In January 2023, Debbie Martínez was selected as Deputy Director, Research Services Directorate (RSD) at NASA’s Langley Research Center.

Debbie was previously the Associate Project Manager (APM) for both the IASP/Low Boom Flight Demonstrator (LBFD)/Quesst and AAVP/Commercial Supersonic Technology (CST) Projects.  Previously, she completed her 1-year detail assignment as Deputy Director for the Office of Strategic Analysis, Communications, and Business Development (OSACB) (reorg Strategic Partnership Office, SPO) and Lead for the Strategic Analysis and Integration team.

Debbie has extensive experience in aeronautics project management, leading inter-disciplinary and multi-center teams, and working with other government agency partners. Prior to her OSACB assignment, she was the Execution Manager for the Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program (TACP)/Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) Project for six years. In this role, she managed over 21 independent CAS activity teams (such as MADCAT, Learn2FLY, SCEPTOR/aka X-57 Maxwell, FUELEAP, Digital Twin, ATTRACTOR, QTech, AERoBOND, and STEReO) from all four NASA Aeronautics Centers (Langley, Glenn, Ames, and Armstrong) to develop strategies, plans, and resources to ensure the development of innovative concepts and technologies in support of the NASA Aeronautics vision.

Additionally, Debbie has experience supporting various Science and Space Missions.  She was the Deputy Project Manager and Lead Systems Engineer for the Orion Flight Test Article (FTA) project, delivering a full-scale Pad Abort 1 (PA-1) Crew Module that was successfully launched and tested with the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS) at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico.

Debbie began her career in the NASA Langley RSD (formerly FRSD) Simulation Development & Analysis Branch (SDAB) in 1990.  She was the Software Manager for the CMF Motion Base Controls System.  She was also FRSD/Flight Operations Engineer in the Flight Operations Branch.  

She has earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, A.S. in Engineering from TNCC, M.E. in Modeling & Simulation Engineering from Old Dominion University, and a Private Pilot license from Langley Air Force Base Aero Club. 

She is a proactive advocate of the Agency and Langley policy for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA).  She chairs the NASA Langley Hispanic Employee Advisory Committee (HEAC) Employee Resource Group (ERG), co-founder/member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers of Southeast VA (SHPE-SEVA) chapter, Hampton Roads Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) member, and a mentor in Christopher Newport University (CNU) Physics, Computer Science & Engineering (PCSE) Mentorship Program.