George T. Whitesides

George Whitesides
Official portrait, 2009
Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 27th district
Assuming office
January 3, 2025
SucceedingMike Garcia
Personal details
Born
George Thomas Whitesides

(1974-03-03) March 3, 1974 (age 50)
Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLoretta Hidalgo
Children2
RelativesGeorge M. Whitesides (father)
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
King's College, Cambridge (MPhil)
AwardsNASA Distinguished Service Medal (2010)
WebsiteCampaign 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.

  1. ^ Walz, Kent (May 18, 2019). "Face to Face with George T. Whitesides: Reaching for the stars". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Virgin Galactic Snags NASA Chief of Staff as CEO". socalTECH.com. May 17, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  3. ^ "Whitesides steps down from Virgin Galactic". Spacenews. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  4. ^ Dugdale, Addy (May 29, 2010). "Crib Sheet: George T. Whitesides, Top Dog (in Space) at Virgin Galactic". Fast Company. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "George T. Whitesides, NASA's Chief of Staff". NASA. May 1, 2010. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.

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