Jordan Evans

Jordan P. Evans
'93, B.S., Aerospace Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA; Aztec for Life
Deputy Director for Flight Projects
Jet Propulsion Laboratory

BIOGRAPHY

Jordan Evans is the Deputy Director for Flight Projects at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).  Prior to his current role, Mr. Evans served as the Project Manager for the Europa Clipper mission and led the team through the successful design, development, launch, and early operations of this NASA Class-A planetary flagship mission with a total budget of $5.25B. He has been in executive management at JPL since 2017 and previously served as the Deputy Director for Engineering and Science, responsible for leading JPL's engineering and science workforce in the development of advanced robotic systems for the exploration of our universe.  

In addition to over 20 years at JPL, Mr. Evans’ career spans key contributions across the aerospace sector. Early in his career, he worked on the first two operational B-2 “Stealth” bombers at Northrop, followed by nearly a decade developing space telescope missions at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Spectrum Astro. His project portfolio includes the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera-3, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), the GLAST/Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), and the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) “Curiosity” Rover mission. He has successfully developed directed missions, competed missions, and firm-fixed price spacecraft efforts across government and industry.

Regularly called on to lead the investigation of mission-impacting problems, Mr. Evans brings a healthy mix of technical experience, leadership skills, and humor to otherwise uncomfortable situations and has received numerous awards for his leadership and ability to balance risk effectively. Mr. Evans has ten NASA Achievement Awards for exceptional contributions to projects and is a recipient of the prestigious NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, one of our nation’s highest civilian honors. For his work on the Curiosity Rover, his team received the AIAA Award for Excellence and the Robert J. Collier Trophy (on display in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum).

Mr. Evans is an internationally recognized speaker and is sought after to share the challenges of his work at conferences, universities, and with the media.

An accomplished musician, Mr. Evans regularly performs with big bands, small jazz ensembles, and even a Rush tribute band in the Southern California area. Additionally, Mr. Evans is a consultant for the National Academy of Sciences’ "Science & Entertainment Exchange" and serves as a science consultant for major motion pictures and television.

SDSU Affiliations:

• College of Engineering – Dean's Advisory Board Member
• Engineering Interdisciplinary Sciences (EIS) Campaign Committee – Committee Member
• Industrial Advisory Board, Department of Aerospace Engineering – Board Member