Sullivan, Kathryn D. (Kathryn Dwyer), 1951-

Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan, PhD (b. Oct. 3, 1951, Patterson, NJ) is a geologist, former NASA astronaut, and oceanographer who was the first American woman to walk in space, the first woman to dive to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (the deepest part of the Earth’s oceans), and is the first and only person to do both. She also served as an astronaut on the Discovery and Atlantis shuttles. In total, Sullivan flew on three shuttle missions, including the mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. She joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1988 and retired as a captain in 2006. After leaving NASA, Sullivan was president and CEO of the COSI Columbus and was Director for Ohio State University's Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy. She was appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Science Board. During President Barack Obama's administration, Sullivan served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator. Following completion of her service at NOAA, she was designated as the 2017 Charles A. Lindbergh Chair of Aerospace History at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, and has also served as a Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. Sullivan is as a member of U.S. National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and National Academy of Public Administration.