Mike McCulley. Photo: USA

USA Chief Operating Officer Michael J. McCulley has been named to succeed Russell D. Turner as President and Chief Executive Officer of United Space Alliance, effective May 15. Boeing Vice President and Deputy General Manager of NASA Systems, Brewster H. Shaw, has been selected to replace McCulley as USA COO, later this spring. Turner has accepted the position of President of Honeywell Engines, Systems and Services in Phoenix, AZ, after serving in the top leadership position at USA since June 1998.

"Russ will be greatly missed," said McCulley, who has served as COO since 1999. "His exceptional style of leadership and his commitment to the safety and success of the Space Shuttle program made us a better company and have positioned us well to meet the challenges of the future. We wish him the very best."

As COO, McCulley has had primary responsibility for the day-to-day operations and overall management of USA. Prior to being named COO, McCulley was vice president and deputy program manager for the Space Flight Operations Contract. He previously served as the vice president and associate program manager for Ground Operations at the Kennedy Space Center where he was responsible for directing the integration of all processing activities associated with the Space Shuttle program.

A retired U.S. Navy captain and a former NASA astronaut who logged more than 119 hours in space, McCulley piloted the highly successful STS-34 Shuttle mission in October 1989. The crew deployed the Galileo spacecraft on its six- year journey to explore Jupiter.

Following his retirement from NASA and the Navy, McCulley was employed by Lockheed Martin Space Operations as vice president and deputy launch site director for the Kennedy Space Center, and was promoted to director in November 1995.

Brewster Shaw will join the USA team as COO in late spring after completion of a few key ongoing projects at Boeing. As COO, he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and overall management of USA. Shaw brings extensive experience in human space flight operations and program management to the position of Chief Operating Officer.

In his current position with Boeing, Shaw is responsible for the functional management and execution of the programs, and shares responsibility for the office of NASA Systems. His most recent previous assignment was as Boeing's International Space Station (ISS) vice president and general manager. Prior to joining The Boeing Company, Shaw served as Space Shuttle program manager at the NASA Johnson Space Center. As an astronaut, Shaw flew three Space Shuttle missions -- as pilot of STS-9 in November 1983, as commander of STS-61B in November 1985, and as commander of STS-28 in August 1989. He played a key role in returning the Shuttle to flight following the STS-51L tragedy, leading the Space Shuttle orbiter return to flight team.

"Brewster is a great addition to the USA team," McCulley said. "His operations and management experience, combined with his exceptional leadership skills, are going to be tremendous assets as we work with NASA to return the Shuttle safely to flight."

United Space Alliance, LLC, is a limited liability company owned equally by The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin, and serves as NASA's prime contractor for Space Shuttle operations under the Space Flight Operations Contract.