George T. Whitesides

George Thomas Whitesides (born March 3, 1974) is an American businessman and public official. He was CSO (Chief Space Officer) and long time CEO of Virgin Galactic, a firm developing commercial space vehicles at the Mojave Air and Space Port. He still serves as a member of the Virgin Galactic Advisory Board. Whitesides was previously Chief of Staff of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Administrator Charles Bolden, a position to which he was named after serving on the NASA transition team for the incoming Obama administration. On February 22, 2023, he announced his candidacy for California's 27th congressional district in the 2024 election.