Julian M. Earls Biography Favorites Color Black Food Lemon Meringue Pie Quote “God did not give anybody everything, but He gave everybody something.” Time of Year Spring Vacation Spot Los Angeles, California

Scientist and former National Aeronautics and Space Administration administrator, Julian Manly Earls holds six university degrees. Earls was born on November 22, 1942 to James and Ida Deberry Earls. He attended and graduated from Crestwood High School in Chesapeake, Virginia in 1960 and went on to earn his B.S. degree in physics from Norfolk State University in 1964. Listening to the advice of his college mentor, Roy A. Woods, Earls decided to further his education and attended the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester, earning his M.S. degree in radiation biology in 1965. Earls was then hired by NASA and earned his Ph.D. in radiation physics from the University of Michigan in 1973. Earls has also been awarded honorary degrees by the College of Aeronautics in New York, Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and North Carolina A&T State University. Earls is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School Program for Management Development.

On October 1, 2003, Earls was appointed director of NASA's Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in Cleveland, Ohio. As center director, Earls is responsible for research, technology and systems development programs in aeronautical propulsion, space propulsion, space power, space communications, and microgravity sciences. He manages an annual budget of approximately $773 million, and oversees a workforce of 1920 civil service employees and 1300 on-site support service contractors.

Earls, who began his career with NASA in 1965, has written dozens of publications for technical and educational journals. He wrote NASA's first health physics guides. On two occasions, he has been awarded NASA medals for exceptional achievement and outstanding leadership. He also received the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive.

Earls is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and is a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Earls and his wife, Zenobia, reside in Beachwood, Ohio. They have two sons, Gregory and Julian, Jr., and one granddaughter, Madisyn Chandler.

Earls was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on January 10, 2005.