Loyola University alum and ex-Secretary of the Navy
Sean O’Keefe first came to Irish America’s attention
when he served as the 10th Administrator of
NASA, leading the agency and managing its resources, a
position he held from 2001-2005. O’Keefe became
Chancellor of Louisiana State University and A&M College
after leaving NASA on February 21, 2005.
O’Keefe’s ancestors are from Cork and Sligo, and when asked what his heritage means to him, he replied, “A heritage of persistence, ingenuity and industry – a rich sense of culture to inspire achievement.” In honor of his heritage, O’Keefe served as the Grand Marshal of the 23rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2004.
Chancellor O’Keefe is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a Fellow of the International Academy of Astronautics, and a member of the Naval Postgraduate School Board of Advisors. During his academic postings, he was a Visiting Scholar at the Wolfson College of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, a member of the Naval Postgraduate School’s civil-military relations seminar team, and conducted seminars for the Strategic Studies Group at Oxford University. He served on the national security panel to devise the 1988 Republican platform and was a member of the 1985 Kennedy School of Government program for national security executives at Harvard University.
In 1993, President George H.W. Bush and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney presented him the Distinguished Public Service Award. He was the 1999 faculty recipient of the Syracuse University Chancellor’s Award for Public Service; recipient of the Department of the Navy’s Public Service Award in December 2000; and has been awarded five honorary doctorate degrees from several prestigious educational institutions. In 2003 and 2004, he was honored by Irish America magazine as one of the Top 100 Irish-Americans.
He is married to Laura McCarthy O’Keefe, and they have three children – Lindsey, Jonathan, and Kevin.
O’Keefe’s ancestors are from Cork and Sligo, and when asked what his heritage means to him, he replied, “A heritage of persistence, ingenuity and industry – a rich sense of culture to inspire achievement.” In honor of his heritage, O’Keefe served as the Grand Marshal of the 23rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2004.
Chancellor O’Keefe is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a Fellow of the International Academy of Astronautics, and a member of the Naval Postgraduate School Board of Advisors. During his academic postings, he was a Visiting Scholar at the Wolfson College of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, a member of the Naval Postgraduate School’s civil-military relations seminar team, and conducted seminars for the Strategic Studies Group at Oxford University. He served on the national security panel to devise the 1988 Republican platform and was a member of the 1985 Kennedy School of Government program for national security executives at Harvard University.
In 1993, President George H.W. Bush and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney presented him the Distinguished Public Service Award. He was the 1999 faculty recipient of the Syracuse University Chancellor’s Award for Public Service; recipient of the Department of the Navy’s Public Service Award in December 2000; and has been awarded five honorary doctorate degrees from several prestigious educational institutions. In 2003 and 2004, he was honored by Irish America magazine as one of the Top 100 Irish-Americans.
He is married to Laura McCarthy O’Keefe, and they have three children – Lindsey, Jonathan, and Kevin.