Glenn L. Graham

Glenn L. Graham was the director for Safety and Mission Assurance from 2016 through November 2023 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. He was responsible for the management and technical direction of the center’s safety and mission assurance programs. He also provided independent risk assessment and analysis for flight science and research projects and served as a research pilot for the center.

Experience

Prior to his assignment with NASA, Graham served 28 years as an active-duty U.S. Air Force officer. His last Air Force assignment was as commander of the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Western Region, where he led a workforce of more than 2,500 civilian and military acquisition professionals in 15 western states. His organization provided contract and quality assurance oversight for more than 4,100 defense contractors and 65,000 contracts worth more than $506 billion. 

Graham had seven years of command experience at the squadron, group, and wing levels. As a retired colonel and test pilot with more than 3,100 flight hours, including 147 combat hours, he flew more than 60 different types of aircraft and was a pilot instructor for six different airframes. Graham also served as a lead presidential advance agent for Air Force One. 

Education

He received his commission, along with a Bachelor of Science in engineering sciences, from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master of Science in engineering mechanics from Columbia University in New York. He also holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Command and Staff College and a Master of Strategic Studies from the Air War College, both at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.