George Whitesides | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2009 | |
| Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 27th district | |
| Assuming office January 3, 2025 | |
| Succeeding | Mike Garcia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Thomas Whitesides March 3, 1974 Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Loretta Hidalgo |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | George M. Whitesides (father) |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) King's College, Cambridge (MPhil) |
| Awards | NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2010) |
| Website | Campaign website |
George Thomas Whitesides (born March 3, 1974)[1] is an American businessman and politician. For over a decade he was CEO of Virgin Galactic,[2] a firm developing commercial space vehicles at the Mojave Air and Space Port. He still serves as a member of the Virgin Galactic Advisory Board.[3] Whitesides was previously Chief of Staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Administrator Charles Bolden,[4] a position to which he was named after serving on the NASA transition team for the incoming Obama administration.[5]
On February 22, 2023, he announced his candidacy for California's 27th congressional district in the 2024 election. He defeated incumbent Republican representative Mike Garcia in the general election and will be sworn in on January 3, 2025.
- ^ Walz, Kent (May 18, 2019). "Face to Face with George T. Whitesides: Reaching for the stars". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "Virgin Galactic Snags NASA Chief of Staff as CEO". socalTECH.com. May 17, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
- ^ "Whitesides steps down from Virgin Galactic". Spacenews. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ Dugdale, Addy (May 29, 2010). "Crib Sheet: George T. Whitesides, Top Dog (in Space) at Virgin Galactic". Fast Company. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "George T. Whitesides, NASA's Chief of Staff". NASA. May 1, 2010. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.