Charles F. Bolden Jr.
Former NASA administrator, astronaut and U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (ret.) will deliver The Ohio State University’s spring commencement address.
Appointed NASA’s 12th administrator, Major General Bolden served the space agency from 2009 to 2017. As administrator, he led a nationwide NASA team to advance the missions and goals of the U.S. space program.
Major General Bolden oversaw the safe transition from 30 years of space shuttle missions to an era of exploration using the International Space Station and innovative space and aeronautics technology development. He led the agency in the transition to the use of commercial vehicles for the transport of U.S. cargo and crews to low Earth orbit and boosted NASA’s leadership in aeronautics with a new strategic plan leading to the design and development of new experimental airplanes that will make flight faster, quieter, cleaner and safer.
Before leading NASA, Major General Bolden served for 34 years in the Marine Corps – including 14 years as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Office. After joining the office in 1980, he traveled to orbit four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions and piloting two others. His flights included the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint U.S.-Russian shuttle mission, which featured a cosmonaut as a member of his crew.
After his final shuttle flight in 1994, he returned to active duty with the Marine Corps and served as the deputy commandant of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. His service also included leading the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Forward in support of Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait, serving as deputy commander of U.S. Forces in Japan, and commanding the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing prior to his retirement from the Marine Corps in January 2003.
Major General Bolden’s many military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006 and the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2017.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical science in 1968 from the Naval Academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Major General Bolden earned a Master of Science degree in systems management from the University of Southern California.
In 2017, Ohio State awarded him an honorary doctorate to recognize his innovative impacts on global sustainability and advancing the mission and goals of the NASA program.