Rickey Shyne

Engineer Rickey J. Shyne was born on July 15, 1960 in Dayton, Ohio to Melba and Johnnie Shyne. He received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee in 1983. He went on to earn his M.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 1988 and his Ph.D. degree in engineering science in 1998 from the University of Toledo in Ohio.

While attending Tennessee State University, Shyne worked in the Inland Manufacturing Division of General Motors between 1979 and 1982. In 1983, he served as an engineering intern with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Lewis Research Center, later renamed the Glenn Research Center, in Cleveland, Ohio before becoming an aerospace research engineer the following year. Shyne served as the chief of the Nozzle Branch and supervised a team of researchers studying experimental nozzle aerodynamics. At NASA, Shyne also held the positions of deputy director of safety and mission assurance, deputy director of engineering and technical services, and director of the facilities and test directorate. In 2005, he was appointed to NASA’s Senior Executive Service (SES). After nearly ten years in senior service, he was appointed as the director of research and engineering at NASA's Glenn Research Center in 2014.

Shyne joined the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1981. The following year, he became a life member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He served as a member of the Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Fraternity, the Tennessee State University (TSU) college of engineering’s industrial advisory committee and doctoral advisory committee in computer information systems engineering, the Central State University Advisory Committee, and the National Technical Association. Shyne also became a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 2005 and the chair of the Southwest General Medical Center Board of Trustees in 2015.

Throughout his career, Shyne received numerous awards and honors including the Engineer of the Year Award and the Technical Achiever of the Year Award from the National Technical Association in 2003, the Exceptional Service Medal from NASA in 2003, the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Government Service from the U.S. Black Engineer of the Year Awards in 2008, the Golden Torch Award for Career Achievement in Government from the National Society of Black Engineers in 2008, the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service from U.S. President Barack Obama in 2013, the Federal Professional Engineer of the Year Award in 2014, the University of Toledo’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Outstanding Alumni Award and College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015, the Exceptional Achievement Medal from NASA in 2022, and on Crain’s Cleveland Business’ “Notable Black Leaders in Northeast Ohio” list in 2024.

Shyne and his wife, Eulanda Shyne, reside in Strongsville, Ohio. They have two children: Rickey Shyne II and Eric Shyne.

Rickey Shyne was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on November 22, 2024.