Stephanie Schierholz

Stephanie L. Schierholz has more than 15 years’ experience leading strategic communications, media relations, social media, and public outreach efforts.

Stephanie Schierholz is the senior spokesperson responsible for leading integrated communications efforts for NASA’s human spaceflight programs, including rocket launches, human and cargo missions, and spacecraft testing and development. She provides strategic communications guidance to NASA's senior management and is an advocate for incorporating emerging communications technologies into the agency's public outreach activities. She is one of the agency’s most experienced crisis communications consultants. From 2016 through 2017, she served on a special detail as press secretary for the NASA Administrator. As the first social media manager at NASA Headquarters in 2010, she led not only the agency but the U.S. government in using social media to connect and engage, facilitating the first tweets from space and growing NASA’s Twitter account into one of the top 100 most followed worldwide.

She has been an adjunct faculty member teaching "Social Media Strategies and Tactics" as part of Georgetown University’s Social Media Management certificate program since 2012. She also led social media at the Fortune 500 Raytheon Company. She has won several awards for her work, including the 2012 Shorty Award for Best Social Media Manager. She has been recognized with three of NASA's highest awards: the Space Flight Awareness Award, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and Group Achievement Award.

She is a keynote speaker and panelist sharing her expertise on social media and public relations at conferences worldwide. She earned her Global M.B.A. at the McDonough School at Georgetown University and bachelor’s degrees in business administration and English.