Her Story
About Amanda
For the past nine years, I've had the privilege of building a career in strategic communications within the federal government, and today I serve as the Communications Lead for NASA's Office of the Chief Science Data Officer. In this role, I lead a team of 11 NASA civil servants and contractors responsible for communicating how NASA's science data, computing capabilities, and emerging technologies advance scientific discovery and benefit people around the world.
My team tells the stories behind NASA's science. On any given day, we might be developing exhibits for scientific conferences, writing feature stories for our websites, leading digital communications campaigns, or helping researchers understand and adopt new tools. We also champion NASA's commitment to open science by making scientific research more accessible, transparent, and reusable through the Administration's Gold Standard Science initiative. More recently, I've focused on helping connect the research community with NASA's AI foundation models, which are transforming how scientists discover insights from the agency's vast collection of scientific data.
One of the accomplishments I'm most proud of was leading NASA's communications campaign for the 2023 Year of Open Science. I directed the strategy and outreach for the launch of Open Science 101, NASA's flagship introductory course on open science. From campaign planning and stakeholder engagement to national conference outreach, I led the effort from concept to launch. We attended 13 academic conferences that year, introduced thousands of researchers to NASA's open science resources, and successfully launched the course at the end of the year. Today, more than 10,000 learners have completed Open Science 101, helping expand access to scientific knowledge and foster a more collaborative research community.
I'm a third-generation member of the Marshall Space Flight Center community. My grandfather supported the Apollo Program, and my father worked as a technician on the Space Shuttle Program, so I grew up surrounded by the people and stories that shaped our nation's space program. I didn't originally plan to follow in their footsteps. My dream was to work for an advertising agency in New York City. But as my career began to take shape, I realized I wanted to do work that had a greater purpose and contributed to something bigger than myself. At NASA, I've found the opportunity to combine my passion for communications with a mission that advances science, serves humanity, and inspires future generations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Amanda
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'm a first-generation college student. I did not know all the fields that women could get into growing up, honestly. I went to a very rural school in Alabama. I was very good at math and science, but I didn't know that that was a career option. So, I think just being able to see influential women that have come through NASA has been very inspiring to me. I think that a lot of my success can be attributed to those that have come before me and opened doors, as well as the support of my family.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
To never stop being challenged. If you find yourself in a place of comfort where you're going through the day-to-day, that's where burnout happens. Never stop growing.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge in my field of communications, especially where we are today, is just that it's so saturated. Like, back when we launched the Apollo mission, you had two or three TV channels and maybe your local newspaper. But now everybody is so inundated with news going on all around the world on a daily basis. Getting through the noise sometimes is a big challenge. There's so much to pay attention to.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think the value that is most important to me at work would be a strong work ethic. I feel like that is actually kind of rare these days, to see somebody who's passionate about what they do and to have the ability to figure something out and appreciate the challenge behind it. And then in my personal life, I think that a dedication to what you love actually spans both of those.
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