[CMC] RE: CMC - Mike Kearney Retirement

Tue Dec 30 17:42:05 UTC 2014

Dear Mike,

I fully support this approach.

Let me wish you and all CMC members a great end of 2014 and start of 2015.

Regards
Juan

From:       "Kearney, Mike W. (MSFC-EO01)" <mike.kearney at nasa.gov>
To:         "CCSDS Management Council (CMC at mailman.ccsds.org)"
            <CMC at mailman.ccsds.org>,
Cc:         "Nestor.Peccia at esa.int" <Nestor.Peccia at esa.int>, "Nichols,
            Kelvin F. \(MSFC-EO50\)" <kelvin.nichols at nasa.gov>, "Tai,
            Wallace S \(JPL-9000\)\[Jet Propulsion    Laboratory\]"
            <wallace.s.tai at jpl.nasa.gov>, "Afarin,    James \(HQ-LS00\)"
            <james.afarin at nasa.gov>
Date:       30/12/2014 17:50
Subject:    [CMC] RE: CMC - Mike Kearney Retirement
Sent by:    cmc-bounces at mailman.ccsds.org

CMC Colleagues:  In my note below, I said:

    As my last act as CCSDS Management Council chair, I nominate James Afarin
    to be my replacement as CMC Chairman and General Secretary.  James has
    been following my role and actively participating in the CMC for several
    years now and has a great handle on the current projects and issues, and
    our long-standing processes.  NASA has traditionally held this role
    because of the tight integration that is required between the NASA-funded
    Secretariat and the CMC Chairman, and I expect that the CMC will
    recognize that such integration needs to continue.  As you know, this has
    been key to the improvements in CCSDS project management capabilities
    that we have effected over the last several years (e.g. the framework
    resources, the online strategic plan, etc.).  I will leave it for
    discussion in the CMC as to whether an online poll is needed to confirm
    the next CMC chair.

I saw positive responses to this in several emails from CMC delegates.
Rather than leave the forward action hanging, I would like to move forward
with this approach:

In case some CMC Chair issues come up before we have a resolution for a new
CMC chair, James will fill the role of “Acting CMC Chair”, and take any
necessary action to insure that CMC processes are not held up with inaction.

On January 12, the Secretariat will set up a CMC poll nominating James as
follow-on CMC chair, and the CMC members will all have a chance to vote on
acceptance.  It will be a 2-week poll closing January 26.

If any CMC members have concerns about this approach, please raise them
before January 12, so we can discuss them across email.  If a telecon is
needed on this topic, the Secretariat will be happy to set one up.  Note that
the regular CMC telecon isn’t scheduled until Early March, and we thought it
would not be good for CMC processes to wait until then.

Thanks, and best wishes!

   -=- Mike

Mike Kearney
Lead Technology Manager
Mission Operations Laboratory
NASA MSFC EO-01
+1-256-544-2029

From: Kearney, Mike W. (MSFC-EO01)
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 6:43 PM
To: CCSDS Management Council (CMC at mailman.ccsds.org)
Cc: Nichols, Kelvin F. (MSFC-EO50) (kelvin.nichols at nasa.gov); Afarin, James
(GRC-DS00) (james.afarin at nasa.gov); Nestor.Peccia at esa.int; Tai, Wallace S
(JPL-9030)[Jet Propulsion Laboratory] (wallace.s.tai at jpl.nasa.gov)
Subject: CMC - Mike Kearney Retirement

Greetings to my CMC colleagues.

I’m afraid I have some news.  I am retiring from NASA.  My last day working
for NASA will be January 2.

I apologize for the abrupt nature of this announcement.  In early December,
NASA MSFC announced a Retirement Incentives program, and candidates had to
decide on their application by December 15.  I applied then, but I was
advised not to announce this possibility until it was approved.  I just
received approval last Friday Dec 19, and inexplicably, my computer decided
right then that it would crash.  I’ve spent this morning watching tech
support work on my computer which is now more-or-less restored.  So my first
priority was to get this message out.

I am leaving my CCSDS work in extremely good hands.  James Afarin at NASA HQ
will immediately assume the role of NASA delegate to CCSDS and the CMC.  The
Secretariat day-to-day management and the MSFC lead will be Kelvin Nichols.

As my last act as CCSDS Management Council chair, I nominate James Afarin to
be my replacement as CMC Chairman and General Secretary.  James has been
following my role and actively participating in the CMC for several years now
and has a great handle on the current projects and issues, and our
long-standing processes.  NASA has traditionally held this role because of
the tight integration that is required between the NASA-funded Secretariat
and the CMC Chairman, and I expect that the CMC will recognize that such
integration needs to continue.  As you know, this has been key to the
improvements in CCSDS project management capabilities that we have effected
over the last several years (e.g. the framework resources, the online
strategic plan, etc.).  I will leave it for discussion in the CMC as to
whether an online poll is needed to confirm the next CMC chair.

I can’t express the sadness with which I leave the CCSDS teams, both
technical and management.  I was actually eligible for full retirement from
NASA ten years ago, and the criticality and excitement of the CCSDS work and
the pleasure of working with my CMC and CCSDS colleagues were the driving
factors in my annual decision to continue working for NASA.  Even now it is a
difficult decision, but the way the math works out, it’s obvious that
retirement now is best for my family situation.

While nothing is certain, it is entirely possible that I will be able to
continue participating in some CCSDS role in my “afterlife” of NASA
retirement.  But in case that doesn’t happen, I want to say that working on
the CCSDS program has he most rewarding experience of my career.  CCSDS is
developing capabilities that will be needed for virtually all of mankind’s
future spaceflight programs and international spaceflight ventures.  You and
your CCSDS colleagues from your agencies are performing a function that is
extremely critical and grossly under-recognized (ergo under-funded).  I hope
that this improves for CCSDS in the future.  And I thank all of you as
individuals for the collegial working relationship and the friendship that
was demonstrated during our time together with CCSDS.

All the best wishes for you and your teammates as CCSDS moves forward to even
greater accomplishments.  And all the best wishes for you and your families
in the upcoming holiday season.

Best regards,

   -=- Mike

Mike Kearney
CCSDS Chairman and General Secretary
www.ccsds.org
****************
Mail Code EO-01
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Alabama  35803, USA
+1-256-544-2029
Mike.Kearney at nasa.gov
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