Gregory Robinson: Leadership
Aerospace keynote speaker Gregory Robinson shares leadership lessons from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, helping organizations navigate complexity, drive innovation, and achieve mission-critical success.
Quick Facts:
- Former program director of the James Webb Space Telescope
- 33-year career at NASA leading major space missions
- Led a $10 billion program to successful launch in 2021
- Expert in leadership, risk management, and complex project execution
- Formats:
- Keynote Speaker, Leadership Expert, Aerospace Innovator
- Audiences:
- Corporate leaders, engineering and technology teams, government organizations, and audiences focused on innovation, leadership, and high-performance execution.
- Outcomes:
- Leadership strategies for managing complex, high-stakes projects
- Insights into innovation, resilience, and problem-solving under pressure
- Inspiration to think bigger and lead with purpose in challenging environments
- Travels from: Washington, DC
- **Fee range: $35,001 - $50,000
Talent Services
Keynote Topics:
Taking on Your Own Moonshot
Are you looking to inspire your organization to reach for the stars, conquer a huge challenge, or simply see the value of teamwork, open communication and innovative thinking?
Let NASA veteran Gregory Robinson guide you on a journey to the far reaches of space and limitless human potential, going behind-the-scenes at NASA against a backdrop of awe-inspiring photos from the James Webb Space Telescope. Sharing the story of how he led a team that transformed a failing program into one of humankind’s greatest achievements, Robinson provides universal lessons on overcoming challenges, building trust and collaboration, enhancing communication and more.
Perfect for “all hands” meetings, kick offs, product launches or any event in which you want to inspire your group to achieve great things together.
A NASA-Inspired Approach to Leading Innovation in Any Organization
Today, most organizations must innovate or fall behind. But what’s the key to leading innovation and overcoming challenges and failures?
It isn’t just about hiring very talented people. At NASA, Gregory Robinson worked with, led and managed some of the world’s most accomplished scientists and engineers. Instead, he says, it’s about prioritizing relationship-building, creativity, knowledge-sharing and “open communication without fear.”
Robinson emphasizes soft skills like knowing when to lead and when to support, understanding how to collaborate, problem solving, and being able to reach out beyond your team to find answers and fresh thinking. Using real-life examples from his 33-year history at NASA, set against a backdrop that takes you a million miles from Earth, Greg Robinson shows how the human element is more critical than ever to driving transformation and achieving our most ambitious goals.
From Sharecroppers’ Son to TIME’s Most Influential People List
Just being an engineer in a time when few Blacks were in STEM professions would have been an achievement. Just getting into NASA—where the ranks of Black professionals were few and far between would have been an inspiring success story. But Gregory Robinson’s against-all-odds journey to leading the James Webb Space Telescope program had a starting point worthy of Hollywood.
Born the ninth of eleven children to tobacco sharecroppers in southern Virginia, where the legacy of Jim Crow was still strong, Robinson attended segregated schools until the age of 10. In this inspiring talk, HBCU graduate Robinson shares how he went from the tobacco fields to being named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people– and how lessons learned through humble beginnings propelled his much-honored career.
Talent Short Bio
Gregory Robinson is a distinguished aerospace leader and keynote speaker best known for his role as program director of the James Webb Space Telescope, one of the most ambitious and complex scientific missions in history. With a 33-year career at NASA, he has led high-stakes programs that have advanced space exploration and scientific discovery.
Gregory played a critical role in guiding the James Webb Space Telescope through significant technical, financial, and organizational challenges, ultimately leading to its successful launch in December 2021. His leadership in bringing a delayed, multi-billion-dollar project back on track has made him a respected authority on resilience, accountability, and mission execution.
Throughout his career, Gregory has held numerous leadership roles overseeing complex engineering initiatives and cross-functional teams. His expertise spans strategic planning, risk management, and innovation under pressure, offering valuable insights for organizations navigating uncertainty and transformation.
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