Douglas A. Comstock
Director of the Innovative Partnerships Office
NASA
Douglas A. Comstock is the Director of the Innovative Partnerships Office (IPO) in the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT). In this role, Comstock is responsible for NASA’s technology transfer program, creating partnerships to commercialize NASA technology that will create jobs, increase U.S. economic competitiveness, and save and improve lives every day. A key element is managing NASA’s intellectual property process and licensing NASA technology for commercial application. He leads partnership activities for the Office of the Chief Technologist seeking technology development partnerships with other Government agencies, commercial industry and international partners. Comstock also leads efforts in innovation, exploring new innovation methods and conducting pilot projects to nurture and accelerate innovation inside and outside of NASA. He seeks to energize new and emerging commercial space industries through partnerships, modeled after the way that NASA’s predecessor – the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) – sparked the growth and success of the early aviation industry. Comstock previously served as the NASA comptroller, responsible for the preparation, tracking, presentation and defense of NASA’s budget to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congress. As the founding director of NASA’s Strategic Investments Division, he was responsible for integrating NASA’s strategic planning and program analysis supporting budget decisions into a single organization. Under his leadership, NASA was the first agency to achieve ‘green’ status for Budget and Performance Integration as part of the President’s Management Agenda, resulting in NASA’s first honorable mention for the President’s Quality Award. Before coming to NASA, Comstock spent four years as a program examiner in OMB, with responsibility for NASA’s human space flight activities, biological and physical research and personnel. Prior to his government service, he was Director of Engineering with the Futron Corporation, a Bethesda, Md.-based technology consulting firm, and began his career with General Dynamics Space Systems Division, conducting preliminary design and systems analysis for numerous aerospace systems, from strategic defense to advanced space transportation. Comstock has undergraduate degrees from the University of Washington in mechanical engineering and architecture. He did his graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received masters degrees in aeronautics and astronautics, and technology and policy. He resides in Ashburn, Va. and is married to the former Susan Louk. They have two children