IN THIS ISSUE

1 Joel R. Carney, Acting AA for OSI

3 MAP Graduation and Transformation Update 

4 The NASA Library Program

6 Equipment Management Program

7 Aviation Logistics Asset Management and Special 

Projects

8 Identification and Recovery of NASA Personal 

Property

9 Article of Interest

12 Contact Us

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Logistics Management Newsletter

FROM THE LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT DIVISION

FY21 | ISSUE 4 OCTOBER 2021

JOEL R. CARNEY, ACTING ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR 

FOR THE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE (OSI)

Dr. Joel Carney To Serve as 

Acting Assistant Administrator 

for the Office of Strategic 

Infrastructure 

Dr. Olivette Hooks, Director, 

Logistics Management Division

On September 28, 2021, Robert 

Gibbs, Associate Administrator for 

the Mission Support Directorate, 

announced that effective September 

27, 2021, Dr. Joel Carney had 

assumed the full duties of acting 

Assistant Administrator (AA) for the 

Office of Strategic Infrastructure 

(OSI). Carney was selected in June 

2021, replacing Burt Summerfield, 

who had held the position as interim 

Welcome. This newsletter 

is brought to you by the 

Logistics Management 

Division (LMD). Its purpose 

is to keep you abreast 

of the latest business 

practices and to share 

information about ongoing 

logistics management 

initiatives and events. It also 

introduces interim policy 

letters, which shall be 

incorporated in forthcoming 

updates of NASA 

Procedural Directives and 

Procedural Requirements. Dr. Joel Carney, Acting AA for OSI
2 logistics management news

AA following Calvin Williams’s retirement. Carney joins OSI as it finalizes its transition to an enterprise 

service under the Mission Support 

Future Architecture Program. 

Summerfield will be returning to his 

role as Associate Center Director at 

Kennedy Space Center. According 

to Gibbs,

The planned overlap between 

Joel and Burt has helped mission 

support in numerous ways. Our 

infrastructure challenges pose the 

greatest threat to our missions 

and our financial stability. Burt’s 

experience and Center perspective have been instrumental in 

helping us refocus our services 

on the things that matter most—

safety and mission success—while 

Joel’s vision has helped chart 

a course for a more effective 

and efficient asset management 

portfolio.

Carney will serve as a principal 

advisor to Agency leadership on 

the planning, execution, and management of the Agency’s physical 

assets and environmental posture. 

He will lead the Agency Master 

Plan implementation to prioritize 

and right-size NASA’s infrastructure 

portfolio and work to strengthen the 

connection between mission goals, 

Center readiness, and support 

capabilities. Carney will be responsible for the Agency’s asset life-cycle 

management and will work to 

establish a sustainable asset portfolio that ensures success for NASA’s 

current and future mission set.

Prior to joining NASA in February 

2020, Carney was the principal 

technical manager of the Research 

Development Test and Evaluation 

Department at the Naval Surface 

Warfare Center Indian Head 

Technology Division, where he led a 

diverse group of about 300 scientists, engineers, technicians, and 

support staff in providing far-term 

science and technology solutions 

to the Navy and other Department 

of Defense organizations. He 

began his career in 2002 as a 

research scientist and became a 

group leader in 2008 for a team of 

researchers focused on optical sciences research and development. 

He became branch manager of 

Dynamics and Diagnostics in 2012 

and, in 2016, head of the Research 

Development Test and Evaluation 

Department, where he focused on 

technical leadership, strategic planning, and resource management. 

Carney has a doctorate in physical 

chemistry from Purdue University 

and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Albion College; additionally, 

he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Energy’s 

Brookhaven National Laboratory.

NASA’s Logistics Community 

thanks Mr. Summerfield for his 

demonstrated leadership and welcomes Dr. Carney to the Office of 

Strategic Infrastructure.

Carney will serve as a principal advisor to 

Agency leadership on the planning, execution, 

and management of the Agency’s physical 

assets and environmental posture. 

NASA’s Logistics 

Community thanks 

Mr. Summerfield for 

his demonstrated 

leadership and welcomes 

Dr. Carney to the Office 

of Strategic Infrastructure.
logistics management newsl 

MAP GRADUATION AND TRANSFORMATION UPDATE 

Dr. Olivette Hooks, Vince Cappello, and Lisa Williams

This July, OSI successfully graduated from the Mission Support 

Future Architecture Program, or 

MAP, led by Perri Fox. As you might 

recall, MAP’s principal goal was to 

transform mission support services 

to an enterprise operating model 

while maintaining mission focus, 

improving efficiency, ensuring local 

authority, and valuing the workforce. 

For the Logistics area, some of the 

transformation highlights that have 

been shaped and will be implemented include the following: 

¡ Two Headquarters (HQ) branches 

under LMD: the Property 

Management Branch and the 

Logistic Services Branch. 

¡ Development and implementation 

of a strategic workforce plan for 

staffing that aligns with the core 

services of Logistics. 

¡ A Logistics IT Technology 

Roadmap. This will align with 

Agency-wide digital innovation 

efforts to modernize our Logistics 

IT systems and business 

processes.

¡ An enterprise Logistics contract 

strategy that aligns with the transformation changes associated 

with the Office of Procurements 

MAP transformation plans for 

centralized buying centers. 

¡ Updates to our Logistics policies 

and procedures to streamline 

new ways to conduct operations 

and meet mission needs. 

¡ A centralized budget and risk 

management profile and program 

to ensure enterprise alignment 

with requirements and core 

services. 

¡ Continued prioritization on customer service and positive collaborative relationships with missions 

and programs. 

The Logistics Management Division 

thanks Perri Fox for her outstanding leadership throughout the MAP 

process, and we wish her all the 

best in her new endeavors. LMD 

HQ over the next year will be working closely with Center Logistics 

teams to coordinate and implement 

these transformation efforts. We 

would also like to express our sincere gratitude to all stakeholders for 

their continued flexibility, dedication, 

and time spent within the working 

groups and meetings associated 

with MAP transformation. As we 

navigate the implementation phase 

of MAP transformation, please feel 

free to let your Center leadership 

or LMD HQ know if you have any 

questions or additional recommendations for implementing innovative 

ideas. We might have graduated 

from MAP, but innovative ideas and 

new ways to do business will always 

be welcome in NASA Logistics. 

Perri E. Fox.

The Logistics Management Division thanks 

Perri Fox for her outstanding leadership 

throughout the MAP process, and we wish 

her all the best in her new endeavors.
4 logistics management news

THE NASA LIBRARY PROGRAM

Robert Sherouse

Effective 

October 1, 

Library Program 

Management 

transferred from 

me in the Mission Support 

Directorate’s (MSD’s) Logistics 

Management Directorate 

to Perri Fox in the Office of 

Communications. This shift 

aligns with a 3-year effort to 

better support researchers by 

consolidating research support 

and disparate reference collections under a single organizational structure and budget. 

Library transformation and 

modernization will continue. 

It has been my honor to lead 

this transformative effort for 

the past 3 years and my privilege to have worked with such 

a fantastic group of professional librarians. There’s no 

doubt in my mind that transformative momentum for library 

modernization and improvements in how we serve the 

research community will continue under Perri’s leadership. 

Additions to Langley’s Library Community

The Logistics Management Division is thrilled to announce the below technical Library staff in support of the Library Program at Langley Research 

Center (LaRC). Welcome!

Jason A. Jacobs is the Lead 

Technical Information Specialist for 

the NASA Langley Technical Library. 

He is a member of the Lumbee 

Tribe of southeastern North Carolina 

and came to NASA Langley in 

August 1994 (27 years ago). Jason 

has a bachelor of arts in English language and literature and a master 

of library and information science. 

Jason leads the Technical Library 

staff, performs reference and 

research consultations, and serves 

on Agency-wide library teams. He 

also serves as the Agency librarian 

representative to the Agency’s STI 

(Scientific and Technical Information) 

program. Jason’s weekend activities 

include exploring Fort Monroe, the 

Noland Trail/James River, and local 

antique shops.

Michael Pritz graduated from the 

University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign in 2018 with a master 

of science in library and information 

science. A native of Chicago, IL, 

Michael began working for NASA 

in 2018 as a Library and Archives 

intern through the Agency’s 

Pathways Program and now serves 

as a librarian at the NASA Langley 

Technical Library. Michael’s primary duties include overseeing the 

Library’s community engagement 

efforts by managing its website 

and blog and editing its newsletter. Michael also serves as the 

Application Administrator for the 

Agency’s two main library systems, 

NASA Galaxie and ILLiad. Before 

he became a librarian, Michael 

served 8 years in the United States 

Marine Corps. He currently lives in 

Hampton, VA, and enjoys camping, playing baseball, and spending time with his two Bernese 

Mountain Dogs.
logistics management newsl 

Dorothy Notarnicola is the Lead 

Contract Librarian in the NASA 

Langley Technical Library. She 

works for Alutiiq Commercial 

Enterprises, LLC, on the LAMPS2 

contract. She has a bachelor of 

science in management and a master of business administration from 

Pennsylvania State University, as 

well as a master of library science 

from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Dorothy has worked in academic 

libraries, a public library, a private 

upper-school library, and a medical school library. She has worked 

for the Federal Government since 

2008, assisting with budgeting 

and acquisitions, helping to locate 

articles, and maintaining access 

to online subscriptions. Dorothy 

resides in Suffolk, VA, with her husband and puppy (a Cairn terrier). As 

recent empty-nesters, they look forward to cruising and visiting family.

Sally Schwaner has worked at the 

NASA Langley Technical Library 

since 1984. At that time, there were 

40 people on the Library staff. 

Today, she is one of five librarians 

working to fill the research needs 

of NASA Langley. Sally has worked 

in every area of the library over the 

last 35 years and more, including 

Circulation, Cataloging, Acquisitions, 

and Management. Today, her main 

focus is interlibrary loaning the 

materials needed by researchers 

and helping to organize the library 

into its new and considerably 

smaller space.

She is a second-generation NASA 

employee—her dad worked for 

the National Advisory Committee 

for Aeronautics (NACA)/NASA until 

1980, when he retired. Sally is a 

lifelong resident of the Peninsula 

area of Hampton Roads, VA, and 

received her undergraduate degree 

from Christopher Newport University 

and her master of library and 

information science from Catholic 

University. Her hobbies include reading, cooking, and paper crafting.

Evelyn Green is currently a library 

clerk in the NASA Langley Technical 

Library. She works for Alutiiq 

Commercial Enterprises, LLC, on 

the LAMPS2 contract. Evelyn began 

working at LaRC in July 1984, so 

she now has over 37 years of service. Her main duties are keeping 

track of library customer privileges, 

performing check-outs, processing 

library requests for customers, and 

assisting library customers. Evelyn 

lives in Newport News, VA. She 

enjoys going to church; attending 

Bible study; reading the Bible; and 

spending time with her family, which 

includes two grandchildren and two 

great-grandchildren.

Additions to Langley’s Library Community (continued)
6 logistics management news

EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Miguel A. Rodriguez, 

Program Manager

Status of FY21 Equipment 

Inventory

It is undeniable that the pandemic 

has a significant impact on our daily 

activities and the way we conduct 

business processes at NASA. The 

execution of the equipment inventory has been no exception since 

the COVID-19–related disruptions 

began. NASA’s equipment management community experienced 

a halt on inventory activities and 

resourced to agile operational 

practices to validate the existence 

of equipment items and the accuracy of equipment records—no 

small task. Most logisticians and 

inventory teams had little or no 

access to conduct onsite work, and 

this was mainly due to restrictions 

and access levels that varied from 

Center to Center; the pandemic 

environments across the Nation 

did not allow NASA Centers and 

sub-installations to improve their 

stage statuses simultaneously. 

Under these circumstances, 

Equipment Managers had to outmaneuver uncertainty by frequently 

correcting courses of action to continue to provide customer service 

as circumstances changed. Once 

access to Centers progressively 

improved, Supply and Equipment 

Management Officers (SEMOs), 

Equipment Managers, and inventory teams resourced to inventory 

practices that combined the wallto-wall physical count (subject to 

equipment end-user availability 

and accessibility to specific Center 

areas), scanning of Equipment 

Control Number (ECN) tags (mainly 

for inventory teams with greater 

access to their respective Centers), 

virtual tagging and virtual inventory 

(primarily used to validate equipment on loan or pass), and validation of transaction documents 

(whereas the location and individual 

responsibility were validated for 

equipment in other “out statuses,” 

or not physically located at the 

Center). Ultimately, it was necessary 

to rely on NASA mission-essential 

employees who did not belong to 

the inventory team but who had 

access to the Centers to validate the 

existence of equipment items and 

provide feedback to logisticians.

The equipment management 

community, despite the competing 

operational challenges, has inventoried 93,619 items, or 44.1 percent 

of the Agency’s 212,354 total 

equipment density in FY21. (See 

figure 1.) Moreover, they processed 

17,577 transactions resulting in the 

inactivation of an equal number of 

equipment records (see figure 2) 

and processed 15,010 transactions resulting in an equal number 

of records added to the NASA 

Deletions FY21 Inventory

Not 

Inventoried

118,735

55.9%

Inventoried

93,619

44.1%

Excess/Disposal

7,860

Other

6,419

Reported Lost/

Missing

110

Transfers 

Out

3,188

Deletions 

Excess/Disposal

7,860

Other

6,419

Reported Lost/

Missing

110

Transfers 

Out

3,188

Additions

Transfers In

5,263

Other

465

Found On 

Station

462

New 

Procurements

8,820

Figure 1. Equipment inventoried in FY21. Figure 2. Equipment management 

transactions (deletions) in FY21.

Figure 3. Equipment management 

transactions (additions) in FY21.
logistics management newsl 

Property, Plant and Equipment 

(PP&E ) System. (See figure 3.) 

Three NASA Centers successfully 

completed 100 percent equipment 

inventory with loss rates significantly 

below the established Agency 

benchmark (0.5 percent). (See 

figure 4.)

The Logistics Management Division 

(LMD) released a policy memorandum, dated July 26, 2021, adhering 

to the Agency’s framework for return 

to onsite work. Subject memorandum outlined modified inventory 

requirements with realistic goals. 

The logistics community received 

direction to focus on conducting 

100 percent inventory of small 

arms—through personnel from the 

protective services office—as the 

top priority, followed by the inventory of capital equipment in support 

of the Office of the Chief Financial 

Officer’s (OCFO’s) financial audit, 

and lastly to inventory as much of 

the remaining controlled equipment 

items as safely and reasonably 

feasible prior to the end of the fiscal 

year. NASA inventoried 100 percent 

of small arms and 99.7 percent of 

the capital equipment density (3,485 

of 3,496) by the end of FY21. This 

completion rate was beyond OCFO 

auditors’ expressed expectations.

The FY21 inventory campaign 

concluded on September 30, and 

the FY22 equipment inventory 

campaign started on October 1. 

Inventory teams will probably 

continue to navigate the impacts of 

COVID-19. Inventory operations will 

increase relative to greater accessibility to the Centers. 

AVIATION LOGISTICS ASSET MANAGEMENT AND SPECIAL PROJECTS

Robert Sherouse, Program Manager

So, what’s new with me? For starters, I will continue to shepherd the 

identification and recovery of NASA 

personal property, as directed by 

the recent publication of NPR 4320 

(separately addressed later in this 

newsletter). 

What about my new aviation role? 

This will be an evolving role that 

initially focuses on a review of 

NASA’s management of aviation 

assets. Included in the review 

will be the inventory management and control of aircraft and 

unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), 

as well as their logistics support 

pipelines. Essentially, I will lead a 

cradle-to-grave life-cycle approach 

to logistics acquisition and the use 

and disposal of aircraft, UASs, and 

their parts and supplies. 

As you may or may not know, NASA 

manages over 90 aircraft along 

with significant parts, supplies, and 

equipment. The maintenance and 

logistics support infrastructure is 

significant. Much of the infrastructure support has come from within 

the Aircraft Management Division 

(AMD) in the Mission Support 

Directorate (MSD). Because AMD 

is being reorganized, the roles 

and responsibilities are being split 

between MSD and the Office of 

Safety and Mission Assurance 

(OSMA). Work to define the split in 

roles is still underway, so specific 

details have yet to be fully fleshed 

out. Nonetheless, I will have an 

active and evolving cradle-to-grave 

role in aviation asset management. 

As the role matures, watch for 

updates in subsequent Logistics 

Management Newsletters. 

NASA manages over 

90 aircraft along with 

significant parts, 

supplies, and equipment. 

Figure 4. FY21 loss rate for Centers with 

100% inventory completion rates.

0.0%

0.1%

0.2%

0.3%

0.4%

NASA Benchmark: 0.5%

0.5%

FY21 Loss Rate (3 Centers)

MSFC MAF SSC

0.40%

0.36%

0.039%
8 logistics management news

IDENTIFICATION AND RECOVERY OF NASA PERSONAL PROPERTY

New NPR 4320—What You Need To Know

Bob Sherouse, Program Manager

That’s right...there is a brand-new, 

just-issued NPR 4320. The title 

is Identification and Recovery of 

NASA Personal Property. This new 

NPR was published to NODIS on 

June 23, and you can pull it up 

and read it at https://nodis3.gsfc.

nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?Internal_

ID=N_PR_4320_0001_&page_

name=main. So, what do you need 

to know?

The NPR establishes requirements 

for maintaining control and accountability of the process that NASA 

uses to identify and recover NASA 

personal property. This process is 

managed at NASA Headquarters 

by a Personal Property Review 

Board (PRB) convened by HQ 

LMD. The PRB investigates and 

documents reports of items suspected to belong to NASA, but in 

the hands of the public. The PRB 

is chaired by HQ LMD. The board 

typically consists of three or four 

primary members: Headquarters: 

LMD, Office of the General Counsel 

(OGC), and NASA Exhibit Program 

(EP). The PRB may include other 

NASA Headquarters and/or NASA 

Center personnel to establish NASA 

provenance over the property. The 

PRB determines whether a recovery 

action should be undertaken and 

the appropriate recovery process 

for the property in question (e.g., 

written correspondence, conferral 

with the Office of Inspector General, 

conferral with the U.S. Department 

of Justice, etc.). 

Perhaps this new NPR is best 

understood with an example 

or two?

Example 1. You are on an auction 

site and see an Apollo Omega 

watch or Moon rock that is up for 

sale, and you suspect that it may 

be NASA property. What do you 

do? Contact HQ LMD. 

Example 2. You get an e-mail 

or phone call from someone who 

questions whether an item in the 

possession of a private citizen may 

be NASA property—what you do? 

Contact HQ LMD.

So now you are probably wondering what HQ LMD and the PRB 

will do when you contact them. 

Great question. HQ LMD will ensure 

compliance with personal property 

accountability responsibilities contained in NPD 4200.1, Equipment 

Management Program; NPD 

4300.1, NASA Personal Property 

Disposal Policy; and/or NPR 4500.1, 

Administration of Property in the 

Custody of Contractors. LMD will 

verify that the property is or is not 

recorded in a NASA inventory system. If property records are located, 

LMD will contact the Supply and 

Equipment Management Officer 

(SEMO) responsible for that property and ascertain, to the extent 

possible, the status of the property 

in question (disposition, location, 

loan or permanent transfer, etc.). 

If the property is lost, misplaced, 

missing, or otherwise not in NASA’s 

possession, the program office (PO) 

custodian of the property will have a 

leading role in seeking the recovery 

of lost property and will be identified 

as the “client” on the PRB for the 

recovery action.

If LMD is unable to locate personal property records, or if clear 

NASA title/ownership is not readily 

determinable, LMD, in coordination with the standing members 

of the PRB, will work with the 

Headquarters Office of Inspector 

General (OIG), Export Control, 

Records Management, and any 

responsible POs to determine (1) if 

the property was sold to a private 

party and (2) that the property is 

not of a type which would ordinarily 

have been transferred from NASA 

custody or sold to a member of 

the public. If the property in question meets either of these criteria, 

the office that would have had 

the original accountability for the 

property will have responsibility for 
logistics management newsl 

ascertaining whether NASA has an 

interest in recovering the property 

and, in coordination with LMD, the 

PRB, and OGC, determining what 

actions, if any, should be implemented to facilitate recovery. The 

responsible office is the “client” in 

this process.

The flow diagram above depicts 

the process.

Workflow diagram showing the process for recovering NASA property.

PRB actions and determinations 

will be documented and maintained 

into perpetuity, because there is 

a strong likelihood that property 

being questioned today will resurface again and again, and we do 

not want to waste time performing 

redundant investigations on the 

same property every 10 years or 

so, when it surfaces in the news or 

at auction. The permanent records 

will be maintained by HQ LMD in a 

NASA Property Identification and 

Recovery System (NPIRS) database. 

The NPIRS will contain documents, 

files, and photos as available. The 

NPIRS is intended to be the starting 

place when property in question is 

brought to the attention of HQ LMD 

and the PRB. 

If you would like to know more, read 

NPR 4320. If you see suspected 

NASA property in the custody of 

private citizens, notify HQ LMD.

ARTICLE OF INTEREST

Reprinted with Permission.

The article on the following pages is a reprint from the 

National Property Management Association’s (NPMA’s) 

The Property Professional, volume 33, issue 1, February 

2021. NPMA is the largest association for asset property management professionals who are responsible 

for the effective and efficient management of equipment, materials, and other movable and durable assets 

for their organization. Established in 1970, NPMA has 

members throughout the United States, in Canada, 

and overseas. NPMA serves as a center of excellence, 

education, and evolution for the profession. Recognized 

as world-class professionals, members benefit from the 

finest products, programs, and services that promote 

professional development. Learn more at http://www.

npma.org. 
10 logistics management news

What Story Is Your Property Data Telling? 

A Parody of Property Accountability and Alice in Wonderland

Jamie Holguin, Los Angeles Chapter

Jamie Holguin, is a Material Management Administrator at the 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.

Working as a Property Administrator 

can often make one feel like Alice in 

Wonderland, falling down a hole of data so 

nonsensical it would not feel out of place 

in a Lewis Carroll novel. Much like Carroll’s 

titular Alice in Wonderland, I jumped in 

feet first, leaving the safety of working in 

a library for a fast-paced whirl of data, 

jargon, and acronyms of Personal Property 

Accountability (PPA).

As a taxonomist and a metadata librarian, I looked forward to the conversations 

the property data would reveal. However, 

instead of being informative and revealing, I 

entered a different conversation.

Imagine, if you will, the dialogue between 

Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare. 

Each character represents an aspect of a 

Property Accountability record: The March 

Hare and the Mad Hatter are the data and 

financial aspects of Property Accountability 

information respectively, while Alice is 

the customer to PPA, knowing what she 

is looking for, but not finding what she 

expected. Here is dialogue between these 

three characters.

March Hare: ...You should say what 

you mean.

Alice: I do; at least—at least I mean what 

I say—that’s the same thing, you know.

Mad Hatter: Not the same thing! Why, you 

might just as well say that, “I see what I 

eat” is the same as “I eat what I see”!

March Hare: You might just as well say 

that “I like what I get” is the same thing 

as “I get what I like”1

In this conversation, Alice, the March 

Hare, and the Mad Hatter play riddles with 

words, and yet the same words rearranged 

in different order have a different meaning. A comparison can be drawn between 

their conversation and the organization of 

data. Although on first glance data may 

appear to be simple, a closer look reveals 

its complexity; and when not captured in 

proper order it can be a challenge for the 

user to locate or identify what is being 

sought after. This could send the user 

down a proverbial “rabbit hole,” muddling 

through stress-filled hours of searching for 

the unsearchable—looking for something 

the user believes should be present and 

identifiable, but sadly, is not! When working 

with small or large data sets there can be 

much expressed in a short amount of time, 

and yet there may be no useful information 

conveyed at all.

In today’s technically savvy working environment, accurate data collections begin 

early in the property lifecycle process—the 

planning process. For most of us, the 

“rubber hits the road” with the procurement 

processes. It is assumed that property 

records should-be and are beginning their 

creation at the beginning stages of procurement, which is then confirmed as received 

as ordered from one’s receiving organization, and formalized through the asset 

valuation process.

As custodians of property it is Property 

Accountability’s job to: “Preserve, Protect, 

Maintain, and Track” 2

 the Government 

personal property we are entrusted with. 

Thus, in performing our self-assessment by 

scrutinizing the data’s integrity, consistency, 

and reliability, we found our data quality 

could be improved, particularly as it applies 

in the reutilization and on through the 

disposal process of the lifecycle. In concert 

with NASA’s Vision, Mission, and Goal, we 

too strive to support in “Excellence...both 

through the ordinary and extra-ordinary.” 3

Considering a self-assessment of personal 

property record as telling the story, reading 

the data is just that, “pursuit of excellence.” 

Hence, with the “pursuit of excellence” as 

the challenge before us, we must constantly 

ask ourselves if we are reporting personal 

property-related data accurately; and, are 

we maintaining our fiduciary and stewardship responsibilities of what is being 

reported back to NASA? In this respect, a 

self-assessment can prove to be a daunting 

task, especially when reading the story 

of the property data record line-by-line 

for accuracy. This is an illuminating task 

that—when read without rose colored 

glasses—reveals the (true) story of the 

property record. Knowing that storytelling is 

a way to connect, to see to the other side, 

storytelling is an invitation to an unknown 

world. Storytelling applies to everything in 

life, including data.

Just as Alice had no shame wandering through Wonderland, bumbling and 

stumbling the entire time, so we humbly 

look at the good, bad, and the ugly of a 

self-assessment: being vulnerable is a 

good business practice. In Alice’s world, 

“for every cause, there is an effect.” 4

 For 

every problem, there is a solution. It could 

be hypothesized that Alice might have met 

Winston Churchill before she fell down the 

rabbit hole, as his advice seems to resonate in each door she walked through in 

Wonderland. Churchill stated “to improve 

is to change; to be perfect is to change 

often.” This might have eased all her grief 

while aiding in her problem solving each 

step of the way. We should capitulate, it is 

likely not possible to be perfect every time 

when performing a self-assessment and 

reviewing for data integrity, but the objective is to take up the challenge, learn from 

mistakes, and go forward toward correction 
logistics management newsl e

while assessing that errors found are not 

systemic. Refocusing on our story, as Alice 

searched for which direction to go, she 

stumbled upon the Cheshire Cat.

Alice: “Would you tell me, please, which 

way I ought to go from here?”

The Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good 

deal on where you want to get to.”

Alice: “I don’t much care where.”

The Cheshire Cat: “Then it doesn’t much 

matter which way you go, for eventually 

you will end up somewhere.” 5

The Cheshire Cat offers a very true and 

frustrating response. The impulse is to ask 

more questions: keep asking questions, then 

questioning the questions (not part of the 

Lewis Carroll novel, but fitting just the same). 

However, the “how did it get there?” and the 

“why is it like that?” at this point is irrelevant! 

It is what it is, so let’s begin. That circling 

conversation with the Cheshire Cat was an 

eye-opening dialogue that could have stirred 

Alice from a slumber of what to do and how 

to go about the task. Putting perspective on 

our self-assessment, some questions asked 

prior to starting the process.

¡ What story is the data telling us?

¡ Is the story of the data trustworthy?

¡ Is the data revealed clearly identifiable?

¡ Is the story reliable, authentic, have 

integrity, and is it usable?

(Hint: Contextual linkages should provide 

an understanding of the transactions that 

created the property record (acquisition/

valuation) and the use of the property (the 

using project, the property custodian, the 

property administrator, or, reutilization 

and disposal[).]

As Alice continually wandered aimlessly 

after the proverbial White Hare, entrapped 

in a hallway facing locked doors, she came 

upon a new scenario: How do I go through 

that tiny door, (peering through the doorway 

keyhole) to get to the garden on the other 

side? How could she possibly go through 

the door when she was too big?

Alice felt overwhelmed, a feeling which 

many share when embarking upon a 

self-assessment. However, like Alice, those 

examining data will often have a solution 

come to them, even if the solution at first 

seems daunting. For Alice, it is the “Drink 

Me” potion, which she fears may not be 

safe to drink. However, when she does 

drink from the potion, “she finds that it 

tastes absolutely delicious (it had a flavor 

of cherry tart, custard, pineapple, roast 

turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast, all 

mixed up).” Alice had nothing to fear after 

all. Like Alice discovered, although the 

self-assessment won’t taste nearly so 

sweet, one may find that it is not as bad as 

they had feared. In the story, upon drinking 

the potion Alice finds herself shrinking down 

to only ten inches high. Similar to Alice, it 

will feel overwhelmingly large to manage a 

self-assessment and any necessary data 

cleanup. It may make you feel like you are 

that 10-inch[-]tall person.

Stick to it, the feeling will pass! It might 

cause your eyes to cross and blur, and 

unlike Alice, there is no Queen of Hearts 

(another nonsensical character) chasing 

after you, screaming “Off with her head!” At 

times you may relent as Alice did, stating, 

“I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that 

rabbit-hole!—and yet—and yet—it’s rather 

curious, you know, this sort of life!”6

However, in the end, you will know that the 

data’s integrity, consistency, and reliability 

will create the same feeling Alice felt when 

she finally was able to open the door that 

was a challenge to get through initially—

Alice had to find her correct balance 

between being too large, and getting too 

small. Alice was able to enter the garden.

A few more questions to ask before 

attempting a self-assessment for guidance:

¡ Can our customers readily identify what 

is being offered in this process?

¡ Do we know exactly what we are disposing of, utilizing reliable data to build 

disposal records?

¡ How much excessive time and energy is 

put into pulling property, to build a sale 

or scrap, only to discover the description 

does not match the property, requiring 

additional effort to correct or restart?

¡ Are all the components required for the 

disposal accounted for? (Problems may 

arise when items are really “children” to 

a “parent” item not yet in the disposal 

process.)

¡ Where are the other components, and 

should they have been included?

Telling the complete and accurate story 

of the property record is freeing. Imagine 

this—it is like putting on glasses for the 

very first time! It will ultimately be a solution 

in correcting inaccuracies, and, strengthening the integrity and authenticity of the 

property record.

Through this story of our self-assessment it 

supports our Mission Statement. “How we 

conduct our business is as important to 

JPL, and to our ultimate success, as what 

we do. We will also continue to inspire the 

world through our stories and our journey 

into space.”7 I hope you are inspired to go 

forth and “Dare Mighty Things.”

Endnotes

1 Carroll, Lewis, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 

Through the Looking Glass. Published by 

Borders Classics, 2008. http://www.gutenberg.

org/files/11/11-h/11-h.htm

2 Mission Statement[,] Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory, https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about/

strategicimplementation-plan/vision/

3 Our Missions and Values. NASA 2020, https://

www.nasa.gov/careers/our-mission-and-values

4 Carroll, Lewis, Alice’s Adventures

5 Ibid[.]

6 Ibid[.]

7 Mission Statement[,] Jet Propulsion Laboratory
CONTACT US

Your involvement, understanding, and feedback are essential to making the Logistics 

Management Program a success. Please send us your questions or stories to share by 

calling or e-mailing:

Olivette M. Hooks

Director, Logistics 

Management Division

Office: 202-358-0721

olivette.hooks@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov

Alex N. Barenblitt

Logistics Management Institute 

(LMI) Program Support

Office: 301-313-3584

alex.n.barenblitt@nasa.gov

Vincent E. Cappello

Deputy Director, Logistics 

Management Division

Life Cycle Logistics 

Support and Supply Chain 

Management Program

Office: 202-309-8304

vincent.e.cappello@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/life-cycle.html

Wayne A. Cragwell

Logistics Management Institute 

(LMI) Program Support

Office: 202-358-4612

wayne.a.cragwell@nasa.gov

Timothy A. Currie

Transportation 

Management Program

Office: 202-358-1219

timothy.a.currie@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/ato.html

Ann Cuyler

Contract Property 

Management Program

Office: 202-358-1524

ann.cuyler@nasa.gov 

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/cpm.html

Peral R. Hill

Supply and Materials 

Management Program

Office: 202-358-0491

peral.r.hill@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/supmgt.html

Marjorie C. Jackson

Logistics Compensating Controls 

Reviews (CCR) Program

Office: 202-358-2464

marjorie.c.jackson@nasa.gov

Miguel A. Rodriguez

NASA Equipment and Mail 

Management Programs

Office: 202-358-1065

miguel.a.rodriguez-1@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/equipmgt.html

Robert S. Sherouse

Artifact Identification and 

Disposition Program

Aviation Logistics Asset 

Management and Special Projects

Office: 202-358-0746

robert.sherouse@nasa.gov

Sharrief Wilson

Property Disposal 

Management Program

Office: 202-358-0875

sharrief.wilson@nasa.gov

https://ld.hq.nasa.gov/prodis.html

Vacant

Administrative Assistant

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Logistics Management Division

NASA Headquarters

300 E Street SW

Washington, DC 20546

www.nasa.gov