Charles F. Bolden

Charles Bolden, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Bolden Consulting Group LLC, has been the 12th Administrator of the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) – 2009 to 2017. Charles Bolden has served 34 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring in 2003 as a general at NASA, Bolden led a nationwide team to advance the mission and goals of the U.S. space program. During his tenure, Bolden oversaw a transition from the use of space shuttle missions to a new era of exploration that focused on the utilization of the International Space Station and the development of space aeronautics technology.

Among NASA’s most notable activities during Bolden’s administration are the landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars, the launch of a spacecraft to Jupiter, the improvement of the nation’s fleet of earth observation satellites and the development of the 2018 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. In the Marine Corps, Bolden finished flight training and as a Naval Aviator, flying more than 100 missions Bolden fought in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Later, Bolden was selected as a member of NASA’s astronaut office and traveled to space orbit four times aboard the space shuttle, commanding two missions. Its flights include deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint U.S.-Russian transport mission.