The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is located in Huntsville, Alabama. The facility is one of the nation’s top science centers and is home to America’s Space Program. Huntsville, Alabama, is the birthplace of the US Space program and the Center is used as a location to help that story. More than 60 years ago, German Rocket scientists were moved to Huntsville following the end of World War Two. The US Army tagged their mission, “Operation Paperclip.” The Army used that name to describe more than 100 German scientists whose names were inside a folder. The materials were held together by a simple paperclip. The name stuck and became one of America’s greatest accomplishments as the Germans began working for the United States Army to develop missiles. At the end of World War Two, the Army allowed the German scientists to continue their work. Their dreams were not to create, build or deploy army rockets, but rather to create rockets that could go into space. In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the agency under the name The National Aeronautics and Space Act. The NASA mission, according to President Eisenhower, was to encourage peaceful applications in space science. As the program grew, President Kennedy challenged the nation to go the moon in the decade of the 1960’s. In Kennedy’s words, “We choose not to do this because it is easy but because it is hard.” NASA, using more than 20 billion dollars in federal funding, began building the Saturn V rocket to take man to the moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step onto the Moon. The exhibits at the US Space & Rocket Center are designed to tell that story. However, the Rocket Center provides another opportunity and has for more than 30 years. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is also home to Space Camp®, one of the nation’s premiere camps where the nation’s young people can learn what it’s like to prepare for space travel. More than 700,000 young people, and adults, have passed through the doors of the
U. S. Space & Rocket Center to attend the camps. The Space Center is Alabama’s largest tourist attraction and the official visitor center for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Visitors to the center can take daily bus tours to NASA and see the original test stands where the Saturn V engine testing occurred. The Space Center continues to provide the story of manned space flight and offers daily tours of exhibits like “Science on Orbit,” and Science Fiction, Science Future. The purpose of the Center is to continue to inspire adults and children to dream of space exploration. The purpose of Space Camp® is to help NASA educate the nation’s young people to continue on a path of learning, especially in the areas of STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Dr. Deborah Barnhart is the current CEO of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. The Center is governed by a Commission appointed by the Governor of the state of Alabama. In 2010, the Commission hired Dr. Barnhart to serve as CEO, following years of tumultuous times. Dr. Barnhart accepted the position and has made numerous changes to assist the center in obtaining more funding, a better brand and increasing opportunity for young people and adults by expanding all camp operations.

(Three Leadership Practices exhibited by Dr. Deborah Barnhart)

A SERVANT LEADER WHO ESPOUSES INTERACTIVE LEADERSHIP QUALITIES..
Refer to Chapter 15 notes.

As CEO, Dr. Deborah Barnhart has brought about significant change to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Dr. Barnhart’s leadership style has impacted culture in a powerful way. She determined the center was top heavy with staff and immediately announced a Reduction In Force. The “RIF” was not popular and created a significant amount of tension at the facility. She stated it was necessary to begin using a zero-based budget. Poor financial management before Barnhart arrived forced drastic changes. She set out to determine what expenses were necessary and which ones were not. She then turned her attention to staff to determine why payroll was more than 105% of monthly expense for a brief period of time. This determination led to the reduction in force and began a path of fiscal responsibility. Barnhart then created a system of total quality management as she worked to understand why some departments were creating expenses but not generating revenue.