George worked on President Obama’s transition team in 2008, and then served as Chief of Staff for NASA for the Obama administration. George was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the agency’s highest honor. George led reform of NASA to enable current U.S. space leadership.

George was the first CEO of Virgin Galactic, the human spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson. He grew the company over a decade from a small team to the global aerospace firm it is today, creating 700 jobs in the Antelope Valley and flying the first woman to space on a commercial space vehicle.

George co-founded Megafire Action, the first organization dedicated to solving our nation’s megafire crisis. He also initiated Caltech’s Keck Institute workshop on “Detecting and Tracking Fires that Matter” in 2021 and is an advisor to several philanthropic efforts working to make wildfire a manageable challenge through innovation and science policy.

George co-chaired the Antelope Valley Covid-19 Task Force, an ad hoc group that brought together NASA, industry, local government and the Antelope Valley College to support front line nurses and doctors, for which George received NASA’s Exceptional Public Achievement Medal.

George and his wife Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides have been married for nearly 20 years and have two kids. George has spent his career solving problems. Over the past 20 years, he has helped lead NASA to new heights, created hundreds of quality jobs in the Antelope Valley, and supported front-line responders and public health through his work on the wildfire crisis.