In a significant development at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Regina Senegal has been appointed as the acting chief of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate’s (SMA) Quality and Flight Equipment Division. This role places her at the forefront of ensuring safety and quality management across a range of pivotal NASA programs.
Senegal’s new position offers her a unique opportunity to collaborate with a diverse array of organizations and personnel. “I’m responsible for managing safety and quality teams for about 13 customers,” Senegal explained, highlighting that these customers include the Orion and Gateway Programs, the Human Landing System, and the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program. Her teams are tasked with implementing agency, program, and center SMA requirements, in addition to monitoring Johnson’s Quality Management System to identify concerns for SMA leadership.
Ensuring Safety Across Multiple Levels
Senegal’s division operates at various levels, from writing program requirements and establishing assurance programs to identifying and characterizing risks. Some teams focus on the developmental level, ensuring hardware, software, and other components meet safety requirements. A dedicated team works on extravehicular activity (EVA) operations, ensuring crew members and equipment are prepared for spacewalks. The division also manages calibration, safety, and quality for government-furnished equipment, procurement quality, and the Receiving, Inspection and Test Facility.
“This division is probably the most diverse at Johnson because we do a multitude of things and have a multitude of disciplines,” Senegal said. “That’s why I enjoy it.”
A Journey from Engineering to Leadership
Senegal’s path to NASA began as a manufacturing engineer for General Motors, where she worked for seven years before transitioning to a NASA contractor role. “I just kept applying to anything that had to do with NASA, and then SAIC hired me,” Senegal recounted. SAIC, or Science Applications International Corp., is a subcontractor of NASA.
With 28 years at Johnson under her belt, Senegal became a civil servant in 2004. Her career has spanned numerous projects, including the development of space and life science experiments, the Human Research Facility, and crew exercise hardware. One of her most memorable experiences was transitioning crew health equipment from the Space Shuttle Program to the International Space Station. “I really enjoyed that because it was a challenge, and you had all of these great ideas coming together from engineers, doctors, and the crew,” she said.
Leadership and Future Directions
Senegal’s ascent to division chief represents her most challenging role yet. “As deputy, you manage parts of the business. As chief, you own it all—mission outcomes, safety posture, budget, culture, and external optics,” she explained. Her responsibilities include setting direction, allocating resources, and making difficult decisions, even when every request feels mission-critical.
Looking ahead, Senegal envisions her team focusing on supporting NASA’s acquisition strategy and improving organizational decision-making. “We need to define when issues go to the chief, deputy, or branch chiefs—and protect strategic time by saying ‘no’ when ‘yes’ isn’t the right answer,” she stated. Her leadership philosophy centers on connection: “Know your team’s strengths and care about them—even small gestures matter,” she said.
Sharing Knowledge with Future Generations
Senegal emphasized the importance of sharing SMA lessons with early career team members and future agency employees. “They need to know the safety and quality policies, but they also need to understand why we have them in place,” she said. “If you teach them the history behind it, they’re less likely to repeat it, and it helps them understand how and when to accept risk.”
As Regina Senegal steps into her new role, her journey from a determined engineer to a pivotal leader at NASA exemplifies a commitment to safety, quality, and collaboration. Her leadership will undoubtedly influence the next generation of space exploration efforts.
