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Shana Dale, NASA Deputy Administrator. Photo credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.
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Nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate, Shana L. Dale began her duties as deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on November 14, 2005.

As deputy administrator, Dale serves as the agency’s second in command and is responsible to the administrator for providing overall leadership, planning, and policy direction for the agency. Dale represents NASA to the Executive Office of the President, Congress, heads of federal and other appropriate government agencies, international organizations, and external organizations and communities. Dale also oversees the day to day work of NASA’s functional offices, such as the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of General Counsel and Strategic Communications.

Before coming to NASA, Dale was deputy director for Homeland and National Security for the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Executive Office of the President. She co-chaired the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Homeland and National Security and supervised work of the subcommittees. Dale previously served as the chief of staff and general counsel at OSTP. In this position, she led and managed the staff officials involved with homeland and national security, legislative affairs, press operations, legal and ethical issues, the federal research & development budget, and internal budget and administration.

Earlier in her career, Dale served as the assistant vice chancellor for federal relations at the University of Texas System, Federal Relations Office in Washington. In addition, Dale has 10-plus years of service on Capitol Hill including her tenure as staff director to the House subcommittee on space and aeronautics. Dale also served on the board of directors for Women in Aerospace for four years.

Prior to serving as staff director, Dale was the Republican assistant legislative director and counsel on the space subcommittee. She was appointed to the Committee on Science, Space and Technology in March 1991, as the Republican counsel on the subcommittee on science. Dale also served on the House Public Works & Transportation Committee.

Before moving to Washington, Dale was employed in private practice in San Diego, California. She received her bachelor’s with honors in management information systems from the University of Tulsa and her law degree from California Western School of Law. She is a member of the bars of California and the District of Columbia, and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.

July 2007