Kimberly Late

Kimberly Late built a distinguished career in government services spanning more than 25 years, with a primary focus on space food systems. She began in 1990 as a food scientist in the Space Food Systems Laboratory at Johnson Space Center, where she networked through the Institute of Food Technologists to secure her initial role. After a period from 1993 to 2003 pursuing her master's degree and nonprofit passions, she returned as contractor manager of the laboratory. In this capacity, she managed the facilities and teams responsible for producing all flight and training food for U.S. space programs while administering a budget exceeding three million dollars and consistently delivering results within two percent of targets. Concurrently, from 2009 to 2024, she served as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston, teaching a graduate-level course in nonprofit management. Her volunteer work centered on hunger relief projects with the South Plains Food Bank and the Houston Food Bank. She also provided career guidance emphasizing the importance of choosing early between technical and administrative tracks, drawing from her own experience balancing both.