George Whitesides was selected for the position of executive director for the National Space Society (NSS), in March 2004. The NSS, which is headquartered in Washington, is an independent, international, educational, non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a space faring civilization, with more than 22,000 members. Prior to his position at the NSS, from May 2001 until February 2004, Mr. Whitesides was the founder and director of Permission to Dream, a global space education program concerned with connecting underprivileged children with space and astronomy. From June 2002 until January 2003, he was Vice President of Marketing for Zero Gravity Corporation. Mr. Whitesides received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University in 1996, he was a Fulbright Scholar from October 1996 until June 1997, and he received a Masters of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge in England in 2000.