When Mary Byrd, a Covington resident, was named as associate director at Stennis Space Center, she became the first female to hold one of the top three front office positions at the NASA center.
Ms. Byrd has served in several roles during the past 26 years at Stennis, the first five as a contractor responsible for electrical maintenance across the site. As a member of the NASA team, Ms. Byrd served as a contracting officer’s representative before being named deputy director of the Stennis Center Operations Directorate. She was named head of that directorate in 2018.
In her new role as Stennis associate director, Ms. Byrd’s area of responsibility is even greater as she helps lead and manage sitewide activities and employees. At the same time, Stennis faces the ongoing challenge of continuing to grow and adapt.
Historically, the site overcame huge obstacles to grow into a unique federal city that is home to more than 50 organizations and companies. New challenges await as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact workplace logistics and dynamics, as NASA moves through an internal restructuring process, and as Stennis works to ensure and expand its operations.
