![\"Kim](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/s24-aug-kim-johnson.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>NASA employee Kim Johnson\u2019s desire for growth has taken her many places and continues unabated at NASA\u2019s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.<\/p>\n
The D\u2019Iberville, Mississippi, resident is a contracting officer in the NASA Stennis Office of Procurement, where she supports NASA\u2019s mission at the largest rocket propulsion test site.<\/p>\n
Johnson oversees natural gas company contracts providing fuel to parts of the NASA Stennis federal city infrastructure, including the test stands benefitting NASA and commercial aerospace companies, and a security contract with local law enforcement to ensure all needs are met.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWhat is cool about procurement is interacting with a lot of different people when putting contracts together,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cNASA Stennis has people from different ages and skillsets, from engineers, to scientists, to procurement and finance, I get to work with many people putting contracts together. I love the diversity of it and different levels of knowledge. Everyone brings something to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s travels have exposed her to various people and work environments. She earned an undergraduate degree in London, England and a master\u2019s degree in business administration at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and started her procurement career with a U.S. Air Force internship at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.<\/p>\n
Johnson also worked at the NASA Shared Services Center, located at NASA Stennis, for two years. In the process, she earned a master\u2019s degree in acquisition and contract management through the Florida Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n
The travel bug then set in once more and the Biloxi, Mississippi, native set off to Afghanistan to work as a defense contractor. The 10-year stint helped pay off student loans, although Johnson stayed in the country a bit longer than anticipated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Following a final 13 months of working 84 hours a week in Afghanistan, Johnson took a break for a year before a return to NASA in south Mississippi presented itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been fortunate that my experiences have helped me understand contracts from both the commercial perspective and government perspective,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat I love about NASA Stennis is everybody is so helpful, and you know they will help you get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NASA Stennis contracting officer continues her career development after being selected into a NASA leadership program. The year-long program focuses on NASA employees developing leadership capabilities and understanding how their work contributes to NASA missions. As part of the program, Johnson has visited NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is encouraging because NASA promotes growth,\u201d she said. \u201cThe agency really pushes you to grow in your career.\u201d<\/p>\n
For information about NASA\u2019s Stennis Space Center, visit:
Stennis Space Center \u2013 NASA<\/a><\/p>\n