Kelly Busquets: Keeping Goddard Healthy and Sustainable

Originally posted on the NASA.gov website on May 3rd, 2022. Removed from the NASA.gov website on February 6th, 2025 as part of the Trump administrations efforts to remove all traces of DEI.

Written by Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Name: Kelly Busquets

Title: Goddard Sustainability Program Manager

Formal Job Classification: Environmental engineer

Organization: Facilities Management Division, Management Operations Directorate (Code 220)

What is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?

As the Goddard sustainability program manager, I strive to enable Goddard to complete its missions with minimum impact to the environment and our natural resources to preserve them for future generations. We are increasing sustainable buildings and infrastructure to provide a healthy work environment indoors and outdoors for our people. Although I’m based at our Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, I support all Goddard centers.

What attracted you to environmental engineering?

I grew up in Southern California. I have a B.S. in petroleum engineering and an M.S. in environmental engineering from Stanford. Both degrees helped me to be connected to the environment.

I love animals and nature and feel it is important to protect the environment.

What is unique about your position?

I came to Wallops in April 2015 to work in the Environmental Management Division. In February 2017, Goddard created a position for a sustainability program manager which is unique compared to other NASA centers because I sit in the facilities division, which allows me to better address many of the sustainability requirements such as energy and water conservation, sustainable buildings and infrastructure which are managed by the facilities management division. I am a liaison to the environmental division, which ties the two functional areas together for the first time.

What helps you communicate between these divisions?

I have an engineering degree, so I speak the language of engineers and support the engineers in the facilities management division. But because I spent the last 26 years working in environmental compliance, I understand those requirements as well. I worked in environmental compliance for the United States Navy, private industry, the United States Army and the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command, which led me to a position at Wallops.

How are you making a positive difference?

I explore new initiatives for Goddard to make our operations more sustainable. I am always trying new things. Our most recent initiative is “Envision,” a sustainability rating program for infrastructure projects such as roads, potable water and sewer systems, bridges, electrical and communication lines. We can build infrastructure in a sustainable manner. The rating system evaluates how sustainable we build our infrastructure to minimize impact to the environment, natural resources and social economic impacts on the workforce and local community. I brought the Envision program to the attention of NASA, which has embraced the concept and already included the requirement in the 2021 NASA Sustainability Plan and NPR 8820 construction requirements documents.

What advisory committees are you on?

I am the secretary for Goddard’s Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee. I am the Wallops representative for Goddard’s Women’s Advisory Committee. I am also a Goddard diversity dialogue program facilitator. In fact, Michelle Jones of Goddard’s Office of Communications was one of my mentors.

How do you promote Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)?

Currently, I am facilitating a nine-week, cross-campus D&I awareness training course. Every other week, for two-and one-half hours, over nine weeks, we facilitate open dialogue sessions to address different elements of D&I. The diversity dialogue program sessions help participants learn about themselves and their co-workers, allowing them to become more aware of their own actions and how they impact people, positively and negatively.

I have been conducting different events to support the Wallops Gender Study to improve the culture for women at Wallops. We had a senior leader panel session for women, two listening sessions for women and two awareness sessions for supervisors and managers.

What do you do for fun?

I play volleyball, basketball, and tennis. I also snow board, ski, and wind surf. I play drums and used to be in the Stanford marching band.

What makes you happy?

I live vicariously through watching my three boys excel in their sports. They are not the bench warmer I was. They are all stars and I love it!