DeLoach was elected for a three-year term running from October 1, 2026, through September 2029 in a membership vote during an IAASS General Assembly meeting on August 27.
“I am excited and honored to be asked to lead the world’s leading advocacy organization for the safe and sustainable use of space,” DeLoach said. “Whether you are a space professional, a future space traveler, or a member of the general public, everyone benefits when space exploration and development is conducted safely and cooperatively.”
DeLoach retired from NASA at the end of 2025, most recently serving as NASA’s Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA Headquarters. During more than three decades with the U.S. space agency, he served in a variety of increasingly senior positions in safety, reliability, and quality assurance at NASA Kennedy Space Center and at NASA Johnson Space Center.
This work, including significant contributions to the International Space Station, the NASA Commercial Crew Program, and the return to flight of the Space Shuttle following the 2003 Columbia accident, earned DeLoach the 2026 Leonardo da Vinci Life-Long Achievement Award from the IAASS.
“I found throughout my career that space safety activities are most effective when they are integral to and embedded within a project’s overall mission. Space safety practitioners provide critical inputs to project decision making and must be engaged with a seat at the table,” DeLoach said. “We are the community that helps a project overcome its inevitable hurdles and find a safe way to succeed. With this perspective, I step into this leadership position having great anticipation of our role in assuring the safe and sustainable use of space.”
DeLoach succeeds Dr. Paul Wilde, who served as IAASS president since 2019. Wilde is founding fellow of the IAASS and currently serves as the Chief Engineer for Commercial Space Transportation in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.