Brian Hughes to become NASA Chief of Staff

From Jacksonville's St. James, Brian Hughes, a Trump ally, becomes the new NASA Chief of Staff.  Image via X. Image via X.

Brian Hughes, a longtime Florida-based consultant, was just named as Chief of Staff for NASA.

“I am excited to continue my service to the Trump Administration and the nation,” Hughes said in a statement to Florida Politics. “The mission of NASA is so vital to our future, so I’m proud to accept this new opportunity.”

Previously the White House Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications, Hughes will become the top staffer for the nation’s leading space agency, as first reported by NASA Watch.

Hughes also worked on President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, heading the Florida arm of the campaign, and has long worked closely with consultant Susie Wiles, now Trump’s White House Chief of Staff.

The founding president of political firm Zulu Foxtrot Group, he has also served in government in Florida as Jacksonville’s Chief Administrative Officer and as CEO of Jacksonville’s Downtown Investment Authority. He was also former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s Chief of Staff.

Notably, Hughes isn’t the only high-profile hire at NASA to claim strong ties to Florida. The administration just tapped University of Central Florida space czar Greg Autry to serve as NASA’s Chief Financial Officer.

That comes as Florida officials including Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sens. Ashley Moody and Rick Scott all lobby for NASA to relocate its national headquarters from Washington to Florida.

Hughes is expected to work for Jared Isaacman, the SpaceX astronaut nominated by Trump to be NASA Administrator. Isaacman worked for years for SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a close adviser to Trump and someone who DeSantis believes is secretly pulling for a Florida relocation of NASA as well.

As it happens, the administration takes over a Florida heavy leadership team for NASA under former President Joe Biden. Isaacman will succeed former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, a former U.S. Senator for Florida. After Nelson stepped down following Trump’s election, Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro took over as Acting NASA Administrator.

Hughes will succeed Suzie Perez Quinn as NASA Chief of Staff.  Quinn, a University of South Florida alumnus, previously served as Nelson’s Chief of Staff in the Senate.