Sean O'Keefe | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2001 | |
| 7th Chancellor ofLouisiana State University | |
| In office February 21, 2005 – February 1, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Emmert |
| Succeeded by | Michael V. Martin |
| 10th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| In office December 21, 2001 – December 13, 2004 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Daniel Goldin |
| Succeeded by | Michael D. Griffin |
| 69th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office October 2, 1992 – January 20, 1993 Acting: July 7, 1992 – October 2, 1992 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Henry L. Garrett III |
| Succeeded by | John Howard Dalton |
| United States Department of DefenseComptroller | |
| In office May 22, 1989 – July 7, 1992 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Clyde O. Glaister |
| Succeeded by | John Hamre |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sean Charles O'Keefe (1956-01-27)January 27, 1956 (age 69) Monterey, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Relatives | Arthur J. O'Keefe (great-grandfather) Michael O'Keefe (uncle) |
| Education | Loyola University New Orleans (BA) Syracuse University (MPA) |
Sean Charles O'Keefe (born January 27, 1956) is a university professor atSyracuse UniversityMaxwell School,[1][2] former chairman ofAirbus Group, Inc.,[3][4] formersecretary of the Navy, formeradministrator of NASA, and former chancellor ofLouisiana State University (LSU).[5] He is a former member of theboard of directors ofDuPont.
O'Keefe was born inMonterey, California, to Patricia (née Carlin; died 2010) and Patrick Gordon O'Keefe (born c. 1927, died 2019), both natives ofNew Orleans. Patrick O'Keefe became aUnited States Navy engineer and over the years worked on nuclear submarines.[6] The family lived on several naval bases during O'Keefe's childhood.
In 1973, he graduated fromWheeler High School inNorth Stonington, Connecticut. He attendedLoyola University in New Orleans, graduating in 1977 with aBachelor of Arts inHistory. He subsequently acquired hisMaster of Public Administration degree in 1978 from theMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs atSyracuse University.[7]
After receiving his master's degree, he began his career as Presidential Management Intern[8] and later was a budget analyst for theDepartment of Defense. He served on theUnited States Senate Committee on Appropriations staff for eight years, and was Staff Director of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
In 1989, O'Keefe becameComptroller for the Department of Defense. Dubbed by some "the Grim Reaper," he led efforts to cut defense programs the Pentagon's senior leadership saw as unnecessary or wasteful.[9] He was lauded for his handling of the financial aspects of the Gulf War, managing to collect large payments from U.S. allies which significantly offset the cost of the war.[10]
On July 7, 1992, President George H. W. Bush named him Acting Secretary of the Navy. He subsequently became permanentSecretary of the Navy and held that position until Bush left office on January 20, 1993. Although his time in office was less than seven months, it was eventful. Originally appointed to help clean up the"Tailhook" sexual harassment scandal, he also dealt with the draw down of Navy- and Marine Corps forces in the wake of the end of the Cold War, and he issued a new strategy policy statement for the sea services called "...From the Sea".[11]
After Bush left office, O'Keefe was Professor of Business Administration, Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School atPennsylvania State University. He next became the Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy, an endowed chair at Syracuse University'sMaxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.[7]
From January to December 2001, O'Keefe served as deputy director of theOffice of Management and Budget in theGeorge W. Bush administration, a job that strengthened his reputation as a "bean counter".[12]
O'Keefe became NASA administrator on December 21, 2001, after theUnited States Senate confirmed his nomination. He came to NASA without formal training in science or engineering (as was the case withJames E. Webb who was NASA administrator from 1961 to 1968).[7] O'Keefe's tenure at NASA can be divided into roughly three equal periods, each marked by a single problem or event of overriding importance.[13] In the period December 2001 through January 2003, O'Keefe eliminated a $5 billioncost overrun in the construction of theInternational Space Station. In 2003, he dealt with theSpace ShuttleColumbia accident and its aftermath. From January 2004 through February 2005, O'Keefe re-organized NASA to start working on President George W. Bush's newly announcedVision for Space Exploration to send humans to the Moon and Mars.
One of O'Keefe's most controversial decisions occurred in January 2004, when he cancelled an upcomingSpace Shuttle mission to service the agingHubble Space Telescope.[14][15][16] O'Keefe claimed that, in light of the Space ShuttleColumbia accident, the mission would be too risky, since any potential shuttle damage while visiting the Hubble, would mean insufficient fuel to dock with the space station as a "safe haven". While members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) supported this decision numerous astronomers felt that the Hubble telescope was valuable enough to merit the risk. This resulted in strained relations between astronomers and the astronaut community.[17][18]
In the buildup to the2004 presidential election, a dispute in the press occurred between O'Keefe and NASA climatologistJames Hansen. In 2003, it was claimed, O'Keefe warned Hansen not to discuss humanity's role in global warming. "The administrator [Mr. O'Keefe] interrupted me," Dr. Hansen said in theNew York Times, "he told me that I should not talk about dangerous anthropogenic interference, because we do not know enough or have enough evidence for what would constitute dangerous anthropogenic interference." O'Keefe's spokesperson said O'Keefe had not meant to admonish Hansen or suggest that research efforts should be cut. TheNew York Times reported that "Dr. Franco Einaudi, director of the NASA Earth Sciences Directorate at theGoddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Dr. Hansen's supervisor, said he was at the meeting between Dr. Hansen and Mr. O'Keefe. Dr. Einaudi confirmed that Mr. O'Keefe had interrupted the presentation to say that these were "delicate issues" and there was a lot of uncertainty about them. But, he added: "Whether it is obvious to take that as an order or not is a question of judgment. Personally, I did not take it as an order."[19]
O'Keefe responded to President Bush's 'Vision for Exploration' by hiring retired Navy AdmiralCraig E. Steidle who had previously led development of theJoint Strike Fighter (JSF) as an associate administrator in charge of NASA's new Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD). He developed a mission architecture for lunar exploration based on four launches of medium-lift vehicles and four space rendezvous per mission, which was immediately scrapped byMichael Griffin upon his arrival at NASA. NASA started over with theExploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS), sixteen months after Bush's Vision for Space Exploration announcement. This led to theAres I andAres V launch vehicles (later cancelled) and theOrion Crew Exploration Vehicle.[citation needed]
O'Keefe announced his resignation from NASA on December 13, 2004, effective February 15, 2005.[20]
Asteroid78905 Seanokeefe was named in honor of O'Keefe's role as NASA administrator.[21]
O'Keefe succeededMark Emmert on February 21, 2005. O'Keefe has been credited for establishing theLouisiana State University endowment through the $798 million "Forever LSU Campaign", his second campaign as LSU's chancellor. He became popular among students for interacting with them, especially during periodic 'Chats with the Chancellor' across the campus throughout the semesters, and because of his encouraging emails.[citation needed] O'Keefe led LSU during its response toHurricane Katrina in August and September 2005 when the campus was transformed into what has been called "the largest acute-care field hospital established in a contingency in the nation's history."[citation needed] On January 16, 2008, he announced that February 1, 2008 was his last day as chancellor.[22]
O'Keefe lightly discussed his membership in the exclusive San FranciscoBohemian Club that has a 15- to 20-year waiting list, with the Louisiana State University student newspaperThe Daily Reveille. During July 2005, O'Keefe had traveled to visit the famousBohemian Grove near San Francisco as a member of the 'Wayside Log camp'. The prior time in 1993 he was the guest of a member, one whom he later appointed to a NASA panel.
In October 2009,EADS North America hired O'Keefe as CEO. His Washington connections were noted at a time when EADS was trying to secure a$35 billion U.S. Air Force contract for tanker aircraft in a competition withBoeing.[3] O'Keefe brought aboardPaul Pastorek, the Louisiana stateschool superintendent from 2007 to 2011, as the EADS chief counsel and corporate secretary.[23] O'Keefe and his teenaged son were among four survivors of anAugust 2010 seaplane crash nearAleknagik, Alaska; O'Keefe sustained serious injuries, while former US SenatorTed Stevens and four others were killed.[24][25][26][27][28] In January 2011, O'Keefe assumed the additional responsibilities of chairman of the board of EADS, which was renamed Airbus Group's North American Unit. In March 2014, O'Keefe stepped down as Chief Executive Officer to address lingering medical issues from his 2010 airplane crash injuries, and subsequently resigned as Chairman of the Board of Airbus, Inc. effective December 30, 2014.[29]
In November 2014 theCenter for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) announced that O'Keefe had joined CSIS as a Distinguished Senior Adviser, effective January 1, 2015.[30] Simultaneously Syracuse University announced that O'Keefe had been appointed as a University Professor, effective January 1, 2015.[31][32] O'Keefe has long been affiliated with Syracuse University since his graduation. From 1996 to 2001, O'Keefe was the Maxwell School's Louis A. Bantle Professor of Business and Government Policy. He received Syracuse University Chancellor's Award for Public Service for faculties in 1999 and the distinguished alumni Arents Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2011.[33]
In 2020, O'Keefe, along with over 130 other former Republican national security officials, signed a statement that asserted thatPresident Trump was unfit to serve another term, and "To that end, we are firmly convinced that it is in the best interest of our nation that Vice PresidentJoe Biden be elected as the next President of the United States, and we will vote for him."[34] In 2024, O'Keefe again endorsed Biden but later shifted his support toKamala Harris after Biden withdrew from the race.[35][36]
O'Keefe retired from the University in June 2025.[37]
O'Keefe and his wife, Laura, have three children. O'Keefe's great-grandfather wasArthur J. O'Keefe Sr., who from 1926 to 1929 was themayor ofNew Orleans, Louisiana. His grandfather, Arthur O'Keefe Jr., was a member of theLouisiana State Senate from New Orleans from 1948 to 1950. His uncle is the former State Senate President,Michael H. O'Keefe.[38] On August 9, 2010, O'Keefe survived the2010 Alaska DHC-3 Otter crash which killed former Alaska senatorTed Stevens.[39]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of the Navy 1992–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Daniel Mulville (acting) | NASA Administrator 2001–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chancellor ofLSU 2005–2008 | Succeeded by |
