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<\/a><\/figure>She discovered a passion for teaching and mentoring young students through her work in the museum\u2019s education department and a stint as a high school science teacher. When she began looking for opportunities at NASA, she sought a position that melded instruction with technical work. \u201cI like pouring into others and watching them grow,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Today, Sindelar is a chief training officer (CTO) within the Flight Operations Directorate at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Along with her fellow CTOs, Sindelar oversees the correct and complete training of NASA astronauts, crew members representing international partners, and all flight controllers. \u201cI put the pieces together,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is my job to make sure instructors, schedulers, outside partners, facility managers, and others are all in sync.\u201d She added that CTOs have a unique position because they see the big picture of a training flow and understand the long-term training goals and objectives.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\u201cI get to do a lot of cool things and go to a lot of cool places,\u201d she said, noting that the training facilities at Johnson and other NASA centers, as well as facilities managed by international partners, are top-notch. While she does enjoy watching astronauts work through problems and learn new systems, she has a special fondness for flight controller training and mentoring young professionals. \u201cWhat fills my cup the most is seeing a brand-new employee right out of college blossom into a confident flight controller, do their job well, and make our missions better,\u201d she said. \u201cI like knowing that I had something to do with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Sindelar has been part of the Johnson team since 2010 and worked as an educator in what was then called the center\u2019s Office of Education and as a crew training instructor in the Space Medicine Operations Directorate before becoming a CTO. In March 2025, Sindelar received a Space Flight Awareness Program Honoree Award for her outstanding leadership in the Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) program, which is an important component of NASA\u2019s strategy for enabling a robust and competitive commercial economy in low Earth orbit. As the lead CTO for the third PAM, Axiom Mission 3, Sindelar managed training while identifying critical inefficiencies, enhancing mission safety and performance. She spearheaded a key stakeholder retreat to streamline operations, reorganized training resources for improved accessibility, and implemented efficiency improvements that optimized mission support. Sindelar\u2019s work was recognized during an award ceremony at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and she got to attend the launch of NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-10 mission as a special guest. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In her 15 years with the agency, she has learned the importance of leading by example. \u201cMy team needs to see that I meet the bar I set,\u201d she said. \u201cLeading is about motivating your people so they are committed, not just compliant.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/figure>Keeping a team motivated and on track is particularly important to training success and safety. \u201cWe only get a matter of months to train astronauts to do the most hazardous activities that humans have done, or to train flight controllers who literally have the mission and the lives of astronauts in their hands,\u201d Sindelar said, adding that they cannot afford to have an unfocused or indifferent team.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Sindelar observed that Johnson\u2019s training team is acutely aware of their responsibilities. \u201cWe live and work in the same communities as the crew members,\u201d she said. \u201cWe see them at school functions, at the grocery store, at the park. We know their families are counting on us to bring their loved ones home safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
She has also learned that her voice matters. \u201cWhen I was a young professional, I just never felt I could be influential, but the only person holding me back was me,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to learn to trust in my own instincts. That was definitely outside of my comfort zone.\u201d She credits her mentors with helping her build confidence and knowing when and how to speak up. \u201cI have had many giants of the spaceflight community mold and shape me in my career, from my counselors at the Cosmosphere all the way to flight directors and astronauts,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is my privilege to learn from them, and I am grateful to each of them.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Outside of work, Sindelar uses her voice in a different way \u2013 as part of her church choir. She also plays piano, stating that she is as passionate about music and volunteerism as she is about human spaceflight. She is a member of the Friendswood Volunteer Fire Department, as well, serving on its rehab team and as the department\u2019s chaplain<\/p>\n<\/p>\n