2022 GMiS Luminary Honorees

Pedro R. “Ronnie” Rodriguez is the director of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center. In this role, he is responsible for providing the final input on risks and overall mission assurance to ensure NASA’s launches will be safe and successful. He is also responsible for the planning and execution of all directorate activities at Kennedy, including ground systems, commercial crew and launch services. As if that weren’t daunting enough, he’s also charged with ensuring the safety of all the Space Center’s 250 employees.

Born in Camaguey, Cuba, Mr. Rodriguez began his career as a mechanical systems engineer at Kennedy Space Center in 1991. After several years in the Shuttle Payloads Operations Directorate, he moved into project engineering where he led a team of engineers in payload operations and testing.  As he advanced up the ranks at Kennedy, he made significant contributions to some of NASA’s most high-profile programs, including the International Space Station, the Orion program, the Constellation Project Office, and several Space Shuttle missions.

Today Mr. Rodriguez is the only Hispanic director serving as a senior executive at Kennedy Space Center who is contributing directly to our nation’s space program. To ensure he’s not the last, he serves as the executive champion of NASA’s Hispanic Outreach and Leadership Alliance (HOLA), which supports initiatives in mentoring, coaching, recruitment, and community outreach.  He recently completed his certification to become a professional coach, allowing him to use his passion for mentoring to reach a broader cross-section of the next generation of leaders.