Chris Crumbly joins the National Aerospace Solutions (NAS) leadership team as Technical Director while serving as the Senior Director for Space and Defense Programs at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI).  He will serve in both capacities via an arrangement between NAS and UTSI.

Before coming to UTSI, Chris enjoyed a 25-year career at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  Chris managed the Space Launch System’s Program Spacecraft/Payload Integration and Evolution Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.  He also served as Special Assistant to NASA’s Deputy Administrator and Senior Space Policy Analyst at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.  Jointly, Chris served as Executive Director of the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation (VCSI).

A native of Rome, GA., Chris holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University. He is also a graduate of Management Development from Harvard Business School.

Chris retired and entered the business community as Vice President for Business Development, Civil and Commercial Space at Teledyne Brown Engineering in Huntsville, AL.  Frequently, Chris speaks with audiences from TEDx, school groups and professional societies on the space program. He serves on several professional and civic boards including; The Huntsville Space Club, The American Astronautical Society, and The Greater Huntsville Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).  He is an Associate Fellow of AIAA and serves as the Region II Deputy Director for Public Policy.