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An Official Web Site of the United States Government

Success Stories

Sean O'Keefe: 1978 PMI

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.