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2023 SESSION

23106420D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 784
Offered February 20, 2023
Commending Gregory L. Robinson.
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Patrons-- Marshall and Adams, L.R.; Senator: Ruff
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WHEREAS, Gregory L. Robinson, deputy director at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, spearheaded the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope as the project’s program director; and

WHEREAS, born in Danville and raised by parents who were hard-working and resourceful tobacco sharecroppers, Gregory Robinson excelled both academically and athletically in his youth, graduating from Dan River High School in Pittsylvania County in 1978 and earning a football scholarship to Virginia Union University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics; and

WHEREAS, Gregory Robinson’s subsequent educational pursuits included a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Howard University and a master’s degree in business administration from what was then Averett College, and he also attended Harvard University’s Senior Executive Fellow Program at the Kennedy School of Government and the Federal Executive Institute; and

WHEREAS, Gregory Robinson joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) full time in 1989 and worked for several years at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, until he was assigned to NASA Headquarters in 1999; and

WHEREAS, beginning in 2005, Gregory Robinson served as NASA deputy chief engineer, with the responsibility of developing and implementing NASA’s Engineering Excellence and Engineering Technical Authority, and then, from May 2011 to June 2012, he served as acting deputy assistant administrator for systems with the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, overseeing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s satellite acquisitions; and

WHEREAS, Gregory Robinson was selected for the position of deputy director at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in January 2013, assuming the task of planning, organizing, and managing the center’s programs and projects while overseeing more than 3,000 federal employees and contractors; and

WHEREAS, as a result of his leadership abilities and expertise, Gregory Robinson was assigned as program director of the James Webb Space Telescope in 2018, and he thereafter guided the project to its successful launch on December 25, 2021; and

WHEREAS, the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest optical telescope in space, will be transmitting glimpses of the universe back to Earth for years to come, expanding Gregory Robinson’s legacy with each new discovery it unveils; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Gregory L. Robinson, deputy director at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center, for his accomplishments as program director of the James Webb Space Telescope; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Gregory L. Robinson as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to space exploration and best wishes in his future endeavors.