Bill Nye Steps Down as CEO of Pasadena’s Planetary Society After 15 Years

Bill Nye. known by his TV nickname “The Science Guy,” is stepping down as CEO of The Planetary Society, the Pasadena-based nonprofit he has led for 15 years, the organization announced Monday in a statement from Nye.

Jennifer Vaughn, who has worked at the organization for nearly three decades and served as its Chief Operating Officer since 2011, will take over as CEO on February 17, according to the statement. Nye will remain on the board of directors as Vice Chair and become the organization’s first Chief Ambassador — a role in which he will continue representing The Planetary Society publicly and advocating for space exploration in Congress.

“After 15 years as The Planetary Society’s chief executive officer, I’m stepping down — or aside,” Nye said in the statement. “I will transition out of my role as CEO — but I won’t be stepping away from The Planetary Society.”

The Planetary Society, headquartered at 60 South Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena, describes itself as the world’s largest independent space advocacy organization. Co-founded in 1980 by astronomer Carl Sagan, planetary scientist Bruce Murray, and engineer Louis Friedman, the nonprofit says it has grown to include more than 2 million space enthusiasts and 40,000 members across 80 countries.

Nye joined as a charter member when the organization was founded — a year after taking an astronomy class at Cornell University taught by Sagan. He became a board member in 2005 and was elected CEO in 2010, succeeding Friedman, who had led the organization for its first 30 years.

“Throughout my time at The Planetary Society, Jenn has been my closest partner in leading the organization,” Nye said of Vaughn. “Jenn helped craft our mission, and she is a natural leader with a clear vision for the future. We could not be in better hands.”

Vaughn started at The Planetary Society in 1997 working on its magazine, The Planetary Report. She rose from Editorial Assistant to Managing Editor to Director of Publications before becoming COO shortly after Nye became CEO, according to the organization’s website.

Nye’s tenure included the successful LightSail 2 mission, a crowdfunded solar sailing spacecraft that orbited Earth from 2019 to 2022, demonstrating that small spacecraft can use sunlight for propulsion. The mission was named one of TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019.

Under his leadership, the organization has also led advocacy campaigns on Capitol Hill. In October 2025, The Planetary Society organized a “Save NASA Science” Day of Action, bringing nearly 300 advocates to Washington to urge Congress to protect NASA’s science budget.

Nye, 70, has continued to accumulate honors in recent years. President Joe Biden awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — on January 4, 2025. In September, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his 19 Emmy Awards for “Bill Nye the Science Guy” cited among his contributions.

In his statement, Nye reflected on the questions that have driven his work at The Planetary Society.

“There are two questions we all ask: Where did we come from? And are we alone in the Cosmos?” Nye said, quoting the late co-founder Bruce Murray. “Those are the big ideas that every human on Earth has pondered at some time in their life.”

The organization’s mission, according to its website, is “empowering the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration.” It focuses on three core priorities: exploring other worlds, searching for life beyond Earth, and defending the planet from asteroid impacts.

“An asteroid impact is the only preventable natural disaster,” Nye said. “Such is not the case with an earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane, or twister. If it’s an asteroid, with planning and international cooperation, we could do something.”

“This has truly been the honor of a lifetime,” Nye said.