NASA names director of Langley Research Center

Published June 19, 2015 by Robert Powell, III

NASA has named David E. Bowles director of its Langley Research Center in Hampton.

He succeeds Stephen G. Jurczyk, who served as director since April 2014.

Bowles has been serving as the acting center director since March when Jurczyk was temporarily assigned to NASA headquarters as the acting associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate. Jurczyk has since been named associate administrator.

Bowles began his NASA career at Langley in 1980 as a research engineer in Langley's Materials Division studying the environmental effects of advanced composites for aerospace structures.

In 2012, he became associate director, third in command at NASA Langley. Bowles moved to deputy director last year when Jurczyk became director.

Bowles earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in engineering mechanics from Virginia Tech.

Joining Bowles in the Langley front office will be Clayton Turner as deputy director and Cathy Mangum as associate director. Both have been acting in those positions.