Working for NASA
It's difficult not to call attention to this... but the chance to work at NASA isn't just a job, it's a life experience virtual no one gets a chance to have. Yet somehow, I had the right stuff.
In 2022, I was contacted by personnel at NASA about an opportunity to bring the approaches and skills of customer-focused design thinking to the nation's space program. Six months later, after competing against 2000 applicants for the role, I was selected to serve as NASA's 2nd Digital Service Expert (first industry hire) as a part of their larger Digital Transformation Mission.
At NASA, I have brought DESIGNTHINKGIN...
Becoming a Civil Servant
The role is that of a federal civil servant, meaning I am a badged federal employee and work directly for the administration on a term (which, yes, does have an expiration date).
This is quite the departure from working for a private tech company in culture, practice, and constraints. However, the opportunity to work at NASA is life changing, and hopefully world changing as well.
I intend to return to private industry, but for now being a part of this historic organization is an experience I intend to relish.
The Digital Service
My team is called the "NASA Digital Service" and modeled after the United States Digital Service (White House). NASA's incarnation of a Digital Service lives within the Chief Information Office, NASA's internal technology and information directorate working on software, AI, XR, and all the other "tech industry" things that allow our astronautcs, scientists, engineers, and researchers to floruish and succeed in their missions.
As a Digital Service Expert, I lend my skills to the broader missions and teams at NASA as a strategic coach, consultant, and resource that brings the ethos, training, and practices of modern customer experience, design thinking, and service design to the teams conducting NASA's missions.
Learn more about the United States' efforts to implement Digital Services throughout the federal government:
