NESDIS Leadership

Mary E. Kicza

Assistant Administrator for Satellite
and Information Services
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Mary E. Kicza is the NOAA Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services. NOAA Satellite and Information Service is dedicated to providing timely access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources to promote, protect, and enhance the Nation's economy, security, environment, and quality of life. In this role, Ms. Kicza leads the acquisition and operation of the Nation's civil operational environmental satellite system. She also leads efforts for research and development of products and programs to archive and provide access to a variety of Earth observations via three national data centers.

Ms. Kicza is a leader in the international Earth observation community, serving as the NOAA Principal to the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and former Chair of the CEOS Strategic Implementation Group. In this capacity, she leads efforts to coordinate global satellite-based observations among international space agency partners to further the development of a Global Earth Observation System of Systems. In addition, Ms. Kicza serves as the Co-Chair of the NOAA Observing Systems Council, a group which coordinates observing systems requirements and provides resource recommendations for NOAA's observation platforms. She is also a member of the NOAA Executive Council, NOAA's executive decision making body.

Before coming to NOAA, Ms. Kicza was the Associate Deputy Administrator for Systems Integration at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). As a senior leader within NASA, she was responsible for assuring that the mission and mission support elements were effectively aligned and integrated. She served previously as the Associate Administrator for Biological/Physical Research, the Associate Center Director for Goddard Space Flight Center, the Assistant Associate Administrator for Space Science, and the Deputy Directorof the Solar System Exploration Division. Ms. Kicza began her career as an engineer at McClellan Air Force Base in California, before joining NASA in 1982 as a lead engineer supporting the Atlas Centaur and Shuttle Centaur launch vehicles.

Ms. Kicza has served with distinction in a variety of technical, managerial, and leadership posts, supporting the development, launch, and operation of satellite systems as well as multi-faceted research and development programs. She has significant experience in building and maintaining effective relationships with the Offce of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Defense Department, Congress, the aerospace industry, and a diverse research community. Ms. Kicza has earned a Presidential Rank Award, two SESMeritorious Service Awards, NASA's Distinguished Service and Scientific Achievement Medal, a Department of Commerce Gold Medal, and numerous other awards.

Ms. Kicza received her Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from California State University and a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Charles S.Baker

Deputy Assistant Administrator for Satellite
and Information Services

Charles S.Baker was appointed NOAA's Deputy Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services in March 2007. In that capacity, he serves as chief operating officer for NOAA's National Environmental Satellite,Data, and Information Service (NESDIS),an organization with 850 staff members, a budget of nearly $1 billion a year,and 15 satellites on orbit. Within NESDIS, his areas of responsibility include customer service,performance management, satellite operations, processing and distribution of time-critical satellite data, development of new satellite data products, archiving environmental data, information technology, regulation of the U.S. commercial remote sensing industry, human capital management, and regional collaboration.

From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Baker served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of NESDIS. In that role,he served as the overall business manager for NESDIS, having responsibility for budget, strategic planning, cost estimating, earned value management, human resources, training, facilities, property accounting, and safety.

NESDIS is dedicated to providing timely access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources to promote,protect,and enhance the Nation's economy,security,environment,and quality of life. To fulfill its responsibilities,NESDIS acquires and manages the Nation's operational environmental satellites,provides data and information services, and conducts related research. From 1987 to 2004, Mr. Baker worked in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) for 13 years as a budget examiner and for four years as Associate Director for Investment, his first position in the Senior Executive Service. As Associate Director, he had oversight of Navy and Air Force research, development, and acquisition budgets totaling nearly $100 billion per year. He provided leadership to a team of budget examiners who conducted program-by-program budget reviews and recommended budget adjustments to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Following the events of September 11, 2001, Mr. Baker led the formulation of the investment portions of the emergency budget request.

Mr. Baker began his civil service career with the Department of the Navy in 1974, holding a series of positions in the Naval Sea Systems Command, the Naval Supply Systems Command, the Naval Material Command, and the Office of the Navy Comptroller.

Mr. Baker is a life-long resident of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, graduating from Annandale High School in Annandale, Virginia. His undergraduate degree is from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a double major in History and Spanish.

Mr. Baker is a member of the Senior Executives Association, the American Meteorological Society, and the American Geophysical Union. He has taught numerous courses on the Defense budget process and on the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System (PPBES).