Courtney Stadd (born October 1954) was President George W. Bush's transition team's director regarding the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during 2000 and 2001. Stadd received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2001 for "his extraordinary vision, leadership, and dedication". He left NASA in 2003 to return to Capitol Solutions, a management consulting firm with aerospace clients seeking government contracts. [1] His career subsequently took a turn for the worse, however. In 2009 Stadd was convicted for both using his government job at NASA to serve his own financial interests and also for making false statements. Indeed Stadd was twice convicted of crimes related to his work at NASA. In both of his separate cases the convictions involved directing funding to Mississippi State University which was in turn a client of Stadd's consulting firm. Among other infractions, he signed an agreement while at NASA not to try and enrich personal clients but then he billed M.S.U. substantially for his lobbying services on their behalf while he was at NASA. Despite his subsequent denials, a jury promptly found him guilty during the first trial. Appeals efforts failed afterwards. After Stadd later pleaded guilty during the other prosecution of him for his NASA dealings, he served a substantial term in federal prison beginning in early 2011. Stadd's release date from prison was January 22, 2014.