Michael D. Griffin

Michael D. Griffin
Official portrait, 2018
Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
In office February 19, 2018 – July 10, 2020
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Heidi Shyu
11th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
In office April 13, 2005 – January 20, 2009
President	George W. Bush
Deputy	Shana Dale
Preceded by	Sean O'Keefe
Succeeded by	Charles Bolden
Personal details
Born	Michael Douglas Griffin (1949-11-01) November 1, 1949 (age 74) Aberdeen, Maryland, U.S.
Education	Johns Hopkins University (BA, MS) Catholic University of America (MSE) University of Maryland, College Park (PhD) University of Southern California (MS) George Washington University (MS) Loyola University Maryland (MBA)

Michael Douglas Griffin (born November 1, 1949)^[1] is an American physicist and aerospace engineer who served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering from 2018 to 2020.^[2] He previously served as Deputy of Technology for the Strategic Defense Initiative, and as Administrator of NASA from April 13, 2005, to January 20, 2009. As NASA Administrator Griffin oversaw such areas as private spaceflight, future human spaceflight to Mars, and the fate of the Hubble telescope.

While he describes himself as a "simple aerospace engineer from a small town", Griffin has held several high-profile political appointments. In 2007 he was included in the TIME 100, the magazine's list of the 100 most influential people.^[3] Griffin's appointment as Administrator was associated with a significant shift in the direction of the agency. He began signaling intended changes at his Senate confirmation hearing.