Theresa Sendlalar always knew that she wanted to be part of the lighting of human space, but she was not sure how this dream made a reality until she faced an opportunity with former NASA astronaut Tom Stafford when she was 11 years old.
The couple met at a local jewelry store near the Sindelar house in Nebraska, where General Stavord was signing signatures. In addition to his image, General Staverd gave a valuable advice – it must check the Kansas Cosmosphere, the Space Museum in Hachinson, Kansas. “I began to attend every camp that was presented as a student as a student, and I did it during the college, and I worked there full time while obtaining a graduate degree,” Sindlalar said.
She discovered a passion for teaching and directing young students through her work in the museum education department and important as a teacher of high schools. When I started looking for opportunities in NASA, she sought to be taught with artwork. She said, “I love to flow to others and watch them grow.”
Today, Sindelar is the chief training official (CTO) at the Aviation Operations Directorate at the Johnson Space Center of NASA in Houston. Along with her CTOS colleagues, Sindelar supervises the correct and full training of NASA astronauts, crew members who represent international partners, and all airlines. “I put the pieces together,” she said. “My job is to make sure that the coaches, the Majlis, the external partners, the facility managers and others are all simultaneous.” She added that CTOS has a unique site because they see the big picture of training and understanding the goals and goals of long -term training.
“I must do a lot of great things and go to a lot of wonderful places,” she said, noting that the training facilities in Johnson and other NASA centers, as well as the facilities run by international partners, are first -class. While you enjoy watching astronauts who work through problems and learn new systems, it has a special spoon to train the aviation observer and direct young professionals. She said: “What fills the cup more is seeing a completely new employee from the college blossoms to a confident observer from the trip, doing their work well, and making our tasks better.” “I would like to know that I have something to do with that.”
Sindelar has been part of the Johnson team since 2010 and worked as a teacher in what was then called the Education Office at the center and as a staff training at the Satellite Medicine Directorate before it became CTO. In March 2025, Sindelar won the Space Awareness Award for its distinguished leadership in the Mission Mission (PAM), an important component of NASA’s strategy to enable the strong and competitive trade economy in the low Earth orbit. As the main CTO of PAM, Axiom Mission 3, Sindelar managed to train with important deficiencies, enhance the safety and performance of the task. It led a major decline in stakeholders to simplify operations, reorganize training resources to improve access, and improve the implemented efficiency that led to the support of the task. Sindelar was recognized during the Awards ceremony at the NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and got the launch of NASA’s Spacex Crew-10 mission as a special guest.
During 15 years with the agency, I learned the importance of leadership with role models. She said, “My team needs to see that I met the tape I identified.” “Driving revolves around motivating your people until they abide, not just compatible.”
Maintaining the motives of the team and the correct path is especially important for training and safety. “We are only getting months to train astronauts to do the most dangerous activities of humans, or to train aviation monitors who have the task literally and the life of astronauts in their hands,” Sinellar said, adding that they cannot afford the costs of a non -complex or indifferent team.
Sindelar notes that the Johnson training team is fully aware of their responsibilities. “We live and work in the same societies as the crew members,” she said. “We see them in school jobs, in the grocery store, in the park. We know that their families depend on us to bring their loved ones safely.”
I also learned that her voice is important. “When I was a young professional, I never felt that I could be influential, but the only person who hinders me is me.” “I had to learn to trust my own instincts. It was definitely outside my comfort zone.” She is attributed to her guides to help her building confidence and know when and how she speaks. She said: “I had many giants of community mold for space and formed me in my career, consultants in the universe throughout the airline and astronauts,” she said. “It is an honor for me to learn from them, and I am grateful to each of them.”
Outside of work, Sindelar uses its voice in a different way – as part of the church choir. It also plays the piano, saying that it is passionate about music and volunteering as it is in the field of human transport. She is a member of the Friendswood Volunteer Fire Department, also working on the rehabilitation team and as a department’s department’s hypothesis
While NASA is preparing to return humans to the moon and the trip to Mars, Sindelar hopes to teach the next generation of explorers enough so that they can show the wonders of the universe. “This next generation will witness and do the things that my generation never thought,” she said, adding that the time has come to start driving. “Use your voice. Take each other along the way. Contact and help the next good in the queue.”
Sindelar maintains a reminder of that important message on her office: The photo signed. Stafford throughout those past years.