Eugene L. Tattini was appointed deputy director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in July 2001. He is the Laboratory's chief operating officer responsible to the director for the day-to-day management of JPL's resources and activities, including management of the Laboratory's solar system exploration, Mars, astronomy, physics, Earth science and interplanetary network programs, as well as all business operations. These activities employ 5,000 scientists, engineers, technicians and business support personnel, and generate $1.5 billion in annual revenues.
Before his retirement from the Air Force as a lieutenant general and his appointment as JPL deputy director, Tattini was commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. He was responsible for managing the research, design, development and acquisition of space launch, command and control, and satellite systems. The center employed more than 3,200 people nationwide and had an annual total obligation authority in excess of $5 billion.
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Tattini graduated from Hampton (Virginia) High School in 1961. A distinguished graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Illinois, he entered the Air Force as a second lieutenant in 1965. He also holds a MBA from Oklahoma City University, and certificates from both the Air War College and Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He was selected to attend the executive development programs at both Cornell University and Harvard University.
His 36-year military career included 20 separate assignments ranging from serving as a Minuteman II missile combat crew member at Grand Forks Base, N.D. to an air staff acquisition policy staff officer in the Pentagon. His oversea assignments were in Wheelus Air Base, Tripoli, Libya and Kwang Ju Air Base, Korea. During his career he was the program manager for more than $700 million in structural and avoincs modifications to the B-52. He was a member of the development team that launched the first U.S. anti-satellite weapon against a cooperating space target.
Education:
1965 Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management, University of Illinois
1971 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1977 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1978 Master of Business Administration, Oklahoma City University
1979 Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
1985 Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1990 Executive Development Program, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.
1995 Program for Senior Managers in Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Major Awards and Decorations:
Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Aerial View of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
