Dear Friends,

It’s my pleasure to announce that Andrea Razzaghi ’78 will be this year’s Commencement speaker.

One of our nation’s foremost leaders in the business of space exploration and discovery, Razzaghi directs NASA’s oversight of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) outside Los Angeles, California. Since its incorporation into NASA in 1958, JPL has been at the forefront of helping humanity understand our universe, from satellite observation to planetary landings to deep-space probes.

Razzaghi grew up in the Washington DC area and joined Sidwell Friends in the 7th grade. She graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and eventually went on to earn a master’s degree in the same discipline from Catholic University of America.

After working in the private sector for several years, Razzaghi began her career at NASA in 1985 at the Goddard Space Flight Center, where she worked as a mechanical engineer on a range of ambitious research initiatives and space missions, including the Cassini probe that explored the Saturn system and its majestic rings and numerous moons.

From 2010-2012, Razzaghi was assistant director of planetary science at NASA, where she managed large missions, including two comet encounters, the launch of the Juno space probe that continues to orbit Jupiter, and the development of the Mars Science Laboratory, which led to the successful landing of the rover Curiosity on the Red Planet.

In 2012, she was named NASA’s deputy director of astrophysics, and over the next six years oversaw a large portfolio of more than 20 missions and international partnerships for the agency, including the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes.

In 2018 Razzaghi moved to JPL, first as associate director of the NASA management office before being named deputy director in 2019 and then, in 2022, director—the first woman to hold that position. She oversees $30 billion in federal funding to JPL, which is operated under contract by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

In reflecting on her ongoing relationship with Sidwell, Andrea said “my time as a Sidwell student encouraged me not to put myself or others in a box, and to be curious about how we all fit into and contribute to our shared world,” adding “being a member of the Sidwell community is an important part of my life.”

Razzaghi has been honored with alumni awards by Brown University and Catholic University, and she speaks frequently on space science, engineering, and discovery.

In 1996-97, Razzaghi served as a senior policy analyst at the White House during the Clinton Administration, coordinating the activities of the National Science and Technology Council and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Though Razzaghi splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., she and her husband Babak call Washington their home.

In friendship,

Bryan Garman
Head of School