He will lead the world’s largest aerospace technical society where he has been an active, 30-year member and longtime volunteer.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue in 1981 and a master’s in business administration from the University of Alabama in 1984. He completed the Senior Managers in Government study program at Harvard University. Dumbacher became a Purdue faculty member in August 2014 after retiring from NASA, where he spent more than three decades. At NASA, Dumbacher most recently served as deputy associate administrator in the Exploration Systems Development Division for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.