November Speaker: Dan Reczek

About

Bio:

Dan Reczek is a Chief Training Officer for NASA. Daniel was also the lead SLS Booster Officer for the Artemis II mission, where he led a team of nine that developed the ConOps for the Booster Console and supported dynamic ascent and proximity operations from the Flight Control Room. Additionally, Daniel led the Orion Propulsion Training for the Artemis II Crew, developing and teaching the majority of propulsion content to the four astronauts. In his current role, he manages the overall execution of training for human missions to space and maintains connections with nationwide partners involved with NASA’s Space Launch System and Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage.

During Daniel’s time at SLU, he majored in aerospace engineering, was part of the SLU Rocket Propulsion and Space Systems Research Labs, and was part of the athletics department event staff, where he experienced collaborating on a team in a fast-paced environment for the first time. He also joined Tau Beta Pi and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Daniel’s time at SLU helped him develop necessary communication skills and aided in his understanding of what is needed to be successful in his role.

Daniel’s advice to new SLU students is to “say yes to opportunities.” These could even be study abroad or group activities because his event staff role has proven to be such a crucial part of his journey. Daniel also explained that students should not “underestimate the importance of networking” because there are many Billikens in the industry and there is room for more!