Butterworth, Bruce

Bruce Butterworth came to GSFC with a varied and distinguished government career. Between 1975 and 1980, he was a professional staff member for the House Government Operations Committee and managed hearings and investigations on aviation security, including NASA Ames's Aviation Safety Reporting System (one investigation saved the program from termination by FAA in the late 1970s). He then spent 11 years in the Department of Transportation, eight of them in the Office of the Secretary. During that time he managed, amongst other things, negotiations over the inclusion of air and maritime services in the GATT (now WTO), and chaired numerous US delegations to UN meetings.

More recently, he held two senior level posts in aviation security. First, between 1991 and 1995 he was Director of Policy and Planning, where he established strategic, long-term and contingency plans, federal rules, and reshaped a $36 million security R&D program. Then, between 1995 and 2000, he was Director of Operations. Responsible for many programs, federal air marshals, and 900 field agents, he fought hard to increase security and the performance of security measures by US airports here and by US airlines everywhere, and was credited with doing so after September 11th by at least one senior member of Congress with a long history of oversight of aviation security. He ran the FAA's aviation command center and helped manage the resolution of hijackings and many security emergencies. He launched a successful program of dangerous goods regulation and cargo security after the Valujet Crash in the everglades in 1995, oversaw the conversion of the air marshal program to a full-time program with high standards, was a key player in the ValuJet and TWA 800 accidents, often briefed the NSC and White House on security matters, and was a frequent media spokesperson.

Between September 2000 and last month, he was the Associate Director for Administration and Operations at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he was responsible for security, human resource services, and building operations. During that time he created performance-based planning and personnel performance plans for these programs, transferred to the Museum $1 million of security equipment from FAA that was unused by the airlines, without cost; designed and implemented a "best practice" procedure to deal with mail possibly containing anthrax powder; and conducted emergency planning and exercises so comprehensive that the Museum's insurers are considering reducing premiums.

Bruce was awarded a Master of Science degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1974 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Pacific in 1972 (Magna cum Laude). He was a California State Scholar and an International Rotary Foundation Fellow. He attended Harvard's Senior Government Managers program. He is the recipient of numerous government special achievement and performance awards.

While not an engineer, he has lived with aerospace and aviation all his life: (1) His father was involved in the Polaris, Poseidon, and Trident Missile Programs for Lockheed Space and Missiles; his uncle was influential in the design of the DC-8 and other Douglas projects, and reportedly helped to design the bomb bay and fuel tanks of the B-25s used in the 1942 Tokyo raid, and his brother is a senior Captain for Delta Air Lines. He also earned his first regular paycheck delivering mail at NASA Ames in 1968.

He lives in Bethesda with his wife of many years, Sauci, and has a stepdaughter, Devorah. He and his wife travel frequently. He is a dedicated photographer, runner and free-diver.