The National Institute of Standards and Technology succeeded the National Bureau of Standards in 1988. Following is a list of the directors of both agencies.[1]
| Number | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Samuel W. Stratton | 1901–1922 | The Samuel Wesley Stratton Award was created in 1962. |
| 2nd | George K. Burgess | 1923–1932 | |
| 3rd | Lyman J. Briggs | 1932–1945 | |
| 4th | Edward U. Condon | 1945–1951 | |
| 5th | Allen V. Astin | 1951–1969 | Forced to resign over AD-X2 battery additive fraud that he stood up against - reinstated after 5 months after public and scientific uproar. |
| 6th | Lewis M. Branscomb | 1969–1972 | |
| 7th | Richard W. Roberts | 1973–1975 | |
| 8th NBS / 1st NIST |
Ernest Ambler | 1975–1989 | Ambler served as acting director from 1975 to 1977. He was first appointed as director of NBS and continued as director of NIST following the agency's reorganization in 1988. |
| 2nd | John W. Lyons | 1990–1993 | |
| 3rd | Arati Prabhakar | 1993–1997 | |
| 4th | Raymond G. Kammer | 1997–2000 | |
| acting | Karen Brown | 2000–2001 | acting director |
| 5th | Arden L. Bement Jr. | 2001–2004 | |
| acting | Hratch Semerjian | 2004–2005 | acting director |
| 6th | William A. Jeffrey | 2005–2007 | |
| acting | James M. Turner | 2007–2008 | acting director |
| 7th | Patrick D. Gallagher | 2008–2014 | Gallagher served as acting director from September 2008 to November 2009. |
| 8th | Willie E. May | 2014–2017 | Resignation effective January 3, 2017 at the end of the Obama administration |
| acting | Kent Rochford | 2017 | Permanent Assistant Director for Laboratory Programs, Acting NIST Director |
| 9th | Walter Copan | 2017–2021 | Resignation effective at the end of the Trump administration |
| acting | James K. Olthoff | 2021-2022 | Permanent Assistant Director for Laboratory Programs, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| 10th | Laurie E. Locascio | 2022- |