Meet Your Organizers

Dr. Christina R. Richey is the Program Manager for the Office of Research and Development (ORD) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Prior to joining OCS, Christina was the Program Manager of the Planetary Science Research and Analysis Office. Dr. Richey provides guidance on the proposal process for the section and division, trains researchers within the community on best practices for proposal submission and review (including being the PI of a NASA award for proposal writing workshops), and is responsible for managing the submission of all planetary science R&A proposals. Dr. Richey is also a consultant for the Europa Clipper mission.

In addition to their scientific activities, Dr. Richey has held several leadership positions and has actively engaged in education and public outreach opportunities. Christina is an accomplished leader and award winner in their field in dealing with anti-harassment policies and procedures and has been cited by major news agencies for their efforts within the community to create safe, inclusive environments. Christina has been awarded a Special Service Award at NASA HQ (2014) for their work within the Planetary Science community, as well as a NASA Group Achievement Award in 2020. Dr. Richey was honored with the AAS DPS Meritorious Career Service Award, the Harold Masursky Award in 2015. Dr. Richey was designated a Legacy Fellow by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in 2019.

Learn more about Christina here.
Contact: christina.r.richey@jpl.nasa.gov

Paul Propster is a seasoned storyteller, strategy lover, line blurrer, dot connector, and message-driven professional. With more than 25 years in strategic communications, Paul has helped clients across industries tell their stories. From small, women-owned businesses to energy to technology to NASA, he partners with teams to cultivate a narrative that produces greater emotional investment in stakeholders. Since 2014, Paul has been the resident “storytelling architect” for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab’s Office of Formulation, spearheading the development and establishment of a storytelling culture, methods, and tools through strategic partnerships with Disney, Pixar, The Groundlings, Netflix, Marvel, and others. He led the capture of an Earth Venture mission (MAIA), a Heliopyhsics mission (SunRISE), and an Astrophysics mission (SPARCS). In 2020, he established the JPL StoryLab, the first group of its kind at JPL to support teams in embracing the power of narrative thinking. Paul is an old, salty surfer and mountain biker, as well as a music and movie lover, and he enjoys spending as much time as possible at the beach. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Laurie, and 3 sons.

Learn more about Paul here.
Contact: paul.propster@jpl.nasa.gov