James Morhard
James Morhard is the Deputy Administrator of NASA. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 12, 2018 and was confirmed on October 11, 2018. At the time of his nomination, Morhard was noted for his lack of experience in space technology, but his strong bipartisan connections on Capitol Hill and Appropriations Committee experience were noted as potential benefits for the Agency.
Morhard served as Deputy Sergeant at Arms for the United States Senate from early 2015 to 2018. He previously served as Staff Director of the Committee on Appropriations, where he also managed the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary, as it was called during the 108th Congress, now known as the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. He also oversaw the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, as it was called up to the 108th Congress, now the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. This subcommittee was responsible for funding all construction activities within the Department of Defense. Morhard began his career in the Secretary of the Navy’s Office of the Comptroller. He earned his B.S. in accounting from Saint Francis University his M.B.A from George Washington University, and his J.D. from Georgetown University.
He is a survivor of the 2010 Alaska DHC-3 Otter crash, that killed five others onboard, including Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska.
