Success Stories
Sean O'Keefe
Sean O'Keefe (born January 27, 1956) was the
Administrator of NASA, leading the space agency from December 2001
to February 2005. His tenure was marked by a mix of triumph and
tragedy, ranging from the tremendous success of the Mars
Exploration Rovers to the Space Shuttle Columbia
accident. Mr. O'Keefe was the keynote speaker at the PMF
Class of 2003's Job Fair and served on the Presidential Management
Alumni Group's Board of Advisors.
On February 21, 2005, after resigning from NASA, O'Keefe
replaced Mark Emmert as chancellor of Louisiana State University
(LSU). O'Keefe is also a former member of the board of directors of
DuPont. He resigned from LSU on January 16, 2008. Asteroid 78905
Seanokeefe was named after him in honor of his time as NASA
Administrator.
O'Keefe, along with his teenaged son, was among four survivors
of a plane crash on August 9, 2010 near Aleknagik, Alaska.
O'Keefe sustained serious injuries in the crash of a de Havilland
Canada DHC-3 Otter seaplane in which former United States Senator
Ted Stevens and four others perished.