SEARCH SITE
VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL
- Code of Virginia
- Virginia Administrative Code
- Constitution of Virginia
- Charters
- Authorities
- Compacts
- Uncodified Acts
- RIS Users (account required)
SEARCHABLE DATABASES
- Bills & Resolutions
session legislation - Bill Summaries
session summaries - Reports to the General Assembly
House and Senate documents - Legislative Liaisons
State agency contacts
ACROSS SESSIONS
- Subject Index: Since 1995
- Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
- Summaries: Since 1994
Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.
2023 SESSION
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.