Our Executive Mentors

Rebecca Spyke Keiser, PhD

Dr. Rebecca Spyke Keiser joined the National Science Foundation's Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) in 2015.  She came to the NSF from NASA, where she was a Special Advisor for Innovation and Public-Private Partnerships, reporting to the NASA Administrator, and an Executive-in-Residence at American University.

Prior to that, she held several positions with NASA, including Associate Deputy Administrator for Strategy and Policy, Associate Deputy Administrator for Policy Integration, Executive Officer to the Deputy Administrator, and Chief of Staff for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Dr. Keiser also served as Assistant to the Director for International Relations at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), where she provided policy guidance to the President's science advisor.  

Dr. Keiser’s experience covers science and technology policy, agreements and other cooperative efforts. She is a board member of Women in Aerospace and a member of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. She speaks Japanese and Spanish.  Dr. Keiser earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese Studies from Wellesley College, a Master of Science degree in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics, and a doctorate in International Studies from the University of South Carolina.