The Honorable Pamela A. Melroy (Colonel USAF, Ret.)

The Honorable Pamela A. Melroy (Colonel USAF, Ret.)'s Biography

The Honorable Pamela A. Melroy served as the Deputy Administrator of NASA from June 2021 to January 2025 and is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. She is a former Space Shuttle Commander, having commanded the STS-120 mission in 2007, and has extensive experience as a pilot, test pilot, and flight instructor. Melroy has been a featured speaker at various events, including the Space Symposium and the CEDA event on Australia's space industry.

Melroy was commissioned in the United States Air Force and served as a KC-10 copilot, aircraft commander, and instructor pilot. Melroy is a veteran of Operation Just Cause and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, with over 200 combat and combat support hours. She attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. She was assigned to the C-17 initial test team as a test pilot until her selection for the Astronaut Program. She has logged more than 6,000 hours flight time in more than 50 different aircraft.

Melroy was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in March 1995. She flew three missions in space: as Space Shuttle pilot during STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002, and as Space Shuttle Commander during STS-120 in 2007. All three missions were assembly missions to build the International Space Station. She has logged more than 38 days in space and was one of only two women to command the Space Shuttle.

She was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2021. Colonel Melroy retired from the Air Force in 2007 and left NASA in August 2009. After NASA, she served in executive roles at Lockheed Martin, the Federal Aviation Administration, DARPA, Nova Systems Pty, and on multiple boards. In 2021 she was appointed by President Biden as the Deputy Administrator of NASA, serving until January 2025.

She now serves as President and Managing Partner for MH Technology Partners,

a consulting firm. Melroy is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and the Royal Aeronautical Society. She is a Member of the US National Academy of Engineering. Melroy is a popular speaker on topics such as the future of space, leadership, strategy and change management, and the state of the space industry.

Contact Helene Greenham directly for Pam Melroy speaking enquiries – helene@platinumspeakers.com.au