Anita Harrell

Anita Harrell is the Executive Director of the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC), located in Hancock County, Mississippi. She was selected for this position in March 2018 and served as the NSSC’s acting Executive Director from April 2017 until her permanent selection. From April 2023 to March 2024, Ms. Harrell served a detail as Deputy Associate Administrator for Mission Support Integration, Strategy, and Transformation for the Mission Support Directorate (MSD) at NASA Headquarters. In this role, she focused on improving integration across the Mission Support Community and the Mission Directorates.

Presently, as the NSSC Executive Director, Ms. Harrell provides executive leadership for all of NASA’s business and technical shared services, including financial management, human resources, enterprise services, procurement, and agency business support. The NSSC has an annual operating budget of over  $78.8 million and employs approximately 800+ personnel. Ms. Harrell also oversees the operation of the National Center for Critical Information Processing (NCCIPS), a state-of-the-art data center located on NASA’s Stennis Space Center that provides secure processing and storage of nationally sensitive, critical, or classified data for Federal customers.

Ms. Harrell first joined the NSSC in 2006 as the Human Resources Officer, responsible for leading all Center human resources functions. In November 2008, Ms. Harrell transitioned to Chief, Human Resources Services Division and also served in a dual senior leadership role as the NSSC Human Resources Director. She implemented and managed integrated and strategic human capital programs benefitting both the NSSC and the Agency.

From July 2012 until March 2015, Ms. Harrell was the Director of the NSSC’s Business and Administration Office, where she was responsible for providing comprehensive programs in human capital management, customer satisfaction, operations and budget, as well as administering five contracts in support of the Agency’s information technology infrastructure.

From March 2015 to April 2017, Ms. Harrell served as the Director of the Support Operations Directorate for the NSSC. In this capacity, she was responsible for the successful accomplishment of a variety of functions within the organization, spanning management of information resources, strategic integration and communications, building and infrastructure, and budget and accounting.

Ms. Harrell began her Federal career with the Army Corps of Engineers in 1995 and joined NASA as a cooperative education student in 1996. She was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in April 2015.

Ms. Harrell earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is a recipient of the NASA Space Flight Awareness Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and numerous Performance and Group Achievement Awards. Ms. Harrell resides in Carriere, Mississippi with her husband and son.