NASA’s STENNIS SPACE CENTER DIRECTOR’S BRIEFING TO TAKE PLACE ON THURSDAY, MARCH 23RD AT PEARL RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Hancock Co., Miss. March 22, 2023 – The 11^th Annual Stennis Space Center Director’s Briefing is scheduled for Thursday, March 23rd at 9 a.m. This annual event assembles over 100 business and industry leaders from Mississippi and Louisiana for a yearly report directly from key leadership at Stennis Space Center, Naval Meteorology & Oceanography Command and the Michoud Assembly Facility. Speakers for this year include Dr. Richard Gilbrech, Director of Stennis Space Center; Lonnie Dutreix, Director of Michoud Assembly Facility; Jennifer Hailes, Technical Director of Naval Meteorology & Oceanography Command at Stennis; and Dr. Adam Breerwood, President of Pearl River Community College. This meeting will be held at the Brownstone Center for the Arts on the PRCC Campus in Poplarville.  

“We want decision makers and interested citizens to know and understand the value and importance of these two NASA assets and what it means to all of us as a significant source of employment and income for this region,” said Mark Glorioso, Chairman of the Partners for Stennis & Michoud Board.

Following the presentations and panel discussion, the media will have an opportunity to interview the speakers and other leaders from the different organizations represented.  

Pearl River Community College is located at 101 Highway 11 North in Poplarville.  The Brownstone Center for the Arts is located on the corner of River Rd. and Old Stadium Dr.  Coffee and light refreshments will be provided by Pearl River Community College.  Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and the program will begin at 9.  There is no fee to attend the briefing.

The 11th Annual Center Director’s Briefing would not be possible without the generosity of the following sponsors:

Platinum

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Boeing

Keesler Federal Credit Union

Lockheed Martin

Pearl River Community College

Syncom Space Services

Gold

COLSA

Bronze

High Performance Solutions

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JOHN C. STENNIS SPACE CENTER

NASA’s Stennis Space Center, located near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is a federal city operated by NASA since 1961. As many as 40 onsite agencies, organizations, universities, and  companies share operating costs, while pursuing individual missions, as a model of fiscal efficiency.  If their combined workforces of about 5,000 employees were counted as a single entity, Stennis would rank among the Top 10 Mississippi companies in size. The site is a major economic engine for the Gulf Coast region, with an average direct annual impact of more than $625 million within a 50-mile radius.

MICHOUD ASSEMBLY FACILITY
Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.  This facility is essential to NASA’s human space exploration mission.  It is home to one of the world’s largest indoor manufacturing facilities, has 900,000 square feet of office space, a deep-water port used for transportation and its own dedicated rail head.  Michoud’s importance to Louisiana and the nation goes beyond NASA.  Michoud provides a significant source of employment and income in the two-state region. Its multi-tenant facility houses government agencies and private companies that support 3,500 employees on site every day.  The direct economic impact of the facility in the region is around $342 million.  The direct global economic impact is $800 million.

PARTNERS FOR STENNIS & MICHOUD
Partners for Stennis & Michoud is a coalition of Mississippi and Louisiana citizens and businesses.  We advocate for the support and growth of these two NASA assets that create a demand for a highly skilled regional workforce.  We also support the marketing of Stennis and Michoud as a two-state technology corridor.  Our members are volunteer representatives from businesses, chambers of commerce, economic development agencies, educational institutions, local governments, community groups and private citizens.

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