David Dress '81
David Dress '81
Retired, Director of the Space Technology and Exploration Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center
My wife Catharine, and I have lived in Yorktown, Virginia, since we were married in 1981. Catharine graduated from Radford University in speech and language pathology in 1980 and I graduated from Virginia Tech in aerospace and ocean engineering in 1981. We have two sons Jason and Brian, who are both engineering graduates from Virginia Tech, and our daughter-in-law Emily is also an engineering graduate from Virginia Tech. Jason and Emily have two children Nora and Ben, who provide a great deal of joy to our lives as grandparents. We have loved living in Yorktown, enjoying golfing, gardening, and traveling. However, we love the mountains and enjoy getting back to Blacksburg for football and basketball games as well as the Steppin Out Festival. Last year, we bought a house in Montgomery County that will be our future retirement home.
I am the director of the Space Technology and Exploration directorate at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. In this role, I lead the directorate in creating, advocating, managing, and executing a diverse portfolio of projects supporting the agency’s Space Technology and Human Exploration and Operations Mission directorates. In addition, I am the center programmatic lead for advanced manufacturing, ensuring that structures and materials expertise is utilized for both NASA’s and broader manufacturing needs.
I’ve had a long successful career at NASA spanning work with the Level II Constellation program activities, and as the lead for the Mission and Technical Integration group at the Johnson Space Center in Systems Engineering and Integration for Constellation. I’ve received numerous awards including the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 2012 (Exceptional Leadership and Contributions to Aeronautics and Human Exploration). In addition, I have published over 40 papers and am an Associate Fellow in the AIAA [American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]. In addition to my bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech, I also earned a master’s degree in fluid mechanics and thermal sciences from George Washington University.
How Virginia Tech equipped me for the 'real world'...
Learning how to work on teams with others provided a great foundation for future partnering and collaborations.
Best part of being a Virginia Tech alum...
"Enter Sandman" at football games and beating Duke in the Cassell.
Words of encouragement to a current Virginia Tech student...
Be open to many unanticipated opportunities in your career. I recommend taking on many of these opportunities as opposed to scripting your career.
Best advice I've gotten....
Take a different path over what you have planned.
A key habit, practice, or skill, that's important for success in my industry...
Build honest, sincere relationships with those you work with.
This excites me the most about the future of my industry...
Space exploration is like the "wild, wild west" right now with so many companies and opportunities. The possibilities are endless.
A person who has inspired me...
My first NASA supervisor, Bob Kilgore, was ahead of his time in how to build relationships, work with others, and push artificial boundaries.
Fondest Virginia Tech memory or tradition...
Meeting my future wife, Catharine, while attending Virginia Tech.
The most formative experience I've had...
Spending 2 years in the NASA Leadership Program with classmates from across the Agency. We were put into several situations that expanded our thinking and how to work and grow in different environments
The last time I ventured out of my comfort zone...
Taking a leadership development assignment at the NASA Johnson Space Center working on Systems Engineering for the Constellation Program. I had no NASA space program experience before taking this assignment.
Last book I read...
Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom.
Top of my bucket list…
Round of golf at St. Andrews in Scotland.
My favorite quote...
Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena."
My hidden talent...
Weeding through a lot of "stuff" to get to the heart of a problem.