3 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) 
Jeff Renshaw is the lead attorney for procurement law in the Office of the General Counsel for NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the NASA Shared Services Center. NASA/Danny Nowlin NASA attorney Jeff Renshaw’s work has primarily revolved around two things: serving others and solving problems.
The New Orleans native retired as an U.S. Air Force judge advocate following more than two decades of service. Renshaw now has worked for more than eight years as an attorney advisor at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
As the nation’s largest multiuser propulsion test site, NASA Stennis supports and helps power both national and commercial space efforts and missions. Any activity at NASA Stennis is authorized by some form of written agreement. The Office of General Counsel, which Renshaw is a part of, works to ensure that work is conducted appropriately.
“I’m dedicated to being the best public civil servant I can be,” Renshaw said. “In this position, you are representing your client, which is NASA, the federal government, and the taxpayers, so it is important for me to stay updated with the latest legal developments to be the best advocate and advisor I can be.”
As lead attorney for procurement law, the Metairie, Louisiana, resident works alongside the Office of Procurement serving both NASA Stennis and the NASA Shared Services Center.
Some of Renshaw’s work includes reviewing Space Act contract agreements for commercial companies that use NASA Stennis facilities, along with activities for some of the more than 50 federal, state, academic, public, and private aerospace, technology, and research organizations that are part of the NASA Stennis federal city.
Renshaw is motivated to be an expert in his line of work – whether deployed as a U.S. Air Force procurement law attorney to Baghdad, the Horn of Africa, and Afghanistan, or working at NASA to help the nation return to the Moon. He spends a lot of time with NASA engineers to understand the in-and-outs of ongoing projects since any activity happening onsite involves the Office of General Counsel.
In addition to the U.S. Air Force, Renshaw has served in other legal profession roles, including as a law clerk for a Louisiana district court judge and a position in the Louisiana State Attorney General’s Office. He said working for NASA gives him the opportunity to focus on his area of expertise, while being involved in the agency’s great mission of exploration and discovery.
“I love NASA, and it is good to feel part of the team and to know that you are contributing to the mission,” he said.