Harold (Trey) Carlson has served as chief of staff for NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida since August 2022. In this role, Carlson is responsible for day-to-day operations at Kennedy, helping shape the strategic direction of the center while overseeing various policies and initiatives.

Experience
Prior to assuming his current role, Carlson served for five years as the Kennedy Space Center legislative affairs manager. He directed KSC’s legislative agenda, interfacing with Congress and with the State of Florida legislature as well as advocating for NASA’s exploration and science mission requirements and Kennedy’s multi-user spaceport needs.

During his tenure as legislative affairs manager, Carlson served several months as NASA’s acting deputy associate administrator for the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (OLIA) and eight months as the acting director for Legislative Liaison Division within OLIA. 

Previously, he led the development and execution of Kennedy’s master plan that transformed the center from a single-use, government-operated federal facility to a multi-user spaceport providing both government and commercial launch operations.

Carlson started with NASA in 2003 as a Presidential Management Fellow and worked at Glenn Research Center in Ohio in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and Human Resources organizations before coming to Kennedy and working in the Launch Services Program.

Education
Carlson is a former U.S. Navy submariner and holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and planning from the University of California at San Diego, and a Master of Science degree in public policy and management from the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University. 

Personal
Carlson and his wife, Kathleen, have been married for 28 years and reside in Satellite Beach, Florida.