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[b]Mike Coats to Receive National Space Trophy[/b] The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation has selected former astronaut, Captain (USN, Ret.), and NASA Johnson Space Center Director Michael L. Coats to receive the 2012 National Space Trophy. Coats was jointly nominated by two RNASA advisors: previous Trophy winner and former NASA Administrator Dr. Mike Griffin; and former NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Mr. William Parsons. In nominating him, they cited his management as the tenth director of Johnson Space Center "NASA's leading human space flight center," and his "leadership to the retiring Space Shuttle Program, the International Space Station Program, and his advancement of the capability for human exploration and utilization of space research development." "We are thrilled that the Board of Advisors has selected Coats for recognition this year," Rodolfo Gonzalez, President of the RNASA Foundation, said. Coats will receive the award at a gala at the Houston Hyatt Regency on April 27. As director of Johnson Space Center (JSC), Coats provides management and administration of NASA resources, programs, projects, and research activities in support of NASA's strategic goals. He's responsible for a team of more than 3,200 civil servants and an annual budget in excess of $4.5 billion dollars. In the award citation, former KSC Director Parsons wrote that, "Coats worked diligently to effectively balance institutional and program demands, ensuring the safe and successful fly out of NASA's Space Shuttle Program." During 2011, he directly contributed to the successful completion of the International Space Station (ISS) assembly, the final three Shuttle flights, four automated cargo flights, Progress flights, and Soyuz flights. These flights delivered critical spares, supplies, crew, and the final elements to sustain and position the ISS for the coming decade of utilization. Former NASA Administrator Griffin called Coats, "a naturally gifted leader with excellent communication and people skills." He noted that this past year has been extremely demanding, as well as an emotional one for JSC. "Leading the close-out of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program, a program which has in many ways defined the workforce at JSC, was possibly his most challenging leadership task to date," Griffin said. "Coats was successful because of his abilities as a leader and his consistent approach of proactively sharing information with the entire workforce about on-going program transition activities. He has proven to be an absolute standout among a group of very talented and intelligent directors." Under Coats' leadership, JSC implemented 80 partnerships with other NASA centers, industry, federal agencies, and academia. With the Greater Houston Partnership, Coats hosted the Innovation and Successful Partnerships Summit to map aerospace skills into non-aerospace industries. The summit included 50 to 70 CEO's from industry along with JSC senior executives. He also worked with contractor and community leaders to ensure those facing job losses had ample resources to find new work by hosting three community job fairs such as a June 2011 event attended by more than 80 employers and 1,000 displaced workers. His commitment to improving the work environment for civil servants and contractors while maintaining NASA's future leadership capabilities was demonstrated through three significant programs: the Program Project Management Development Program, Space Systems Engineering Development Program, and the Project Leadership Program. His other initiatives included a Joint Leadership Team to advance teamwork at all organizational levels, an Employee Leadership Team to engage lower-level employees, a Formal Mentoring Initiative to develop junior employees, and the Innovation and Inclusion Consortium to promote diversity and innovation throughout the workforce. His Young Professionals Group provided the younger workforce access to senior managers. Originally from Riverside, California, Coats has spent most of his life serving his country. He earned his BS degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968. His highly decorated career in the Navy included 315 combat missions in Southeast Asia. He holds a master's degree in administration of science and technology (George Washington University, 1977) and in aeronautical engineering (U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, 1979). Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1978, Coats first flew as pilot of STS 41D in 1984. He commanded STS-29 and STS-39 in 1989 and 1991, respectively. He assumed his first leadership role at NASA in 1989 by serving as the acting chief of the Astronaut Office. Following his third flight, Coats left NASA in 1991 to pursue a successful career in private industry. He was vice president of Avionics and Communications Operations for Loral Space Information Systems, vice president of Civil Space Programs for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space, and vice president of Advanced Space Transportation for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. He returned to NASA in 2005 as the director for JSC. Coats has been recognized with numerous awards and honors throughout his distinguished career including induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2007. A man who has publicly noted the importance of maintaining a balance between work and family, he is happily married to the former Diane Carson of Oklahoma City. They have two grown children and identical twin granddaughters. The RNASA Foundation invites members of the public and aerospace community to attend the black-tie event on April 27 at the Houston Hyatt Regency where Mike Coat's will be recognized with the National Space Trophy. Please see [URL=http://www.rnasa.org]RNASA.org[/URL] for information about sponsorships and tickets. [i]About RNASA: The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation was founded by the Space Center Rotary Club of Houston, Texas in 1985 to organize and coordinate an annual event to recognize outstanding achievements in space and create greater public awareness of the benefits of space exploration. The nonprofit Foundation presents the National Space Trophy and Stellar Awards each year.[/i]
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