Mr. Sean O’Keefe was the son of a naval officer who worked on nuclear submarines and as a result, Mr. O’Keefe graduated Wheeler High School in North Stonington, Connecticut near our very own U.S. Coast Guard Academy. After high school, Mr. O’Keefe went on to Loyola University New Orleans where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977. In 1978, Mr. O’Keefe received his Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University.

Following his education, Mr. O’Keefe began working as a budget analyst for the Department of Defense and eventually worked his way up to become Comptroller and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Defense in 1989. From 1992 to 1993, Mr. O’Keefe served as acting U.S. Secretary of the Navy under President George H. W. Bush. After President Bush’s term was done, Mr. O’Keefe became Professor of Business Administration and Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Pennsylvania State University. When President George W. Bush became President, Mr. O’Keefe joined the Bush administration as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget from January to December 2001.

Directly following his position on the Bush administration, Mr. O’Keefe became a NASA administrator. While at NASA, Mr. O’Keefe eliminated a $5 billion dollar cost overrun in the construction of the International Space Station, helped NASA deal with the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, and re-organized NASA to help President Bush’s plan to send humans to the moon and Mars.

The next stop for Mr. O’Keefe was when he was appointed Chancellor at Louisiana State University. Mr. O’Keefe took the Chancellor during the difficult time when Hurricane Katrina hit causing great destruction. The leadership of Mr. O’Keefe helped Louisiana State University stay on its feet following the storm. Mr. O’Keefe also established a successful endowment fund for the university. In 2009, Mr. O’Keefe took the job of CEO of the North American division of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company.