CA-27: George Whitesides (D)
George Whitesides worked on former President Obama’s transition team in 2008, and then served as chief of staff for NASA for the Obama administration. Whitesides was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the agency’s highest honor. He led the reform of NASA to enable current U.S. space leadership.
He was the first CEO of Virgin Galactic, the human spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson. He grew the company over a decade from a small team to the global aerospace firm it is today, creating 700 jobs in the Antelope Valley and flying the first woman to space on a commercial space vehicle.
Whitesides co-chaired the Antelope Valley COVID-19 Task Force, an ad hoc group that brought together NASA, industry, local government and the Antelope Valley College to support front line nurses and doctors, for which he received NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal.
He and his wife Loretta have been married close to 20 years and have two children.
The above information was sourced from the candidate’s website.
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