More ABOUT Me

First of all, I am a proud husband to my wife JoAnn and a proud father to my daughters, Caitlyn and Carleigh, the latter of whom are the main subjects of my photography nowadays.

I'm a real-life rocket scientist employed by NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  I’m dedicated to human space exploration, working hard to expand the frontiers of space while optimizing the return on the investment made by the American taxpayer.  My technical speciality is orbital rendezvous. (Think of a shuttle visit to the Hubble Space Telescope or the International Space Station, each traveling at 17,500 miles per hour; my job was to bring them together without colliding!)  Lately, I’ve traded my technical specialty for one leading teams.  Lately I’ve been working on the cutting edge of establishing strategic plans for mission operation’s annual $400 million budget.  In a way, I’m like a kid in a candy store, getting to explore different areas in my NASA career, from hard-core rocket science to leadership.  I love what I do!

I am also a recreational golfer, although I don’t get on the course as much as I used to.  Priorities.  Lately I’ve been running again and am in training for my first half marathon.  Long overdue.

My creative pursuit is photography, where I’m drawn to landscapes and abstract forms in nature. (That is, when I'm not photographing my daughters!)  I’m constantly experimenting with different techniques and learning what works by trial and error.  I finally stepped up to the big leagues and bought my first digital SLR, a Nikon D60, which I absolutely love.  Prior to that, I used point-and shoot and film cameras.  I still carry a Canon PowerShot SD400 for those quick shots.

Finally, all of the above is supported in one shape or form by an Apple Macintosh, dating all the way back to my trusty ol' Macintosh SE/30 which I still own. My current compliment consists of an Intel Core Duo MacBook for road-warrioring and an early 2008 24” iMac for home use.

Finally....

Why am I on Twitter (@rikerjoe) and blogging about leadership and NASA?  To set the stage, I’d like to share a bit about my journey so far.  READ MORE...