Thomas Nelson Community College’s Presidential Leadership Award was presented to NASA’s Langley Research Center during an event Jan. 18, 2018.
The award went to NASA Langley for strides in diversity. Thomas Nelson President John Dever bestowed the honor. It was accepted by NASA Langley Deputy Director Clayton Turner.
In remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Nelson uses the annual award to recognize an outstanding community leader.
“I’m glad to say that the equality that Dr. King worked for remains a priority for both Langley and for Thomas Nelson,” Turner said.
This year’s award ceremony included a video presentation focused on the contributions of Katherine G. Johnson, the NASA Langley mathematician whose life story inspired the book and movie “Hidden Figures.”
“It was a really a proud moment to have one of our long-time education partners on the Peninsula recognize us in this way,” said NASA Langley Associate Director Cathy Mangum, who was among the NASA Langley representatives who attended the event. “It was especially nice that it was part of the celebration of TNCC’s 50th anniversary.”
Thomas Nelson Community College estimates that as many as 600 graduates of the school’s decades-old technician apprentice program have gone on to work with NASA missions in some capacity.
Thomas Nelson President Dever said that NASA Langley’s 2017 centennial celebration offered valuable insights into the facility’s many contributions.
“We have recalled, and learned much more about the center’s amazing role in utilizing its superb capabilities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to break through one barrier after another so that humankind has been able to realize its centuries-old dream for flight and the exploration of space,” Dever said.
- Read more about the award ceremony at Thomas Nelson Community College’s website.