Regina Senegal has been appointed as the acting chief of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate’s (SMA) Quality and Flight Equipment Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This appointment places her at the forefront of ensuring safety and quality management across some of NASA’s most critical programs, including the Orion and Gateway Programs, the Human Landing System, and the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program.
Senegal’s role involves managing safety and quality teams that serve approximately 13 different customers. “I’m responsible for managing safety and quality teams for about 13 customers,” she explained, highlighting the diversity and scope of her responsibilities. Her teams are integral to implementing agency, program, and center SMA requirements, as well as monitoring Johnson’s Quality Management System to identify potential concerns for SMA leadership.
Expanding Safety and Quality Management
Senegal’s division operates on multiple levels to ensure the safety and quality of NASA’s operations. Some teams are involved at the program level, where they help draft program requirements, establish assurance programs, and identify and assess risks. Other teams focus on development, ensuring that hardware, software, and other components meet stringent requirements and are safe for use. A dedicated team oversees extravehicular activity (EVA) operations, ensuring crew members and equipment are ready for safe and successful spacewalks.
Beyond these responsibilities, Senegal’s division also handles calibration, safety, and quality for government-furnished equipment, procurement quality, and the Receiving, Inspection and Test Facility at Johnson. “This division is probably the most diverse at Johnson because we do a multitude of things and have a multitude of disciplines,” Senegal noted. “That’s why I enjoy it.”
A Journey from Engineering to Leadership
Senegal’s journey to NASA began as a manufacturing engineer at General Motors, where she worked for seven years before joining NASA as a contractor. Despite her aspirations to work at NASA, opportunities at Johnson were scarce when she graduated from Prairie View A&M University with a degree in electrical and electronics engineering. “I just kept applying to anything that had to do with NASA, and then SAIC hired me,” she recalled. SAIC, or Science Applications International Corp., is a subcontractor for NASA.
With 28 years at Johnson, Senegal became a civil servant in 2004. Her career has spanned various projects, including the development and implementation 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. “We became a strong, close team. Everyone was there trying to achieve the same goal.”
Navigating Complex Challenges
Senegal’s career in SMA has touched nearly every program at Johnson and some agency-level initiatives. Her progression from group lead to branch chief, deputy division chief, and now division chief has been marked by increasing responsibilities. “As deputy, you manage parts of the business. As chief, you own it all-mission outcomes, safety posture, budget, culture, and external optics,” Senegal explained. Decisions once offered as advice now carry her endorsement and reputation.
In her current role, Senegal must balance mission risk with project, program, and agency priorities while keeping programs on schedule. “The chief’s message has to be clear, repeatable, and behavior-shaping,” she emphasized. Building rhythms like staff syncs and risk reviews keeps the team aligned amid competing agendas.
Looking to the Future
Senegal envisions her team focusing on supporting NASA’s acquisition strategy and improving the speed and quality of 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 said. Her leadership philosophy centers on connection: “Know your team’s strengths and care about them-even small gestures matter,” she added. “When people know you care, it makes coming to work easier.”
Senegal also highlighted the importance of sharing SMA lessons learned 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 extensive experience and commitment to safety and quality management promise to guide NASA’s Johnson Space Center through its next chapter of innovation and exploration.
