Forged in rejection. Paid in tears. In this searing memoir, NASA employee, LaBreesha Batey in “The Cost of Excellence: From the Pit to the palace”, unveils the untold truth about the journey to greatness-one paved not just with accolades, but with agony. Wrongfully arrested. Publicly humiliated. Quietly rising through every defeat-LaBreesha’s story is a living testimony to what it truly means to chase excellence in a broken world.
LaBreesha Branae Batey is known as a unique anomaly, a change agent, a barrier breaker, and the epitome of excellence within her profession and within the community. She was born and raised in Nashville, TN and single-handedly raised by her mother where violence and drugs were prevalent. Watching her mother raise three kids on her own in a wheelchair, as a result of a car accident, LaBreesha knew that she was bigger than the circumstances around her and learned the art of perseverance. At a young age, she had a yearning for reading, writing, the arts, and possessed an entrepreneurial spirit. She worked hard in school, excelling in every assignment and task, and was coined “Most Likely to Succeed” in both Middle School and High School.
Such perseverance and determination enabled her to graduate from Tennessee State University in 2011, Summa Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and Marketing and a Minor in Speech Communications, loan free. Additionally, such spirit landed her a career at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA/MSFC). Her thirst for knowledge and pursuit of excellence further enabled her to graduate from Alabama A&M University, Summa Cum Laude, with a Master’s in Business Management and Marketing (2015) and a Master’s in Engineering (2021) on scholarship. LaBreesha has been deemed as a remarkable asset to the NASA agency, serving in many roles (e.g. Contracting Officer/Team Lead, Systems Engineer, Project Manager, Principal Investigator, Program and Management Analyst, HLS OSTEM Lead, Deputy Chair of Women of Excellence Employee Resource Group (ERG)), managing billion-dollar contracts for the NASA SLS Program, employing innovative practices for the NASA HLS Program, and initiating several initiatives, enabling her to become the first person at Marshall Space Flight Center to lead an unprecedented, technical project from a non-technical discipline. This project caught former NASA Administrator and Senator, Bill Nelson’s attention, enabling her to receive the 2022 Best Program/Technical Team of the Year Award. Via this project, she was able to employ a plethora of interns, capitalizing on NASA HLS OSTEM initiatives, in which such interns have been featured in articles under her leadership, hired at other NASA centers, and have initiated graduate degrees on the precipice of her project.
Wrongfully arrested on a DUI charge in 2025 upon making funeral arrangements for her beloved Grandmother in Tennessee, LaBreesha, under the direction of God, reformed the Tennessee Law relative to DUI charges to ensure data transparency and police accountability for wrongful arrests, compelling Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to sign Senate Bill 1166. The passage of this law gained an appreciation amongst many lawyers and Tennessee citizens, as more than 600 individuals reported synonymous experiences with law enforcement. She has been coined as an innovator and game changer. Breaking barriers with her deterministic spirit, has created opportunities and other avenues of exploration for NASA and her community. LaBreesha continues to exceed all expectations and limitations through her vast contributions to NASA, her community, and to society. As a firm believer in “To whom much is given, much is required”, LaBreesha purposes herself to inspire and to pay forward the seeds sown into her into the next generation, emphasizing that “excellence is truly a mindset”.
© 2025, Harry James. All rights reserved.
