NASA Chief Flight Director Holly Ridings' talk with Dr. Preston Cline Holly Ridings was selected by NASA in 2018 as the first female chief flight director. Holly hails from Amarillo, Texas, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University. She joined NASA in 1998 as a flight controller in the thermal operations group. She was first selected as a flight director in 2005. Since then, she has served as the lead flight director for several missions including International Space Station mission Expedition 16 in 2007-2008.