Professionally he graduated from Ohio University and the College of William & Mary with degrees in Physics. He retired from NASA Langley this year after 25 years spending the first 15 years improving the safety and efficiency of commercial air transportation. The last ten years were spent in project and technical management supporting NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and Langley’s Aeronautics Research Directorate. He led the development of international standards for ADS-B applications and was an author of the Advanced Air Mobility National Strategy in 2025. But the highlight of his career was probably having an image of him in the lab shown on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Mr. Gayle joined NASA Langley in 1987 as an engineering technician co-op in the center’s Fabrication Division, then graduating from the NASA Langley Engineering Technician Apprentice Program in 1993 as a journeyman machinist. In 2000, he received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University. He served as a mechanical engineer for ten years in the Mechanical Systems Branch within the Engineering Directorate working on numerous projects including Shuttle Return-to-Flight, Orion, and Mars Airplane.  

Steve has served in numerous leadership positions at the center including branch head of the Mechanical Systems Branch; director of the Workforce Office in the Office of Human Capital; director of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity; and chief operating officer, deputy director, and acting director for the Center’s Engineering Directorate. He most recently served as the director for Center Operations Directorate, overseeing facilities maintenance and operations related services, logistics services, security services, environmental management, and export control administration.

In addition to serving as the Community Science and Outreach Staff of the Wetlands Watch, Ms. Letourneau is also the Catch the King Coordinator. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from Juniata College in 2020, and in May 2025, completed her M.A. at William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Science and VIMS. Her work has centered on education, science communication, and participatory science, including coordinating volunteer water quality monitoring with Dickinson College’s Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring, supporting communications at the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia, and advancing participatory science at the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park. Her master’s research evaluated the Chesapeake Bay SAV Watchers volunteer program through the lens of community perspectives.

Ms. Letourneau always loved spending time in and around water—from lakes and coastlines to mountain streams and rivers— carrying that passion through a semester abroad in the Galápagos Islands and a summer exploring the marshes of the York River. Recognizing that scientific progress depends on effective communication, she dove into the waters of the Florida Keys to learn firsthand how community engagement is integral to the scientific process. Her career is focused on connecting coastal communities with science and conservation efforts in their own neighborhoods and ecosystems, amplifying the value of local knowledge. Ms. Letourneau believes that the impacts of community involvement ripple far beyond data collection, fostering stewardship and catalyzing local change.