Dr. Marla E. Pérez-Davis is serving as Executive in Residence at the College of Aeronautics and Engineering (CAE) at Kent State University in Ohio. The short-term collaboration is supporting two key strategic college wide initiatives, building bridges with diverse and underrepresented students to pursue STEM careers, and increasing CAE leadership in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).

Previously, Dr. Pérez-Davis served as the director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. In this position, she was responsible for planning, organizing and directing the activities required in accomplishing the missions assigned to the center. The Glenn staff consists of more than 3,200 civil service and support contractor employees and has an annual budget of more than $900 million.  Some key milestones completed at Glenn during her tenure include the construction of the new Research Support Building, testing on the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I Moon mission, demonstrated technologies critical to a new generation of small core engines that will improve fuel efficiency and enable hybrid electric aviation, and testing for the X-59 QueSST quiet supersonic aircraft.  Prior to becoming the director, Dr. Pérez-Davis served as Glenn’s deputy director.

From 2014 to June 2016, she was deputy director of the Research and Engineering Directorate. In this position, Pérez-Davis was responsible for leading, planning, coordinating and managing all phases of Glenn’s research and engineering activities to accomplish NASA missions.

Other key leadership positions Pérez-Davis held at Glenn include director of the Aeronautics Research Office from 2010 to 2014, where she served as the focal point for aeronautics research and provided project management, leadership and oversight in support of the Agency’s aeronautics research mission. Prior to that, she served as chief of the Project Liaison and Integration Office from 2007 to 2010, where her leadership resulted in streamlined business processes, improved contract management practices and improved timeliness response to safety assurance activities. She also served as the chief of the Electrochemistry Branch, where her leadership resulted in strengthening the energy storage and power competencies in support of NASA missions.

Pérez-Davis is the recipient of numerous NASA awards including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the prestigious Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executives. She was also the recipient of the Great Minds in STEM 2021 HENAAC Engineer of the Year Award; 2022 Case Alumni Association Kicher Meritorious Award; 2022 The University of Toledo Distinguished Alumna Award; 2015 Crain’s Women of Note; the Top 25 Elite Business Women, Hispanic Business Magazine; Women of Color Career Achievement; Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez; Women in Aerospace Award for Aerospace Awareness; Women of Color Technology Award for Career Achievement; and the Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Santiago Rodriguez Diversity Award. She is also a certified NASA Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Pérez-Davis, a native of Puerto Rico, earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico; a Master of Science degree from the University of Toledo and a doctoral degree from Case Western Reserve University in Chemical Engineering. In 2006, she completed NASA’s Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program and the Office of Personnel Management Program.