Patrick Simpkins is the director of Engineering for NASA at the John F. Kennedy Space Center. In this position, Simpkins leads a group of engineers from multiple disciplines in the design, development and operations of spaceflight hardware and ground systems assigned to the Kennedy Space Center.
Simpkins began his NASA career in 1983 as a shuttle engineer and served in various roles of increasing responsibility in the Space Shuttle Program for 15 years. After realizing his strengths in helping others maximize their abilities, he pursued an education in human resource management and served as KSC's Personnel Officer. After completing the Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program, he worked in human resources at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., for two years.
Simpkins has been a recipient of a number of awards and leadership development programs throughout his career. He was selected to the Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program in 2001 where he received executive level education from the University of Michigan and as a Harvard Senior Executive Fellow. His developmental assignments included a role as project manager in the Intelligent Synthesis Environment Program at the Langley Research Center and as a facilitator at NASA Headquarters in the design and development of the NASA Strategic Human Capital Plan enabling NASA to achieve the first "green" rating in Human Capital on the President's Management Agenda. Awards have included the Astronauts' Silver Snoopy Award and the Exceptional Achievement medal.
Simpkins helped modernize NASA's human resources information systems and led the design, development and implementation of the agency's competency management system. Other accomplishments have included leading the human resources community's involvement in the e-Payroll project, enabling integration of various processes and tools for improved HR Office service, designing and implementing organizations for consolidating engineering at KSC that were the most sweeping cultural and operational changes since the Apollo Program.
Simpkins holds a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., and a master's in human resource management from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. He received a doctorate in business administration from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Simpkins and his wife Beth, his high school sweetheart, reside in Merritt Island, Fla. They have one child, Dainius, 12.
February 2007
Biographies - Current Employees