Jason Kelley (AREC ’06) has been named in UT’s Volunteer 40 Under 40, a distinguished designation that recognizes forty alumni under the age of 40 who have excelled personally and professionally since completing their degree at UT Knoxville.

“It is such a great honor to represent the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics in the University of Tennessee’s Volunteer 40 Under 40, class of 2024,” says Kelley. “Being selected has allowed me to reflect on the achievements that I have been able to play a small part in throughout my career. The best part was remembering all the people that helped make those moments a reality. Without the team, these achievements would not have occurred, as they made me a better person.”

Kelley earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 2006. Upon graduation, his career launched in a most unique way, landing him an occupation most only dream about—space!

In 2015, he led the implementation of a new flight console position called Marshall Ground Control and was the first ever to certify in this position. He led teams with the creation and update of crew procedures and the scheduling plans for payload operations for the International Space Station. Since 2020, he has supported the Space Launch System Engineering Support Team as a Flight Operations Lead for the Artemis Program. He was on console as a support manager for the successful launch of Artemis I on November 16, 2022. He is currently the Artemis Project Manager for a contract he supports at NASA.

In addition to all of this, he is also a volunteer firefighter in his community.

So, how did the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics prepare him for a distinguished career in space? In his words: “My time in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics allowed me to gain a wealth of knowledge that has prepared me in my professional career to excel. The course load allowed me to experience different areas of study, which build a solid foundation that opened doors in my career. Even though I don’t work directly in the field of agriculture, I have been able to use the knowledge gained and adapt it to other career fields and prosper.”

That is music to our ears! Congratulations, Jason Kelley!