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 nearly 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.
Past Speaking engagements include:
- Truett Seminary Students at Baylor University
- McMurry University (Abilene, Texas) Baseball Team
- Christian Leadership Alliance Conference in Dallas, Texas (2015 & 2016)
- CareNet Conference in San Diego (2015) & Orlando (2016)
- Greater Cincinnati Pregnancy Care Centers Coalition’s Morning of Renewal (2017)
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 nearly 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 Vice President of Human Resources. In that role, I am responsible for leading the Space Center Houston Human Resources department in all areas of benefits and compensation programs, staffing, human resources policies, learning and professional development and employee relations. I will also partner with the President & CEO (William Harris) in employee engagement initiatives to promote a highly motivated and engaged workforce. As VP of HR, I will lead the human resources strategy and participate as a key member of Space Center Houston’s executive leadership team.
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 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
For NASA, I served as an international keynote speaker at a variety of conferences, including:
- Human Capital Institute’s Employee Engagement Conference in Denver (2016)
- The Global HR Summit in Dubai (2016)
- HR Vision Amsterdam (2017)
- Work 2.0 Africa in Johannesburg (2017)
- 9th HR Minds Future of Talent Forum in Barcelona (2018)
- Work 2.0 in London (2018)
- Talent Development Summit in Vancouver (2019)
Prior to becoming HR Director with NASA, I served as Deputy Director of Human Resources for 5 years, leading a forum of Deputy Directors 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.
Brady’s Life Story
Brady’s Family Life
Brady’s Diversity & Inclusion Journey
Updated February 2023