Jim Free, the associate administrator of NASA, has announced his retirement, effective February 22. As a senior advisor to Acting Administrator Janet Petro, he led the agency’s center directors and mission directorate associates at Headquarters in Washington. Free is also the chief operating officer for over 18,000 employees and oversees an annual budget of more than $25 billion.
During his tenure since January 2024, NASA achieved several notable milestones under Free’s leadership. The agency added nearly two dozen new signatories to the Artemis Accords, successfully landed on the Moon through its CLPS initiative, launched the Europa Clipper mission to study Jupiter’s icy ocean moon, and discovered molecules containing life’s ingredients in asteroid Bennu samples.
Free has been recognized for his remarkable career, earning several prestigious awards including the Presidential Rank Award, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal. “A servant leader who puts the mission first,” said Petro, praising Free’s leadership style.
Throughout his 33-year career, Free held various leadership roles at NASA, including deputy center director, center director, and deputy associate administrator for Technical affairs. He began his career in 1990 as an engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center and later served on the International Space Station development team.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-associate-administrator-jim-free-to-retire-after-30-years-service