NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston is a hub of innovation and collaboration, where safety and quality management are paramount. Among its dedicated team members is Regina Senegal, the acting chief of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate's Quality and Flight Equipment Division. Her role is a testament to the center's commitment to excellence, as she navigates the intricate web of responsibilities with grace and expertise.
A Collaborative Journey
Senegal's journey in quality management began at General Motors, where she honed her skills as a manufacturing engineer for seven years. Her passion for NASA and its mission led her to pursue opportunities within the agency, despite the challenges of finding a position at the Johnson Space Center upon graduating from Prairie View A&M University. With determination, she secured a role at SAIC, a NASA subcontractor, and has since dedicated 28 years of her life to the space agency.
As the acting chief, Senegal oversees a diverse range of responsibilities, including managing safety and quality teams for approximately 13 customers, including the Orion and Gateway Programs, the Human Landing System, and the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program. Her teams operate at various levels, from program-level support to developmental-level hardware and software assurance, and even extravehicular activity (EVA) operations.
A Diverse Division
Senegal's division is renowned for its diversity, as it encompasses a multitude of disciplines and tasks. This diversity is what she enjoys most about her role, as it allows her to collaborate with various organizations and personnel. Her teams are instrumental in implementing agency, program, and center SMA requirements, while also assisting with monitoring Johnson's Quality Management System to identify potential concerns for SMA leadership.
A Memorable Transition
One of Senegal's most memorable experiences was working on the transition of crew health equipment from the Space Shuttle Program to the International Space Station. While the hardware functioned well on shuttle missions, it required redesign to support longer missions and larger crews on the station. Although she wasn't responsible for the redesign, she played a crucial role in ensuring the equipment's functionality and safety.
A Challenging Role
Senegal's career in SMA has been a journey of progression, from group lead to branch chief, deputy division chief, and now division chief. She describes her current role as her most challenging yet, as it entails managing mission outcomes, safety posture, budget, culture, and external optics. The shift from offering advice to making decisions that carry her endorsement and reputation is a significant responsibility.
Balancing Act
In today's evolving risk environment, Senegal must carefully balance mission risk with project, program, and agency priorities while keeping programs on schedule. She emphasizes the importance of a clear, repeatable, and behavior-shaping chief's message, along with building rhythms like staff syncs and risk reviews to keep the team aligned.
Looking Ahead
Senegal envisions the team focusing on supporting NASA's acquisition strategy and improving the speed and quality of organizational decision-making. She believes in defining when issues should be addressed by the chief, deputy, or branch chiefs, and protecting strategic time by saying 'no' when 'yes' isn't the right answer. Her leadership philosophy revolves around connection, emphasizing the importance of knowing her team's strengths and caring about them, even through small gestures.
Sharing Knowledge
Senegal stresses the importance of sharing SMA lessons learned with early-career team members and future agency employees. She believes they need to understand the history and reasoning behind safety and quality policies to avoid repeating past mistakes and make informed decisions about risk acceptance.
