Lisa Watson-Morgan is the manager of NASA’s Human Landing System Program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Named to the position in July 2019, Watson-Morgan oversees the program and an agencywide team of 1,000 civil servants and support contractors responsible for working with U.S. industry to develop commercial human landing systems that will safely take Artemis astronauts and heavy cargo from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back. Watson-Morgan manages the integration of these landing systems with the agency’s Orion spacecraft, next-generation spacesuits, and Gateway, humanity’s first space station around the Moon.
Through the agency’s Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. Building on NASA’s experience in lunar exploration, paired with the speed and innovation of industry, these commercial lander systems pave the way for NASA’s long-term goal of recurring missions to deep space.
Watson-Morgan has more than 30 years of management and technical expertise at NASA. Watson-Morgan began her NASA career in 1989 as a data systems engineer at NASA Marshall while she was still a student at the University of Alabama. She held this position until 1999 when she became the mission support requirements and development team lead.
She then began to move up through several positions within NASA Marshall’s Science and Missions Systems Office from 2008 to 2011 including deputy chief engineer, assistant manager, and acting chief engineer.
In 2011, Watson-Morgan became chief engineer of NASA Marshall’s Flight Programs and Partnerships. She was named acting associate director for Technical, Engineering Directorate, in 2013 and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service, the personnel system covering top managerial positions in federal agencies. Watson-Morgan served as manager NASA Marshall’s Chief Engineer’s office until 2015 and director of the Spacecraft and Vehicle Systems Department until 2018.
Most recently, she served as deputy director of the Engineering Directorate and associate director of operations for the Engineering Directorate at Marshall. As deputy director, Watson-Morgan oversaw NASA Marshall’s largest organization of more than 2,300 employees who worked to develop, test, and deliver spaceflight hardware and software in support of the agency’s many top programs, missions, and projects.
Watson-Morgan has received several awards during her NASA career. Three of the most notable are the 2001 Exceptional Service Medal, 2010 Exceptional Achievement Medal, and 2018 Meritorious Presidential Rank Award. Watson-Morgan is a University of Alabama Technical Fellow and was inducted into the state of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2022.
A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Watson-Morgan graduated in 1991 from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. She received her master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering in 1994 and her doctorate in engineering management in 2008, both from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Biography last updated March 2025
