THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 1, 1996 TAG: 9608010489
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: 52 lines
Jeremiah F. Creedon concluded his ascent through the ranks of NASA Langley Research Center on Wednesday when the 33-year veteran was tapped as its new director.
Creedon, 56, becomes the seventh director in NASA Langley's 79-year history. He will officially assume the position Monday.
NASA moved swiftly to fill its top position at the Hampton aeronautical research center. Paul F. Holloway announced in early July that he would step down no later than October to make way for a director willing to make a long-term commitment to Langley.
Creedon takes over at a difficult time in NASA's history. The space agency has been restructuring to deal with a shrinking budget, program downsizing and job cuts. Last year, NASA announced a five-year restructuring program that aims to pare billions from its budget and thousands of workers from its payroll.
That's the reason, Creedon said, one of his missions as NASA Langley's director will be to emphasize the agency's value - both to its customers and to taxpayers.
``The challenge we have is to make sure the work we do for the people who fund us is worth their investment,'' Creedon said. ``It's been an emphasis all along. . . . It's just a matter of keeping the pressure on.''
By stepping in as director, Creedon will have the task of guiding NASA Langley through its downsizing. The Langley operation is scheduled by the end of the decade to cut 200 people from its civil service work force, trimming it to more than 2,000 workers. The number of full-time contractors working for NASA is expected to be cut by more than half, from 2,000 to about 900.
Creedon aims to temper those cuts by keeping employees informed of developments and reminding them of the value of the center's work. Even as NASA downsizes, for instance, Langley has been named the lead center for aeronautics research. The center will help Lockheed Martin Corp. build the eventual successor to the space shuttle.
``The center is not myopic enough to not realize that there are a lot of budget cuts in the future,'' Creedon said. ``But right now we are involved in projects that help lead the country. . . . The employees are just anxious about whether those projects will continue in the future.''
Creedon knows firsthand three decades of history at NASA. He began at Langley in 1963 as a research engineer in its Navigation and Guidance Research Branch.
He moved into management after earning his doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 1970. That year, he was named the head of the Control and Information Systems Section. He moved up through the ranks, serving at one time or another as chief of the Flight Control Systems Division and the Flight Systems Directorate. by CNB