Droegemeier Officially Sworn In As OSTP Director

Kelvin Droegemeier was officially sworn in as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) today.  Vice President Mike Pence officiated.  Droegemeier is the Trump Administration’s first OSTP Director, more than two years after Trump’s inauguration.

Droegemeier is a renowned meteorologist specializing in severe weather events such as thunderstorms and tornadoes who had been serving as Vice President for Research at the University of Oklahoma.  He has doctorate and master’s degree in atmospheric sciences and a bachelor’s in meteorology.

Welcome (officially) to our new Director, Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier, who was sworn into office by @VP Mike Pence today. Kelvin’s first keynote as OSTP Director will be this Friday at the @AAAS’s annual meeting at 2 PM EST! Livestream at https://t.co/yhPJjtwf9K pic.twitter.com/3OhLbIlWop

— White House OSTP (@WHOSTP) February 11, 2019

His nomination was widely praised by both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.  His confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee was uneventful and he was approved by the committee by voice vote with no opposition on September 5, 2018.  He was confirmed by the Senate on January 2, 2019, the last full day of the 115th Congress, in the middle of the 35-day partial government shutdown.

Droegemeier will make his first public appearance in his new capacity on Friday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, DC.  His speech will be livestreamed at 2:00 pm ET.

With the reestablishment of the White House National Space Council, OSTP has less involvement in space policy issues than it did during the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama Administrations.  Droegemeier is a member of the Space Council, however, which is chaired by Pence.