NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director Jody Singer announced her retirement today after a 38-year career with the space agency capped by the first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launch around the Moon in November 2022.

Singer was appointed as the first female center director at Marshall in 2018, after serving as deputy director from 2016 to 2018.

Marshall’s current deputy center director, Joseph Pelfrey, will serve as interim director “until Singer’s successor is identified through a nationwide search and open competition,” NASA said.

At Marshall, Singer led one of NASA’s largest field centers with nearly 7,000 on- and off-site civil service and contractor employees and an annual budget of about $5 billion. Marshall is NASA’s propulsion center and led development of the giant SLS rocket that is the space agency’s successor to the Saturn V and a key part of America’s plan to return humans to the lunar surface partnered with private space companies SpaceX and Blue Origin.

“I wish Jody well during her retirement. And I know individuals at the beginning of their career at NASA – and members of the Artemis Generation who dream of working here – will be inspired by Jody’s service, knowing their contributions can help return NASA astronauts to the Moon and prepare us for crewed missions to Mars,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. “And Joseph Pelfrey is no stranger to Marshall, having joined the center two decades ago as an aerospace engineer. Today, he helps guide Marshall’s broad portfolio of human spaceflight, science, and technology development, which supports missions across NASA. We are confident Joseph is prepared to guide Marshall through this transition.”

“Jody Singer’s vision for one of NASA’s largest field installations will be seen and felt for many years to come,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said in a statement. “Ms. Singer’s service to not only the MSFC but also the City of Huntsville has been unmatched. We are thankful for her outstanding leadership, her ability to guide future generations of thinkers and doers, and her willingness to explore deep space for the betterment of our planet. We wish her the very best in her retirement and look forward to working with Acting Director Joseph Pelfrey in leading MSFC into the future.”