VOLUME 17 ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2015

Agency Earns "Best Place to Work"

Third Year in a Row

NASA once again took the top spot for employee job satisfaction among the nation’s 

19 largest federal agencies! For the third consecutive year, the Partnership for Public 

Service has ranked NASA The Best Place to Work among large agencies (15,000 or 

more employees) in government. 

The ranking is based on three questions—focused on overall job satisfaction—in 

the Office of Personnel Management annual Employee Viewpoint Survey (EVS). 

The survey was administered to civil servants from May 5 through June 14, 2014. 

“Despite the fact that employees dealt with various issues since the 2013 survey, 

they still reported being excited overall about their workplace, job and individual 

Continued on page 2

NASA CFO Sees Budget at Work

C-2015-227 Photo by Bridget Caswell

NASA Chief Financial Officer David Radzanowski, pictured, put the NASA budget 

into perspective during his Town Hall meeting at Glenn. See page 2. 

Farewell to Deputy 

Director Robinson

C-2015-303 Photo by Bridget Caswell

Center employees gathered to extend 

their best wishes to Center Deputy 

Director Gregory L. Robinson, during 

a farewell reception, Jan. 27. Robinson 

departed Glenn to become the Deputy 

Associate Administrator of Programs in 

the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) 

at NASA Headquarters. 

Center Director Jim Free, members of his 

senior leadership team and guests took 

turns expressing their appreciation to 

Robinson for two brief, but impactful 

years of service to Glenn. They lauded 

his ability to help them perceive a 

problem in its simplest form—not over 

complicating it—then handle it in the 

most expedient manner. 

Continued on page 3

In This Issue

Director's Safety Corner..............2 

New Procurement Chief................2 

Phone System Updates................3 

Astronaut Visits ............................4 

CFC Wrap Up................................5 

Attention Visionaries! .................8
Taking Winter Safety Seriously

Winter is in full swing, challenging us with snow, ice, rain and frigid temperatures.

While we’re all familiar with winter safety tips, are we applying them on a 

consistent basis? Are we dressing appropriately, including wearing slip-resistance 

footwear; cleaning off vehicle windshields; slowing down while driving or 

walking? Slips, trips and falls are the most reported incidents at Glenn. Paying 

attention to the details is critical to the work we do, but it is just as critical when 

dealing with winter safety hazards. Let’s all take precautions—Be Attentive, Be 

Patient, Be Safe.

Thank you for keeping up the excellent safety record for you and people 

around you! 

 — Jim

NASA CFO Visits Glenn, Sees Budget at Work

NASA’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) 

David Radzanowski believes NASA’s 

budget is stabilizing. During a visit 

to Glenn last month, Radzanowski 

met with Glenn CFO Larry Sivic and 

other senior managers. He talked 

with researchers and toured facilities 

to learn more about Glenn research 

benefiting from NASA’s budget dollars. 

“We’re in a better place than we’ve 

been for a long time,” he said, “and 

it’s because of folks like you who are 

getting the job done.”

During his Town Hall with employees, 

Radzanowski talked about the budget 

process and NASA’s relationship with 

Congress and the Office of Management 

and Budget. He outlined several 

priorities the agency will concentrate 

on under the fiscal year 2016 budget. 

Radzanowski encouraged employees to 

focus on the budget in terms of the work 

they do rather than the budget dollars. 

“It’s not about the budget,” he said, “it’s 

what we’re doing with the budget.”

—By Doreen B. Zudell

Harris Named New Procurement Chief

Kaprice Harris has been appointed to the rank of Senior Executive Service and selected as NASA Glenn’s procurement officer 

and chief of the Procurement Division, Center Operations 

Directorate. Harris leaves Glenn’s Office of Chief Counsel, 

where she has worked as an attorney for more than 15 years.

Harris started her NASA career at the Goddard Space Flight 

Center in the Office of Procurement where she worked in the 

areas of Space Science, Earth Science and Institutional Services. 

Since transferring to Glenn in 1996, she has focused her practice in the areas of procurement, and the acquisition of and 

protection of data and intellectual property rights. Harris’ legal 

background, combined with her knowledge and prior experience with NASA’s acquisition process, has allowed her to build the necessary expertise for this new position.

Harris

Best Work Place

Continued from page 1

o r g a n i z a t i o n ,” 

said Tom Spicer, 

Glenn’s Office of 

Human Capital 

M a n a g e m e n t 

(OHCM) deputy 

director. “They 

reported being 

engaged, committed and satisfied with 

the work they are doing.”

Spicer cited salary adjustments, 

sequestration and a furlough as three 

NASA-wide challenges. Additionally, 

Glenn employees worked through the 

center’s reorganization and significant 

senior executive service changes. 

OHCM Director, Lori Pietravoia, 

attributes the positive responses in 

part to NASA’s efforts to build and 

maintain a positive culture. At Glenn, 

for example, we chartered the @Glenn 

Culture Matters Committee to leverage 

the experiences, expertise and insights 

of individuals within the center who 

are committed to cultural change and 

advancing NASA’s mission. 

Last spring, the committee conducted 

a brief survey to address EVS questions 

that had received both high and low 

ratings. “While we still have work 

to do toward building a culture of 

innovation, the survey results showed 

employees attributed improvement 

in Glenn’s EVS scores to increased 

open, honest communications and the 

Center Director’s leadership abilities,” 

Pietravoia said.

The next EVS will be conducted this 

spring, during the May–June timeframe. 

Additional resources: 2014 Glenn 

Employee Viewpoint Survey can be 

found on the Glenn Intranet, under 

the Center Director’s Corner (Cultural 

Improvement). The 2014 Federal 

Employee Viewpoint Survey can be 

found at http://www.fedview.opm.gov/.

—By Doreen B. Zudell

HISTORICAL NOTE: 

John H. Glenn became the first 

American to orbit the Earth Feb. 20, 

1962, in Mercury Friendship 7

2
FEBRUARY 2015

Farewell to Deputy Director Robinson

Continued from page 1

“I’m grateful to Greg for his intellect 

and wisdom that helped guide us 

through a critical period of transition,” 

Free said. “He committed the time and 

energy to learn the center’s capabilities 

and its people.” 

In his new position, Robinson will 

be responsible for assessing SMD 

programs, projects and institutions 

for technical and cost effectiveness, 

quality and performance. He will also 

coordinate SMD opportunities for 

collaborations with other NASA mission 

directorates and federal agencies.

—By S. Jenise Veris

C-2015-290 C-2015-333

C-2015-271 C-2015-296 Photos by Bridget Caswell

Hello! New Phone Project Replaces Legacy System 

Glenn’s Office of the Chief Information 

Officer (OCIO) has completed Phase I of 

a project that rolls out a new Voice over 

IP (VOIP) phone system. The overall 

project will replace the legacy phone 

system that supported the center for 

more than 25 years. 

Mission Integration Center (MIC)

residents received 300 of the new

phones during Phase I when they

relocated to the new building. Phase II 

will update the center infrastructure 

and deliver new phones center-wide.

“Phase II of the phone system

replacement project is already

underway and we hope to have

it completed within an 18-month

period,” said Project Manager Greg 

Campbell, OCIO. “It’s a big effort

with more than 3,000 phones to be 

installed, but we’ve got a great team 

here to get the job done.”

The new VOIP phones provide 

Caller ID, Call Logs (Incoming, 

Missed, Dialed) and the ability to 

lookup phone numbers from the 

NASA Directory. The VOIP system 

allows for additional services in the 

future. Some features the OCIO is 

evaluating include integrated video 

and messaging, as well as laptop 

softphones and mobile device apps 

for travel and telecommuting. 

Look for schedule updates on Today@

Glenn and the OCIO website. Building 

managers will inform employees 

when their building is scheduled for 

migration.

One of two new phone models installed 

in the MIC.

3
News & Events

Astronaut and Expedition Commander Visits Glenn, Area Students

Photo by Mack Thomas C-2015-157 Photo by Michelle Murphy

Cleveland’s freezing temperatures and 

snow made Colorado native astronaut 

Steve Swanson feel right at home during 

his visit to NASA Glenn, Jan. 12 to 13. 

Swanson came to share his experiences 

following a 6-month tour of duty serving 

as flight engineer, then commander, 

for the Expedition 39 and 40 missions 

aboard the International Space Station.

Shortly after his arrival, Swanson met 

with center management, research 

teams and project designers of several 

Glenn experiments to discuss the 

mechanics employed to successfully 

operate the space experiments. He also 

toured several Lewis Field facilities.

During an employee mission briefing 

on Tuesday (picture above, right), 

Swanson shared a video that included 

first-time footage of the Cygnus 

resupply spacecraft’s release and 

destruction to incinerate 3,000 pounds 

of trash. The Cygnus appeared like a 

shooting star as it appropriately burst 

into flames while traveling 260 miles 

above the Earth. After the presentation, 

he answered questions on station 

reuse/recycling, hardware repair and 

studies on the effects of exercise/

nutrition for future long-duration 

missions. 

Swanson’s itinerary also included a 

visit to the nearby West Preparatory 

Academy School (pictured above, left). 

He shared the same video with students 

and engaged in a lively question and 

answer session. 

—By S. Jenise Veris

Day of Remembrance Evokes Loss and Pride

C-2015-347 Photo by Marvin Smith

Each January, the agency pauses to 

remember its fallen heroes from the 

Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia 

crews, and other NASA family members 

who have lost their lives furthering the 

cause of exploration and discovery. 

On Jan. 28, employees gathered in the 

Ad Bldg. Auditorium for NASA Glenn’s 

Day of Remembrance Observance. 

Associate Director Janet Watkins led 

the audience in a moment of silence 

in respect for the crewmembers’ 

supreme sacrifice. She asked that 

everyone reflect on the lives of 

those astronauts, as well as the 36 

research pilots who gave their lives 

furthering the research of NASA and 

its predecessor, NACA. The event 

featured a tribute video to each of the 

astronaut crewmembers and promise 

of lessons learned moving forward 

as we continue on the legacy of the 

fallen heroes. 

Thousands Follow NASA 

Glenn's Instagram 

Over the past 3 years, Instagram has 

become one of the most popular social 

media platforms in the world. And as 

a true leader in social media, NASA is 

on board with an account at almost

every center. NASA Glenn’s account, 

launched 1 year ago, has almost 5,000 

followers and is increasing everyday.

Our technology, research, STEM activities, and historical images are posted on 

Instagram every 

week including 

a recent image 

of laser scanning 

in the Icing Research Tunnel. 

Come fol low 

NASA Glenn’s Instagram and see 

what thousands 

of people are learning about our work.

http://instagram.com/nasaglenn

4
FEBRUARY 2015

Glenn Concludes CFC "Give for Good" Campaign

NASA Glenn’s 2014 Combined Federal 

Campaign (CFC) Committee celebrated 

a successful Give-for-Good-themed 

campaign with an appreciation event, 

Feb. 4. Thanks to the generosity of 

Glenn employees, the center raised 

$445,878.26 to benefit thousands of 

charities worldwide. This was the 

first year for the CFC Universal Giving, 

which enabled employees to give to 

any CFC-participating charity across 

the globe. 

The 2014 campaign included many 

special events, which raised a total of 

$18,487.30, an increase of nearly $3,500 

over last year’s campaign. New events 

included the CFC Tailgate Challenge 

and the CFC Art Fair. The long-standing, 

ever-popular Basket Raffle raised a 

record $11,800.

CFC Chair Dawn Pottinger and Co-Chair

Andrea Bonesteel said several directorates held their own special events, 

such as lunches and bake sales, which 

greatly boosted the campaign total. 

“The CFC Committee consisted of more 

than 100 amazing volunteers, who 

unselfishly donated countless hours to 

benefit those less fortunate,” Pottinger 

said. “I want to thank each volunteer 

and supervisor, as well as the many 

employees throughout the center who 

participated in CFC Committee events, 

organized their own special events, and 

donated in any way to this incredible 

campaign.”

Bonesteel echoed Pottinger’s sentiments. “I’m looking forward to chairing 

a great campaign in 2015, and working 

with employees across the center to 

carry on our tradition of caring and 

giving to the CFC.” 

—By Doreen B. Zudell

CFC 2014 highlights, pictured top to 

bottom, left to right: Center Director Jim 

Free at Kickoff • Rich Kurak at Basket 

Raffle/Halloween Contest• Mark Woodling 

at Tailgate Challenge • Debra Findley 

pies John Koudelka at Pie-the-Manager •

Sam Brinkman, Pat Iler and Kathy Roser 

at Chili Cookoff • (clockwise from left) 

Sage Amato, Vishal Butala, Regina Pool 

and Brian Jones at Plum Brook Euchre 

Tournament • CFC workers at Kickoff.

C-2014-6600 C-2014-7800

C-2014-7585 C-2014-8787

C-2014-8077

C-2014-6611

5
Awards, Honors & Promotions

Centeno-Gomez Corban Freeh Dr. Veris

Diana Centeno-Gomez has been selected deputy chief of the Aeronautics and 

Ground-Based Systems Branch, Systems Engineering and Architecture Division. 

She most recently served as the Mission Operations Lead for the Space Communications and Navigation Testbed.

Robert Corban has been selected chief of the International Space Station (ISS) and 

Human Health Office, Space Operations Project Office. Corban most recently served 

as the ISS Facilities program manager for the overall portfolio of Glenn’s operation 

facilities on the ISS including the FCF and SAMS, as well as the Telescience Center.

Joshua Freeh has been selected chief of the Mission Architecture and Analysis 

Branch, Systems Engineering and Architecture Division. He most recently served 

as the deputy chief engineer for the Solar Electric Power Module element of the 

Asteroid Redirect Mission. 

Dr. Kim Veris has been selected Glenn’s Legislative Officer. He previously served 

as State Legislative Affairs Officer, Office of the Center Director. Veris provides 

executive leadership, direction and coordination of all communications and 

relationships, both legislative and nonlegislative, between NASA and the United 

States Congress as well as state and local governments. He reports to the Office 

of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, NASA Headquarters. 

Welcome to the NASA Family

Glenn welcomed student trainee, Drayton Munster, to the 

NASA family over the holiday season. Munster reported for 

duty/orientation on Monday, Dec. 29, 2014 to the Information 

and Applications Office, Office of Chief Information Officer.

Munster In Appreciation

I would like to thank all my friends and co-workers at Glenn for your support after 

my father’s recent passing. Your thoughts and prayers, cards and donations have 

meant more to my family and me than I could ever express. God bless you all.

 —Fred Wolff

I want to thank all of the NASA Glenn family for your condolences on the passing 

of my husband in December. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated. 

 —Kay DeWillie (Exchange Store)

Thank you to all my co-workers and friends who stopped by for my retirement 

celebrations, and a very special thanks to the Office of Education staff for the 

terrific send off. Words can’t begin to reflect what it meant to me. Although I will 

miss seeing my NASA family, know that you will remain in my heart and memories 

forever! Remember this isn’t farewell—just the end of another mission and the 

beginning of a new one for me. —Sue Gott

 

Retirements

John Caruso, Explorations Systems 

Office, Space Flight Systems Directorate, retired Jan. 2, 2015, with 32 years 

of service. 

Albert Matthews Jr., Testing Division, 

Facilities, Test & Manufacturing 

Directorate, retired Jan. 2, 2015, with 

38 1⁄2 years of service.

Robert H. Pelaez, Space Combustion 

and Materials Branch, Testing Division, retired Jan. 2, 2015, with 42 years 

of service. 

Bill Spilker, Facilities Division, Facilities, Test & Manufacturing Directorate, 

retired Jan. 2, 2015, with 38 years of 

federal service, including 341⁄2 years 

with NASA. 

Pamela Spinosa, Management Support 

and Integration Office, Research 

and Engineering Directorate, retired 

Jan. 3, 2015, with 38 years of service. 

Dr. James K. Sutter, Ceramic and 

Polymer Composites Branch, Research 

and Engineering Directorate, retired 

Jan. 2, 2015, with 31 years of service. 

Dennis Veverka, Systems Operations 

Branch, Facilities Division, retired

Jan. 2, 2015, with 32 years of service. 

Matthews Jr. Spinosa

Dr. Sutter

Retiring soon?

Be sure to fill 

out the GRC431 

consent form 

to include your 

information in 

the newsletter.

Emergency and Inclement 

Weather Lines

Lewis Field: 216–433–9328 (WEAT)

Plum Brook Station: 419–621–3333

6
FEBRUARY 2015

7

Calendar

B L A C K H I S T O R Y M O N T H 

OBSERVANCE: This year’s event will 

be held Thursday, Feb. 19, 1 to 3 p.m. 

in the MIC Auditorium. Look for more 

details on Today@Glenn.

RETIRED NASA WOMEN'S LUNCHEON: 

The next luncheon is Thursday, Feb. 19, 

2015 at 1 p.m. at Berea Union Depot 

Taverne (formerly Pufferbelly), 30 Depot 

Street in Berea. Reserve your place by 

calling Gerry Ziemba, 330–273–4850. 

Luncheons are held the third Thursday 

at 1 p.m. in February, May, August and 

November.

IFPTE LOCAL 28, LESA MEETING:

LESA will hold its next membership 

meeting, Wednesday, March 11, noon, 

in the Glenn Employee Center’s Small 

Dining Room.

BUCKEYE REGIONAL FIRST ROBOTIC 

VOLUNTEERS: The 14th annual Buckeye 

Regional FIRST Robotics Competition 

will be held March 26 to 28 at the

Cleveland State University Wolstein 

Center. Volunteers are needed to help 

make the competition run smoothly. 

To learn more about the volunteer 

opportunities, visit http://www.oai.org/

firstbuckeye/volunteers.html or contact 

Stephanie Brown-Houston, 216–433–8006. 

RETIREES WANTED FOR PINOCHLE: 

Interested in playing Pinochle? Games 

are played on the first and third 

Wednesday of each month from 1 to 

4p.m. at the Recess Store, North Olmsted. 

POC: Berny Baldwin, 330–225–3576. 

March 3, 2015 marks 100 years since 

the founding of the National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics, 

NASA’s predecessor.

Connect with Glenn

More than a Memory

Martin Shared NASA’s Mission 

NASA Glenn lost a cherished colleague with the unexpected 

passing of Katherine Knurek Martin, 62, Dec. 22, 2014. Martin 

was a public affairs specialist in the Office of Communications 

and External Relations, Center Operations Directorate. Her 

decades of service to Glenn touched many employees at both 

Lewis Field and Plum Brook Station campuses.

Martin Martin held a law degree and masters in business administration 

that allowed her to pursue several opportunities with NASA. She began her NASA 

career in 1985 working in the Procurement Division, and earned two NASA Group 

Achievement Awards along the way. However, she dedicated most of her career as 

a public affairs specialist, working with local and national news organizations to 

promote Glenn’s technology and its people. 

“Katherine was an incredible person who performed amazing work at Glenn. She 

had a passion for writing and truly enjoyed sharing NASA’s story,” said Lori Rachul, 

Media Relations news chief. “Katherine will be remembered as a kind and hardworking public affairs specialist, who always went above and beyond to make her 

co-workers feel prepared to handle all situations. She will be greatly missed.”

Martin supported several of Glenn’s awareness and professional organizations 

through the years, including the Women’s Advisory Group, the Veterans Awareness 

Committee and the NASA Glenn chapter of the Business and Professional Women’s 

Federation of Ohio. 

Maury L. Blanton, 69, a 2000 NASA retiree with 31 years of 

federal service, died Oct. 2, 2014. Blanton was a U.S. Army 

Vietnam veteran, who ascended the ranks of management to 

become chief of the Office of Human Resources. He championed 

committees and task forces that promoted innovation and 

improvements in human resource management with a more 

customer-focused effort. He encouraged career planning and 

development and awareness of opportunities at the center and 

as first president of Blacks in Government, Cleveland Chapter. 

Blanton received NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal in 1995.

Marilyn “Marty” DeCore, 69, a 2010 NASA retiree with 20 

years of service, died Dec. 2, 2014. DeCore followed her 

parents, John and Violet Guarnieri into NASA service in 1990. A 

member of the Payroll Office, Financial Management Division, 

she earned recognition for processing payroll in half the time 

typically required following the 12-day furlough of 1995. She 

also earned a 2006 Federal Executive Board (FEB) Wings of 

Excellence Award. DeCore retired from the Center Operations 

Support Branch, Mission Support/Integration Division.

Michael J. Higgins (not pictured), 70, a 1994 retiree with 26 years of NASA service, 

died Dec. 9, 2014. Higgins was a U.S. Navy veteran who began his NASA career 

as an aerospace mechanic in the Mechanical Service Section, Facilities Service 

Division on the Plum Brook campus. He transferred to Lewis Field, and later served 

in the Communications Branch, Test Installations Division. He received several 

Group Achievement Awards for work on antenna testing of the Communications 

Technology Satellite and efforts to expand two-way communications between 

in-flight spacecraft and NASA’s Advanced Communications Technology Satellite. 

Blanton

DeCore
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field

21000 Brookpark Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

www.nasa.gov

AeroSpace Frontiers is an official publication of Glenn Research 

Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is 

published the second Friday of each month by the Office of 

Communications & External Relations in the interest of the Glenn 

workforce, retirees, government officials, business leaders and 

the general public. Submit short articles and calendar items via 

e-mail to the editor: doreen.b.zudell@nasa.gov or 216–433–5317. 

March 2015 Calendar section deadline: Feb. 20, noon

News and feature stories require additional time

Editor: Doreen B. Zudell, SGT, Inc.

Assistant Editor: S. Jenise Veris, SGT, Inc.

Managing Editor: Kelly R. DiFrancesco

Read AeroSpace Frontiers online at http://aerospacefrontiers.nasa.gov

Wanted: Ideas for Glenn's Future—2035 and Beyond

Attention visionaries and creative 

thinkers! Are you satisfied with the 

path NASA has set for Glenn? Do you 

have ideas that will ensure the center 

remains a vibrant asset to NASA and 

the nation? 

The new GRC Beyond website opens 

up the lines of communications so that 

everyone’s ideas can be heard in developing the vision for Glenn’s workforce, 

facilities, partnerships and operations 

into 2035.

Glenn’s Associate Director for Strategy, 

Dr. Howard Ross, is championing this 

2-year initiative, which uses electronic 

media as a platform to share ideas toward creating a common vision. Ross 

said Center Director Jim Free and senior 

leadership view the website as one critical mechanism for gaining employee 

perspective on the future of the center.

“Senior leadership doesn’t have a monopoly on good ideas, or bad ones for 

that matter,” Ross said. “We want the 

website to be fun and to attract as many 

people as possible.”

While the site is offered as an open 

forum (the intent is to post everything), 

all entries will be reviewed first by Ross 

to check for and eliminate personal attacks or discrimination prior to posting. 

Employees who submit their visions or 

“GRC Concept of Operations” ideas will 

be informed of their status. Creativity 

& Ideation sessions will also be held to 

conceive or develop ideas to achieve 

the Center Director’s long-term goal for 

assuring Glenn is “healthy, relevant and 

sustainable” far into the future.

Participants are encouraged to be creative in their content as well as style. 

Submit an idea as if it were a news article 

written in the future, headlines you 

would like to see in the future, or just 

offer a list of what and how you see Glenn 

doing in 20 years. See what others have 

done and/or post your thoughts by visiting the GRC Beyond website, https://

www.grc.nasa.gov/strategic-planning/

grc-beyond/ (internal only) and selecting 

the “What is Your Vision for GRC” link. 

“This is an unprecedented opportunity 

for employees to share their visions for 

the future,” Ross said. “The possibilities 

are unlimited with GRC Beyond.

—By S. Jenise Veris

The GRC Beyond website gives employees a venue to voice how they envision the center's 

future 20 years from now and beyond. 

8