Bridenstine offered his endorsement of Kavandi after being asked about the status of the deputy administrator position, which has been vacant since the beginning of the Trump administration last January. He said the position is critical given the number of major development activities, including commercial crew, the Space Launch System and Orion, in progress.
“It needs to be somebody who has a lot of space experience, a space professional,” he said. “It needs to be somebody who has run large organizations, who understands the technology. A scientist would be great.” Kavandi has a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Washington.
Another attribute, he added, is someone who is “apolitical,” a reference to Bridenstine’s own contentious confirmation process. “We want it to be bipartisan,” he said. Kavandi was at Bridenstine’s speech but didn’t comment publicly on her interest in the position.