Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan

The first American woman to walk in space and reach the solemn depths of the Mariana Trench, retired NASA astronaut and oceanographer Kathryn Sullivan knows no bounds.

Dr. Sullivan holds an earth science degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a doctorate in geology from Dalhousie University in Canada. Selected as an astronaut in January 1978, Dr. Sullivan was one of the “original six” women accepted into NASA’s Astronaut Training Program. A veteran of three Space Shuttle missions—including the one that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope—she logged more than 532 hours in space during her 15-year tenure.

Since leaving NASA in 1993, Dr. Sullivan has been appointed chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); president and CEO of the Center of Science and Industry; and undersecretary of commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere as well as NOAA administrator. She has also been presented with several honors, including an induction into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the Public Service Award from the National Science Board.