Dwight Deneal is the assistant administrator for the Office of Small Business Programs at NASA
Headquarters in Washington. In this role, Deneal provides executive leadership, policy direction, and management for programs that help ensure small businesses are given a fair chance to work
with the agency.

Having joined NASA Feb. 14, 2024, Deneal brings over a decade of experience leading
small business and federal acquisition programs to the agency. Prior to his arrival at
NASA, he served as the director for the Defense Logistics Agency’s Office of Small
Business Programs, where he supervised all small business programs and contracting
activities.

Prior to that, Deneal also served as the director for the Small Business and Industry
Liaison Programs at the U.S. Coast Guard, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security. In this capacity, he led all small business and socio-economic related
guidelines, policies, regulations, and was the authority for planning and carrying out
acquisition activities in support of small business programs. Deneal’s experience also
includes supporting the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of
Education, and U.S Department of Navy.

In addition to his NASA role, Deneal serves as the vice chairman of the Federal
Interagency Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Directors Council.
This organization of federal small business program officials meet regularly to exchange
and discuss information on small business methods, issues, and strategies.

A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Deneal graduated from Hampton University in
Hampton, Virginia, where he earned a bachelor’s in business management. He also is a
graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Executive Education
program. Deneal was the recipient of the 2018 U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Chief Procurement Officer Excellence in Industry Engagement Award. He is married
and has two children.

Dr. Karl Mathias, Ph.D. is NASA’s Program Manager for Agency Business Solutions. He joined NASA on December 3, 2023.  Mathias has a tenured leadership track record in several federal agencies. He formerly served as the Chief Information Officer for Health and Human Services. While at HHS, Mathias provided leadership and oversight for the Department’s $7.25B information technology (IT) systems and cybersecurity activities for a workforce of over 83,000. He led the implementation of IT investments, provided policy and resource support for mission accomplishments for a large operating organization, and oversaw compliance for Section 508 Accessibility, Privacy Act, Records Management, and on the Federal CIO Council. 

Prior to his HHS role, Mathias was the CIO for the US Marshals Service, spearheading modernization of legacy IT services through redevelopment and migration to cloud environments.  Mathias is a veteran who retired from the Air Force in 2007 as a Lieutenant (Lt.) Colonel.   He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Utah State University, a Master of Science in Computer Systems Technology from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science from Auburn University.

In 2024, Mathias was awarded the first annual Vaughn Aiken Service Award by the Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association (AFCEA) Bethesda. 

Casey Swails is NASA’s deputy associate administrator, acting as the agency’s deputy chief operating officer for more than 18,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $25 billion. She is the deputy and principal advisor to the associate administrator for overall day-to-day operations and long-term strategic direction across NASA’s 10 field centers, mission directorates, and staff organizations. She establishes the overall strategy, framework, and structure for NASA’s integrated mission support portfolio and builds and advances the agency’s industry partnerships.

In addition, she is leading NASA 2040, the agency’s strategic initiative to ensure NASA remains the preeminent institution for research, technology, and engineering to lead science, aeronautics, and space exploration for humanity in the year 2040.

Previously, Swails served as the chief of staff and senior advisor to the associate administrator, as well as the agency’s acting deputy chief of staff during the presidential transition. In those positions, she ensured the effective flow of operations across NASA’s workforce and represented the agency in the alignment of policy, strategy, priorities, and program development.

Prior to joining the administrator’s office at NASA, she led many of the agency’s significant change management initiatives. This included leadership of the largest human capital transformation effort in NASA’s history, resulting in the successful merger of 10 separate human resources offices into one enterprise organization and the realignment of more than 500 human capital employees and corresponding $90 million budget.

Also noteworthy was her leadership in the design and creation of the agencywide Executive Services Division, which manages programs for attracting, retaining, and developing NASA’s executive cadre of more than 600 senior leaders. With more than 19 years at NASA, Swails has had substantial involvement working across multiple NASA centers and with many of the agency’s human spaceflight programs, including the International Space Station Program, Orion, and the early Commercial Crew and Gateway programs, which are recognized as leading models for the agency today.

Swails holds a Bachelor of Science in management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Duke University, and she has completed executive education at Harvard Business School and INSEAD. She was recognized as one of Georgia Tech’s 40 Under 40 distinguished alumni and was a fellow in the International Women’s Forum. Her work has garnered several awards, including the Gears of Government Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the NASA Silver Achievement Medal, the Silver Snoopy Award, and the Johnson Space Center Director’s Innovation Award.

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