Blaney worked for NASA for decades
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FAIRMONT — After decades of service to NASA and leadership of the Independent Verification and Validation Program, Director Gregory Blaney will retire at the end of the calendar year.
Blaney has served as the director of the IV&V Program at the Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility in Fairmont for more than 12 years.
“My passion for the safety of NASA’s missions runs very deep,” Blaney said. “It has been an honor and an extreme pleasure working with the people of IV&V. … They live by our program values, they’re just really good people, they have great work ethic and they do produce a lot of value for NASA and all of our customers. The program is a great asset for the local community, for West Virginia and for NASA.”
Starting in 2022, Wesley Deadrick will transition into the role of program director. Deadrick — a Petersburg native and West Virginia University graduate — has led the Independent Verification and Validation Office department for about a decade and has made many strides in that time.
Deadrick is the recipient of several awards during his time with the NASA IV&V Program, including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal from 2021 and being honored with the inaugural “Terry Wilcutt Excellence in Advancing Safety and Mission Assurance Award.” And as he prepares to advance into the director role, he’s looking to Blaney’s success so far.
“Under Greg’s leadership, the IV&V Program has evolved and advanced,” Deadrick said. “I can say with confidence that Greg is leaving the program in a much better place than when he stepped into the role.”
Learning that Deadrick would be his successor as program director was a proud and optimistic moment, according to Blaney.
“[Deadrick] has been an outstanding leader of the IV&V Office for years, a significant contributor to the program’s senior staff, plus he performed many other functions within the program over the earlier years with excellence,” he said. “I can only imagine how great the IV&V Program will become based upon all of the talent within the program and his leadership.”
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