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I can understand a thorough vetting of a Supreme Court nominee or the head of an agency, but this guy sounds very mid-level. I've been involved in many job hires over the years, and I've never called a college or university to confirm that an applicant actually attended or graduated from there. We assume people are telling the truth on theire resumes, although we also assume that some things are padded and made to look like a bigger deal than they were. Generally, if not always, the interview process will give you all you need to know about whether a person is actually qualified.

"Generally, if not always, the interview process will give you all you need to know about whether a person is actually qualified."

Judging by this guy's short and eventful time with NASA, I'd say someone either forgot to interview him, or the interviewer was as nutty as he is. By the way, who on Earth came up with the brilliant idea of sticking a 24-year old guy in charge of anything at NASA? A tech, engineer, or scientist I could understand (some of those guys end up with multiple doctorates before they're 25), but when you're going to appoint someone, how about appointing someone whose resume isn't listing Hardees as a reference from the past five years?

He is not on the list of presidential appointments. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/nominations/indexC-E.html

If you go to USAJOBS, there are three pages of jobs that have to do with public affairs. Here are the requirements listed for a GS09 job opening (picked at random):

PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED: To qualify, applicants must have at least one full year of experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service) independently researching and writing letters, articles, speeches, presentations reports and other working documents; planning and organizing activities for special events and visits for important guests; coordinating special events and recognition activities; and developing written material designed to reach selected audiences to include fact sheets, talking points, background statements, correspondence, etc
or
have one full year of graduate level study (at least 18 semester hours or the equivalent) or possess a master's or higher degree, e.g., Ph.D., in a subject that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Such subjects include journalism, advertising, creative writing, radio and television, speech, public speaking, group dynamics, interviewing techniques, or questionnaire design
or
Have a combination of related experience and graduate level education. When an applicant has less than one year of specialized experience as described above, he or she may combine successfully completed graduate-level education with experience to meet the total qualification requirements. Forty hours of work per week in the specialized field for 12 months is equivalent to 1 year of full-time experience, and, generally, 18 graduate semester hours is equivalent to 1 full-time year of graduate study (your school and department determine what constitutes 1 full-time year of graduate study). GS-9 applicants must have completed more than 1 full year of graduate level education in order to use this option to qualify. The applicants percentage of specialized work experience (for example, 6 months equals 50%) and the percentage of graduate study (for example, 27 graduate hours for a GS-9 equals 50% where 18 graduate hours constitute a full-time year) must total at least 100%.
Only education and experience obtained by the closing date of the announcement will be considered.
HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED: Top Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the duties of this position. Veterans' Preference: Five points may be added to the eligible ratings of veterans who: Entered the military service prior to October 15, 1976; served on active duty during the Gulf War between August 2, 1990 and January 2, 1992, regardless of where the person served; or, served in a military action for which they received a campaign badge or expeditionary medal. Medal holders and Gulf War veterans must have served continuously for at least 24 months or the full period for which called or ordered to active duty. Ten points may be granted to the eligible ratings of disabled veterans; Purple Heart recipients; spouses or mothers of a 100 percent disabled veteran; or the widows, widowers, or mothers of a deceased veteran.