[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 25, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        CONGRATULATING TODD MAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT B. ADERHOLT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 25, 2018

  Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Todd May, who 
has announced his retirement as Director of Marshall Space Flight 
Center.
  Todd May is one of our nation's civil servants who has demonstrated 
outstanding leadership, management ability, and vision. He was 
appointed Marshall deputy director in August 2015 at the Nov. 13, 2015 
retirement of Patrick Scheuermann, and was subsequently appointed 
Director.
  The jobs Todd has excelled at are never easy, but the circumstances 
under which he took them, and excelled, are circumstances which 
represent especially challenging times.
  During the early part of a new Administration, Todd, in 2011, led the 
Space Launch System (SLS) program. Despite different schools of thought 
in Washington, Todd took the program through a series of milestones, 
including a successful in-depth critical design review. Thanks to 
Todd's leadership, SLS was successfully handed off to the next manager 
when Todd was asked to be Marshall Space Flight Center Director.
  Marshall has approximately 6,000 civil service and contractor 
employees, and an annual budget of approximately $2.5 billion. What 
some do not know is that Marshall has a heritage not only of excellence 
in launch development but also in NASA's other endeavors, including, 
for example, the engineering planning which allowed the Hubble 
Telescope to be re-focused and to reach its full potential.
  One of Todd's other previous jobs made him very qualified for this 
part of Marshall's work as well. Todd served as a deputy associate 
administrator in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters 
in Washington from 2007 to 08, responsible for a $5 billion portfolio 
of robotic programs and projects, including more than 100 spacecraft at 
various stages of formulation, development and operations.
  Of course, there is no pressure at all in being appointed as Director 
of Marshall Space Flight Center--unless of course you notice the 
statues of Von Braun, and all the Saturn rockets which seem to meet 
your gaze no matter what direction you are driving.
  I am not surprised that Todd excelled again at this broad management 
task. He brought out the best in his managers, kept Marshall viable as 
a competitor in various projects, and leaves Marshall in good shape to 
continue its key role in NASA's human exploration programs. His 
leadership also extends to concepts which will bear fruition in the 
future, such as nuclear thermal propulsion.
  Despite his many jobs at NASA, and national recognition for his work 
by Aviation Week, I know that this young boy growing up in Fairhope, 
Alabama still counts, as one of his most enjoyable achievements, his 
engineering degree from Auburn University, and the title of 
Distinguished Engineer, bestowed on him by the University.
  I wish Todd and his family all the best, and I know that whatever 
tasks he puts his hands to, he will be not only a success, but also a 
blessing to his community and to this nation.

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