I started Out of This World Leadership in October 2013 to fulfill my personal mission – “to improve leadership wherever I go.” I strive to “Serve Leaders who Shoot for the Stars” with a philosophy, style, and practice of servant leadership. In August 2014, I became a John Maxwell Team Certified Coach & Speaker.
I offer workshops and keynote speaking, capitalizing on more than 30 years of experience leading, coaching, and observing church leaders, rocket scientists, astronauts, and nonprofit executives. I am passionate about leadership as a student, coach, practitioner, and teacher.
I am a native Texan—born and raised in Corpus Christi. My wife Jennifer (married in 1997) and I have three kids: Katy (born in 2000), Cody (born in 2002), and Tanner (born in 2006).
My father and my grandfather taught me the values of:
- Excellence (Do your best);
- Integrity (Do what you say); and
- Improvement (Get better over time).
Both effectively balanced their work, family, and church responsibilities. Today, as a husband, father, leader at work, and lay leader at church, I strive to do the same. With more than 30 years of leadership and organization consulting experience in Human Resources, I’ve worked with leaders to solve a variety of challenges. During that time, I’ve taught in a variety of forums—from small book club discussion groups to large workshops.
For my day job, I serve as Space Center Houston’s Chief Human Resources & Inclusion Officer (CHRIO, or “cheerio”). In that role, my team and I are responsible for:
- Ensuring Space Center Houston has the capabilities it needs for the future
- Stewarding the organization’s culture, promoting inclusion & innovation
- Taking care of the Crew (how we refer to our employees)
Directly reporting to the CEO, I serve as primary advisor for all people and culture-related strategies and challenges.
In February 2023, I retired after a 30-year career in the Federal Government as NASA’s Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer (a Senior Executive Service role). In this role, I oversaw the full range of Human Resources operations across NASA and modeled the culture of People First. Mission Always.
I previously served in other HR Executive roles, including Director for Human Resources Services for NASA from 2018 until 2020 and as Director for Human Resources at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) from 2016 until 2018, where I was responsible for:
- Ensuring workforce capabilities by attracting, retaining, and developing more than 3,000 civil servants supporting the International Space Station and NASA’s Journey to Mars
- Stewarding a Workplace Culture of Inclusion & Innovation that fully engages the human spaceflight team
- Advising the Center Director on workforce and people strategies and issues
- Leading a team of 70 civil servants and contractors in traditional HR functions such as HR Management, Development, and Operations as well as Employee Welfare & Morale and Workforce Analytics
- Making strategic investment decisions for JSC’s $28 million workforce budget
Prior to becoming HR Director for the Johnson Space Center (JSC), I served as Deputy Director of Human Resources for 5 years, leading a forum of Deputy Directors in Houston to discuss and advance Center workforce strategy—especially related to one of the most significant workforce transitions faced at JSC in decades with the retirement of the Space Shuttle Program. For these efforts, I was awarded NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2012.
I joined NASA in 1995, after graduating from Texas A&M University with a master’s degree in HR Management. I was promoted to my first management role in 2005 and have held a variety of management roles since then, including a 9-month stint as a front-line supervisor in Engineering’s Crew & Thermal Systems Division in 2013. In 2008, I graduated from NASA’s Leadership Development Program after assignments in Washington, D.C. to NASA Headquarters and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation.
It was a fun career with NASA, and I was excited to bring that experience to bear in a new context. Rather than supporting an 18,000-employee NASA workforce, I support Space Center Houston—a 450-person non-profit science and space exploration learning center—that serves as Official Visitor Center for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, hosting more than 1.3 million guests each year!
Brady’s Life Story
Brady’s Family Life
Brady’s Diversity & Inclusion Journey
Updated October 2024