Summary
George Thomas Whitesides (born March 3, 1974) is an American businessman and public official. He was CSO (Chief Space Officer) and long time CEO of Virgin Galactic, 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.
Whitesides was previously Chief of Staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Administrator Charles Bolden, a position to which he was named after serving on the NASA transition team for the incoming Obama administration.
On February 22, 2023, he announced his candidacy for California’s 27th congressional district in the 2024 election.
OnAir Post: George Whitesides
News
Los Angeles Times, – April 26, 2024
California House Districts 13, 22, 27, 41, 45, and 47.
Over 2,000 miles west of the nation’s Capitol, the battle for control of the House of Representatives in 2025 is being waged in farmland along Highway 99, fast-growing commuter communities north and east of Los Angeles and Orange County beach towns and inland suburbs.
While Republicans currently have a razor-thin majority in the House, partisan makeup of next year’s Congress will almost certainly be decided this November — at least in part — by a handful of hypercompetitive California races.
California “is, along with New York, one of the two most important paths to potential Democratic control of the House,” said Dave Wasserman, senior editor and elections analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
About
Biography
George Whitesides has spent his career solving problems. Over the past 20 years, he has helped lead NASA to new heights, created hundreds of quality jobs in the Antelope Valley, and supported front-line responders and public health through his work on the wildfire crisis.
Former Chief of Staff, NASA
George worked on President Obama’s transition team in 2008, and then served as Chief of Staff for NASA for the Obama administration. George was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the agency’s highest honor. George led reform of NASA to enable current U.S. space leadership.
Former CEO, Virgin Galactic
George was the first CEO of Virgin Galactic, the human spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson. He grew the company over a decade from a small team to the global aerospace firm it is today, creating 700 jobs in the Antelope Valley and flying the first woman to space on a commercial space vehicle.
Combating Our Wildfire Crisis
George co-founded Megafire Action, the first organization dedicated to solving our nation’s megafire crisis. He also initiated Caltech’s Keck Institute workshop on “Detecting and Tracking Fires that Matter” in 2021 and is an advisor to several philanthropic efforts working to make wildfire a manageable challenge through innovation and science policy.
Leader In Our Community
George co-chaired the Antelope Valley Covid-19 Task Force, an ad hoc group that brought together NASA, industry, local government and the Antelope Valley College to support front line nurses and doctors, for which George received NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal.
George serves as a board member of the Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise (AV EDGE), working to grow jobs and businesses in the AV.
George was awarded the Partners in Educational Excellence Award by the Antelope Valley Union High School District for his work supporting underprivileged students.
Web Links
Politics
Issues
It’s time we have bold, new leadership in CA-27, the congressional district that stretches from the Antelope Valley to Santa Clarita to the northern San Fernando Valley. As a local leader, former NASA Chief of Staff and aerospace entrepreneur, George Whitesides is committed to moving Southern California forward. Now, he’s ready to deliver for CA-27.
George’s campaign is connecting with voters across the district on the path to win this seat in 2024. In Congress, he will be committed to creating great jobs in the district, finding solutions to the wildfire crisis, protecting a woman’s right to choose and protecting Social Security and Medicare for seniors. George is committed to moving CA-27 forward, including working across the aisle. With your support, George will make that happen.
More Information
Wikipedia
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.
Early life and education
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]
Career
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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]
2024 U.S. House campaign
On February 22, 2023, Whitesides announced he was running for California’s 27th congressional district in the 2024 election as a Democrat.[18]
Personal life
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]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Walz, Kent (May 18, 2019). “Face to Face with George T. Whitesides: Reaching for the stars”. Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ “Virgin Galactic changing CEOs, bringing on Disney’s Michael Colglazier”. CNBC. July 15, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ “Virgin Galactic Snags NASA Chief of Staff as CEO”. socalTECH.com. May 17, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
- ^ “Whitesides steps down from Virgin Galactic”. Spacenews. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Dugdale, Addy (May 29, 2010). “Crib Sheet: George T. Whitesides, Top Dog (in Space) at Virgin Galactic”. Fast Company. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c d “George T. Whitesides, NASA’s Chief of Staff”. NASA. May 1, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ Abrams, Meredith (March 25, 2011). “Virgin Galactic CEO presents information on space tourism”. The Newtonite. pp. 6–7. Retrieved April 7, 2023 – via Issuu.
- ^ Daugherty, Elisabeth H. (July 20, 2021). “July 20: George Whitesides ’96 Brings People With Disabilities Into Space”. Princeton Alumni Weekly. Princeton University Press. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Kane, Frank (December 27, 2018). “INTERVIEW: ‘I have always dreamed of going into space’ — George Whitesides, CEO Virgin Galactic”. Arab News. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ “George Whitesides”. National Space Society. May 16, 2006. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
- ^ Hidalgo-Whitesides, Loretta; Whitesides, G. “About : what is yuri’s night?”. Yuri’s Night. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
- ^ Galactic, Virgin (June 21, 2007). “Virgin Galactic Appoints George Whitesides as Senior Advisor”. NASASpaceflight. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
- ^ “George Whitesides”. Space For Humanity. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ “Historical Awards Recipient List” (PDF). NASA. c. 2015. p. 233. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (March 5, 2021). “Whitesides steps down from Virgin Galactic”. Space News. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ “AstroAccess opens applications to disabled crew participants for space training on zero gravity flight”. SpaceDaily. July 19, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ Howell, Elizabeth (December 20, 2022). “Zero-G flight for disability ambassadors shows space is accessible for all”. Space.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ “Former Virgin Galactic CEO enters US House race north of LA”. Associated Press News. February 22, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
External links
- Official website (Campaign website)
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