Gregory Robinson
Lead Your Company to Its Moonshot
Topic Categories:
- 33 Year NASA Veteran
- Former Director James Webb Space Telescope
- Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People of 2022
*Fee ranges are presented as a guideline only. Speaker fees are subject to change without notice. For an exact quote, please contact your Speaker Exchange Agency representative.
Gregory Robinson is a top leadership and science expert, former Director of the James Webb Space Telescope Program, and one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022. He is best known for his leadership as the Director of the James Webb Space Telescope Program from 2018-2022: one of the most amazing engineering marvels in NASA’s recent history—and 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Telescope. When he took over in 2018, the program was billions over budget and years behind schedule. Within months of being named Director, he increased the efficiency of the schedule from 55% to 95% through his calm leadership and communication style. His excellent leadership has earned him several awards, including 2022 Federal Employee of the Year, the NASA Presidential Rank Distinguished Executive Award (2013) and the NASA Meritorious Senior Professionals and Executives Award (2007).
Why are some companies ordinary while others can reach for the stars? When you look at companies like Tesla and Amazon, they are changing the world. But not every company can do the extraordinary—unless they have a great leader. Gregory Robinson, a 33-year NASA veteran, knows all about leading an organization to accomplish the extraordinary. In 2018, Gregory was tasked with leading the $10 billion James Webb Telescope Program, which at the time was billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. In doing so, he oversaw thousands of scientists, engineers, and staff in multiple organizations and countries. With its successful launch, the telescope changed our understanding of the universe. In this dynamic talk, Gregory shares his insights on how to lead others to do the extraordinary. Audiences will come away with how to communicate, build trust, and envision, so they can accomplish their own extraordinary goals.
In 2022, Time Magazine declared Gregory Robinson as one of the most influential people. With his determined leadership, he helped launch the $10 billion James Webb Telescope, which changed our understanding of the universe. But his future success was never guaranteed. Born ninth among eleven children to tobacco sharecroppers in Virginia, Gregory had to attend racially segregated schools and earn a football scholarship in order to put himself through college. In this moving talk, Gregory will share how he went from a sharecropper’s son to one of the most respected leaders in NASA and one of Time Magazine’s most influential people.
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