By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
Alabama State University alumnus, Larry K. Mack was recently named director of Human Capital with the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, as well as Mississippi's Stennis Space Center and its Shared Services Center.
Mack earned his bachelor's degree in political science from ASU in 1993 and his master's degree in human resources development from Bowie State University in Maryland. The Selma, Alabama native now resides in Madison, Alabama, and is a dedicated alumnus who serves as the president of ASU’s National Alumni Association’s Rocket City Chapter in Huntsville. Mack shared that he is grateful for his appointment by NASA and stated that being an Alabama State University graduate has played a major role in his development and success.
"Attending and being a graduate of The Alabama State University has been integral in my life," said Mack. "ASU has contributed to every positive aspect of my life, both workwise and personally. My employment over my lifetime is due to Alabama State. Personally, I met my wife, Tamara, on campus as we both attended the University. My son is a graduate, and my daughter will soon be a member of the Hornet Nation family. We are all ASU black and gold, through and through."
He has earned several professional awards during his career, including NASA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Medal, the Federal Asian Pacific American Council’s Outstanding Individual Award, NASA’s Silver Achievement Medal, NASA’s Group Achievement Honor Award, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Chairman’s Award for Supervisory Excellence.
Before starting his career with NASA in 2015, Mack was employed by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and then transitioned to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Mack has held positions of ascending responsibility, including being a compensation manager, deputy director for Strategic Management of Human Capital, and supervisory specialist in Human Resources.
NASA's director, Joseph Pelfrey, shared that in his new role, Mack will provide leadership for a portfolio of services, including strategic workforce planning and analysis, talent acquisition, training, development, and advising executives on human resource matters.
"Mack has extensive experience in the areas of recruitment, training and awards, automated systems, leadership/organizational development, strategic workforce planning, employee/labor relations, and performance management to complement mission-critical agency goals," stated Pelfrey. "Mack previously served as deputy director of Human Capital at Marshall from 2015 to 2024. In this role, he provided leadership to a workforce of civil servants and contractor staff focused on maintaining a working environment that encourages creative thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving in resolving human resources challenges."
Mack says his primary goal is to help to advance NASA’s role in human space exploration through his new position and to promote positive working relationships that support that mission.
“It’s critical to understand the importance of relationships and the impact they may have on your life, as a prior professional relationship led me to NASA and Marshall Space Flight Center,” Mack said. “Your ability to network truly can impact your net worth. As members of the human capital team, we all have a unique role in helping shape the culture and the working environment necessary for everyone connected to NASA and Marshall Space Flight Center to have a robust and meaningful employee experience in supporting the big, bold mission of human space exploration.”
He notes that recruiting, developing, and empowering current and future NASA employees is critical to the agency’s missions.
"This is a very special moment in time, and in serving people. I help play a role in contributing to our overall success,” Mack concluded.