The city of Manhattan Beach honored astronaut and mission assurance expert Dr. John “Danny” Olivas as a distinguished citizen in a ceremony held June 16, 2015.
“It was an honor and privilege to recognize you,” said Mayor Wayne Powell, who presented Dr. Olivas with a plaque to memorialize the event. “Our community holds you in high esteem.”
After retiring from NASA, Dr. Olivas and his family relocated to Manhattan Beach in 2010 where he founded his engineering and mission assurance consulting firm OMS117 in 2013. Dr. Olivas is married to Marie Olivas, and the couple have five children, Isabella, James, Anthony, Joseph and Gabrielle. The family attends American Martyrs Church.
Dr. Olivas also currently serves as director of the Center for the Advancement of Space Safety and Mission Assurance at the University of Texas, El Paso; as a field editor for the Journal of Space Safety Engineering; and as a member of the Board of Counselors for USC Marshall’s Master of Business for Veterans Career Development Program. His civic involvement includes volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America as a troop leader; fundraising efforts for the California Science Center; and career and education counseling with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.