April 12, 2012

Robinson Center alumni speaker series kicks off with Beth Robinson, CFO of NASA and Robinson Center alum

Elizabeth “Beth” Robinson was in the first Robinson Center Early Entrance Program class and is now the CFO of NASA. She will speak on April 20 at 4 p.m. in Mary Gates Hall, room 206.

by Sharon Dana

Chief financial officer of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Elizabeth “Beth” Robinson will speak to current students and alumni during HuskyFest, on April 20, 2012, at 4:00 p.m., in Mary Gates Hall room 206. Robinson is the daughter of Nancy and Halbert Robinson for whom the center is named, and was in the first class of Robinson Center Early Entrance Program students, who entered the university in 1976.

In her talk “From College Student to Political Appointee,” Robinson plans to discuss what she learned from the Early Entrance Program, its advantages and disadvantages, and her career since then, with lessons learned along the way.

Since graduating from the University of Washington, she earned her Ph.D. in geophysics, worked as staff in Congress and the White House, and is now the chief financial officer for NASA, sworn into office in 2009. She manages the organization’s budget and financial operations and ensures that NASA resources are effectively directed toward the achievement of NASA’s strategic plan.