NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails in presenting Singer with the Distinguished Service Medal, NASA’s highest honor, along with pins from 68 International Space Station missions, plus an Alabama flag and U.S. flag that flew on the Orion spacecraft for Exploration Flight Test-1 and Artemis I.

Singer, far left, stands next to a portrait of herself after its unveiling at her retirement ceremony Sept. 21. Joining behind her, from left, are Pelfrey, Marshall Associate Director Rae Ann Meyer, and Marshall Associate Director, Technical, Larry Leopard.

Credits: NASA/Charles Beason

Pelfrey, along with Marshall Associate Director, Technical, Larry Leopard, who emceed the ceremony, presented Singer with a plaque honoring her time at Marshall. The plaque was made with wood from Building 4200, which Singer decided to have demolished during her tenure, and flags that flew on the last Challenger mission and Artemis I.

“Jody has inspired countless young people, especially young women, to pursue careers in STEM, and she has personally dedicated her career to mentoring the next generation of explorers and leaders,” Leopard said. “I can personally say she left Marshall better than she found it.”

‘Who we are’

When it was her turn at the microphone, Singer offered thanks to the long list of team members-turned-friends she has worked with and received support from over the years.

“It makes a big difference, having folks you can call up and rely on,” she said. “You can’t do it by yourself. It has to be a team, and I couldn’t have had better partners in this journey.”

She said despite multiple reassurances that she would know when the time was right to retire, the decision was far from easy.

Singer, center right, poses for a selfie with her former coworkers Sept. 21 during her retirement ceremony. Joining her, from left, are Pelfrey, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails, and NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana.

NASA/Charles Beason

I’m not a quitter, and I love what we do. I love the passion for our mission, I love all the folks, and it’s really, really hard to decide when it is time.

Jody Singer

Former Marshall Space Flight Center Director

“But then I look around and I see the teams, I see the leadership we have, and when you see such talent and passion, and knowing there are people that could do it a lot better than I ever thought about doing it, that’s when I know it’s time,” said Singer.

Singer said she’s looking forward to seeing what Marshall accomplishes under the next director’s leadership, and she offered this bit of advice to team members:

“Don’t forget who we are at Marshall. Where else can you say you’re a center that launches, you land, you live in space, you help people learn, you have science, leading-edge technology and manufacturing? There is nothing wrong with being proud of the expertise that Marshall brings to the game. It just doesn’t get any better.”

Meanwhile, she added, “I’ll always be counting on you, fighting for you, and most of all, being so proud to be part of a team like this.”

Barnett, a Media Fusion employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.