Michele A. Brekke (nee Hank) was the first female flight director and space shuttle flight manager at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC).
LEAGUE CITY, TX, April 17, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Michele A. Brekke (nee Hank) with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Ms. Brekke celebrates many years' experience in her professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes she has accrued in her field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
A dynamic force in her field, Ms. Brekke was the first female flight director and space shuttle flight manager at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC), where, as flight manager, she oversaw six shuttle missions between 1997 and 2001. At the inception of her career, she joined NASA in 1977 as an instructor to the astronauts on space shuttle operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Over the years, Ms. Brekke continued serving the NASA Johnson Space Center as a payloads officer in mission control from 1982 to 1985, flight director from 1985 to 1988, and member of the space shuttle program management team from 1988 to 1994. She cites the highlight of her career to be working as a payload officer in mission control, as during this time, she exhibited her true leadership potential. Subsequently, she became the manager of space station utilization from 1994 to 1996. She returned to the Space Shuttle Program as space shuttle flight manager from 1996 to 2004.
Additionally, she lent her expertise as an executive to the Houston Technology Center between 2005 and 2006 and returned to JSC as director of technology transfer from 2006 to 2011. She retired from NASA in 2014. Ms. Brekke was hired by Special Aerospace Services as Operations Manager, Human Space Flights in 2015. She continues to support space exploration as a flight manager for the much anticipated flights of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner, the Boeing commercial spacecraft that will taxi NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
Interested in space since first watching the Apollo moon landing in 1969, Ms. Brekke decided to become an astronaut and to pursue a career in aerospace engineering. She received a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota, where she went on to earn a Master of Science in aerospace engineering in 1977, after which she was hired by NASA JSC. Although not selected to be an astronaut, Ms. Brekke has distinguished herself as a leader in human space flight operation. In her spare time, she contributes to her local community by volunteering at Space Center Houston and Paralyzed Vets of America.
In light of her excellence in the field, Ms. Brekke was named one of America's 100 Young Women of Promise by Good Housekeeping Magazine and received a Certificate of Commendation and Exceptional Achievement Medals from NASA. Impressively, she also earned the Amelia Earhart fellowship through Zonta International and received features in the 60th edition of Who's Who in America and the ninth edition of Who's Who in Science and Engineering.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to her profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Michele A. Brekke (nee Hank) has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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