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Edward Hoffman, Ph.D.

Lecturer, Information & Knowledge Strategy (IKNS); CEO of Knowledge Strategies, LLC; Former Chief Knowledge Officer, NASA

Dr. Ed Hoffman, Ph.D. is a Lecturer for the Master of Science in Information and Knowledge Strategy (IKNS) program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. Dr. Hoffman is also CEO of Knowledge Strategies, LLC, which is engaged in research, education, and consulting services in support of organization performance. He directly supports the Project Management Institute as a Strategic Advisor with a focus on integrated systems for talent management, knowledge engagement, and learning strategies.

Dr. Hoffman retired from NASA as a senior executive after 33 years. He was appointed the first NASA Chief Knowledge Officer in 2011 and held responsibility for system-wide strategy, integration, and deployment of knowledge services. Prior to this role, he was the founding director of the NASA Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) serving in this role for over 20 years. During this period the Academy was the top-rated Project Management Academy in the world. In addition to leading the NASA Academy, he was the project manager for the NASA Strategic Management and Governance Handbook that established new governance after the Columbia Shuttle accident. He started his career at NASA as an organization development consultant supporting NASA teams and projects, having responsibility for leadership development.

Dr. Hoffman has written numerous journal articles and served as faculty at The George Washington University in the School of Business, Drexel University in the School of Engineering, and the University of Sydney.

He received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2010.

Education

  • Ph.D., Columbia University
  • M.S., Columbia University
  • M.A., Columbia University
  • B.S., Brooklyn College

Publications

  • The Smart Mission: NASA's Lessons for Managing Knowledge, People, and Projects (MIT Press, 2022), with Dr. Laurence Prusak and Mathew Kohut
  • Shared Voyage: Learning and Unlearning from Remarkable Projects (NASA, 2005), with Dr. Alexander Laufer and Todd Post
  • Project Management Success Stories: Lessons of Project Leaders (Wiley, 2000), with Dr. Alexander Laufer