Aloha Goddard Space Flight Center,Aloha NASA

This will be short and sweet…so here it is.  Today, September 26, 2009, is my last official day as the CIO of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.  I leave an organization that marked the start of my Federal career. 

I graduated from Howard University on a hot Saturday in May of 1980.  I started at NASA/Goddard the following Monday as a dreamy 21-year old Mathematician.  I left about 18 months later.  I returned a quarter of a century later and now a leave again a Center that made amazing contributions to our nation’s space program.  Tomorrow, I will be the CIO of NASA.  This is a humbling and exciting experience.

After only having a week to prepare, I find that I haven’t had time to cry, to hug, say good-bye, or even to pack.  It’s funny how change doesn’t wait for us to get ready.  Change simply happens.  I’m not sure even if I’m saying good-bye or hello.  Perhaps it is merely Aloha. 

So, this is it.  I’ll continue to blog for the same reasons as stated in earlier posts.  I was hired with a charge to participate on an executive leadership team that not only fulfills the mission of our nation’s space program, but inspires a world.  Perhaps a universe. 

The change I lead will start with me.  A quote by Anatole France says:

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.

No time to mourn.  Just enough time to resurrect.  Procurements, cloud computing, innovation, security, team building … oh, and launch vehicles, manned space flight, tight budgets … inspiration to the world.  Aloha dreamy mathematician.  Aloha NASA.

Linda Cureton, CIO, NASA

p.s. Don’t paint my orange office!

10 thoughts on “Aloha Goddard Space Flight Center,Aloha NASA”

  1. Aloha and Aloha! What an exciting whirlwind has swept you up. Congratulations! Happy, sad, then happy again. And your blog fans will be carried forward with you. Best wishes for every step of the way. (I hope you get this message; I have sent comments to several of your blogs that never showed up in the comment section). Aloha!

  2. Linda,
    Congratulations!!! Leadership has nothing to do with rank, title or status. It has everything to do with being passionate about making things better. You have that passion. Rememebr, you can live your life any way you want, but you can only live it once. Keep on reaching for the stars!
    Don

  3. I wish you all the best as you move upward and onward. Changes can be good and here's to a bright future for you.

  4. Congrats on the new job.

    I’m glad you are keeping the blog – you will now run the part of NASA where the performance envelope is pushed out in huge sweeps in one go, where other parts of NASA work very hard to get a few percent performance increase at a time.

  5. Linda,

    From a friend and co-worker from long, long ago… I’ve seen you accomplish tasks that took place well over 30 years ago at Duke Ellington High School. I know that you will be successful with your new endeavor.

    Ron

  6. Congratulations Linda! I heard your name on WTOP Radio this afternoon and just had to look you up. After all, how many Linda Curetons can there be in the DC area? Talented in so many ways and a terrific aunt to my daughters …wishing you the very best. Sincerely, Cheryl

  7. Congratulations for this interesting featured picture! A whole new world…! |
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