Dr. K. Renee Horton鈥檚 Journey from Baton Rouge to NASA
February 13, 2025
Dr. K. Renee Horton鈥檚 journey from Baton Rouge to becoming a NASA deputy has been one of perseverance, determination and unapologetic self-belief. As the NASA Airworthiness Deputy for the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstrator, she鈥檚 at the forefront of pioneering advancements in aerospace. She was recently featured in the Louisiana Economic Development's series,
"My soul is the calmest when I'm on a plane headed back to Louisiana,鈥� she said.
Horton grew up in Baton Rouge, attended McKinley High School, and initially joined the Air Force ROTC. But just before her 18th birthday, she discovered she was hearing impaired鈥攁n undiagnosed condition that had affected her school years and shaped her early adulthood. 鈥淚 found out that I was hearing-impaired at 17,鈥� she recalls, 鈥渁nd during that time, I ended up dropping out of college, getting pregnant, and marrying my then-sweetheart.鈥� Determined to reclaim her future, she later returned to 海角社区, completed her bachelor鈥檚 in electrical engineering in 2002, and pursued a master鈥檚 in physics before earning a Ph.D. in material science with a concentration in physics from the University of Alabama.
Beyond her role with NASA, Horton is also the founder of Unapologetically Being Inc., a nonprofit based in New Orleans focused on community empowerment and supporting marginalized voices. She also wrote a book, 鈥淒r. H Explores the Universe.鈥�
In 2020 she told 海角社区, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a kids book series where we go to the planets, the constellations, the moons and then the dwarf planets. The character is based off of me, so she is also hearing impaired in the book,鈥� Horton said.
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