NASA's acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot has appointed Arizona treasurer Jeff DeWitt as NASA's new chief financial officer, following confirmation by the US Senate, which has waived off special hearing in this case as there was no opposition.
DeWit was nominated in November for the position and renominated again in January this year as per the senate norms and the Senate approved his appointment. DeWit, who is currently working as treasurer of the State of Arizona, has to resign his present position and take over his new post in a few weeks.
Though he has no background in space, DeWit has a strong background in finance. He owned the trading company ECHOtrade since 1999 and prior to that he worked at Smith Barney and the Chicago Board of Trade. Admitting no knowledge of space, he mentioned in a questionnaire submitted to the Commerce Committee, that he was son of a pilot and grew up around airplanes and aviation.
"These experiences and my skill set will allow me to be an effective and efficient CFO for NASA, helping propel the agency further in its mission," he wrote. "As the son of a pilot who grew up around airplanes and aviation, I very much look forward to working hard on behalf of the great team at NASA."
Even NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot, in his March 15 statement, said, "I personally met with Jeff during the confirmation process and I'm confident he will be a great fit with the agency's CFO team." He said Jeff had demonstrated a genuine passion for being part of NASA, and "I know he will be a staunch advocate for the agency within the administration, helping us move forward with our ambitious plans."
The position of CFO has been vacant since the Trump administration took over in January 2017.
Lightfoot also thanked acting CFO Andrew Hunter for his work, especially in shepherding the agency through two budget cycles. "Andrew and his team have helped keep the agency steadily moving forward during this transition time, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude for their great work," he said.
