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Mr. Ali has 12 years of experience in the Aerospace and High Tech markets. He has been a founding member of numerous technology and internet startups, including SnowSports Interactive, LocalVision (digital media advertising), bne1.com (a consumer privacy software company), and Inferscape (a predictive modeling company using the latest in artificial intelligence software). He is currently also President of the American Society of Sydney.
Previously, Mr. Ali was Manager of KPMG Space Consulting in Washington, DC., and worked on the strategic planning and financing of numerous commercial and defence satellite ventures, and technology commercialisation projects for the Federal government (ISS and Sandia Labs) and university laboratories. He was the Group Manager of Risk Operations Strategy for Capital One, one of the leading credit card issuers in the United States. He was a Director of a publicly traded telecommunications firm, and has served on the Board of Directors of the California Space Authority, the Space Frontier Foundation, and the International Business Association of the Greater Los Angeles World Trade Centre Association. |
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Kelly Michael Alton – Risk Management Advisor
Specializing in Aviation and Aerospace risk, Kelly operates with an expertise arising from a substantial background in the aviation world. He is third generation Air Force, graduating from the United States Air Force Academy and gaining extensive leadership skills while serving for 16 years as a Major in the United States Air Force. He started out as a maintenance officer working on the McDonald-Douglas F-15 Eagle and then transitioned into flying the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. In the military Kelly held the positions of Chief of Current Operations, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, and Chief of Scheduling, which have provided management and training experience and encompassed a broad spectrum of operational duties such as analysis, problem identification, quality control, and operations programming and scheduling. Kelly is currently still in the Air Force Reserves, helps recruit high school students to the Air Force Academy, and still has an active secret security clearance.
In addition, Kelly flew both corporate and Boeing 737s for Southwest Airlines. He holds an Airline Transportation Pilot (ATP) rating, Airplane Single Engine Land (ASEL), Airplane Multiengine Land (MEL), B-737 with Commercial Privileges. Kelly is a current member of the FAA / AST Commercial Space Transportation (COMSTAC) Risk Management Working Group. As a member of United Risk, he holds memberships in many additional associations including: Aviation Insurance Association (AIA), National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), National Space Society, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, Reno Air Races Association, Oregon Insurance and Financial Advisors, Independent Insurance Agents of Oregon, and PLUS - Professional Liability Underwriting Society (National).
Kelly has written some very unique risks. He wrote the insurance for the X PRIZE Foundation's Wirefly X PRIZE Cup held in Las Cruces NM in 2006. This included aerospace liability insurance for the launch and in-flight operations of Armadillo Aerospace which was the first ever flight under an FAA/ AST Experimental Permit. He has handled risks from UAVs to Gulfstream V's to B-727s and everything in between. He currently handles the insurance for Zero Gravity Corporation, America's first and only parabolic flight operations where passengers can experience “weightless flight.” In addition to the above risks, he also specializes in aviation and aerospace product liability placements. Kelly has experience in both contract review and negotiations. He has been a guest speaker at various aerospace industry conferences and on the radio.
In addition to the above expertise, Kelly served as the Chief Operations Officer for an Oregon-based medical company that specialized in the development and management of surgery centers.
He is married with three children and loves coaching youth sports. |
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Born in 1974 in Denver, Colo., Mr. Eric Anderson, a leading astropreneur (as coined by Wired magazine), is currently the president and CEO of Space Adventures, Ltd. He is an outspoken advocate of commercial space transportation, private space exploration, and space tourism. Involved since its inception, he co-founded Space Adventures in 1997 with several former astronauts and leading visionaries from the aerospace, adventure travel, and entertainment industries.
Mr. Anderson's vision is to open the space frontier to everyone. It is his hope that through the development of the sub-orbital spaceflight program he helped engineer and the latest mission to take private explorers to the International Space Station, Space-Adventures 1, the company can benefit not only private individuals interested in space travel, but also the international space program as a whole. He shares in the belief that space exploration is vital to human progress and by opening the space frontier to private men and women from around the world, we can greatly enhance technological development and cultural understanding.
Previously, Mr. Anderson was the executive vice president and co-founder of Starport.com, an astronaut-endorsed space education and entertainment web site (Starport.com was sold to SPACE.com in June 2000). Mr. Anderson also worked as a business development lead for Analytical Graphics, a $30 million aerospace software firm. In addition, he held a research position with NASA.
Mr. Anderson has authored several technical papers and articles, on topics ranging from space tourism to infrared astronomy, from launch vehicle analysis to advanced space propulsion, from space sensor design to business and economic evaluations of various space-related ventures. He is also a guest speaker and lecturer on various topics in the aviation and aerospace industry. Mr. Anderson graduated magna cum laude from the University of Virginia, with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, and was selected by USA Today as one of the nation's Top 40 graduating seniors. |
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Reda Anderson will be Rocketplane's first Spaceflight Customer. |
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Michael Belfiore began his career writing about the new space age in 2004, when he covered the launch of the first privately built spaceship for the New York Post. Since then he has written about the private spaceflight industry for Reuters, Wired.com, and other outlets, including Popular Science, for which he has written numerous feature articles.
His book Rocketeers: How a Visionary Band of Business Leaders, Engineers, and Pilots Is Boldly Privatizing Space (Smithsonian Books/HarperCollins, 2007) is the first book to chronicle the birth of the commercial space age. His blog, Dispatches from the Final Frontier, is a well-regarded source of news and commentary about the industry.
He became a full-time writer in 1995, first working as a freelance technical writer for the software industry, and then moving into the business world as a public relations writer for large corporations, still with a focus on technology.
He has also written scores of biographical encyclopedia entries on astronauts, business people, politicians, and other news makers for half a dozen reference publications from The Gale Group. His book Life Aboard a Space Station, published by Lucent Books in 2004, describes the experience of living and working in space for young readers.
Michael was born in 1969, the year of the first moon landing, and he has been a space enthusiast since the age of six, when he read his first novel, Rocket Ship Galileo by Robert Heinlein. He lives in Woodstock, New York with his wife, fellow writer Wendy Kagan, and their daughter Amelie. |
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Mr. Benzon began his aviation career in the United States Air Force flying EC-47s over the Republic of Vietnam. He later transitioned into KC-135 Stratotankers for two further stateside assignments. During his military service he was awarded two Air Medals, three Air Force Commendation Medals, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with V device, and the Republic of Viet Nam Cross of Gallantry.
Upon leaving active military duty in 1984, he joined the National Transportation Safety Board in its Chicago Field Office. There, he investigated 64 fatal general aviation accidents and numerous air carrier incidents. He transferred to NTSB Headquarters in Washington, DC, in 1987 and to this date, has been the Investigator in Charge of 29 major aircraft accident investigations within the United States and has been the U.S. Accredited Representative on numerous major overseas accident investigations.
Among his assignments as Investigator in Charge or U.S. Accredited Representative include the loss of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, the crashes of McDonnell Douglas DC-8s in Ohio and Florida, DC-9s in Michigan, Colorado, and Texas, DC-10s in New Jersey and Hong Kong, two Boeing 727s in Michigan, Boeing 737s in India, Afghanistan, England, Illinois and California, Boeing 747s in Holland and England, and an Airbus A340 in Canada. He was also Investigator in Charge of the loss of an Airbus A300 in New York City, the second worse aircraft accident in U.S. history.
He led the team of NTSB investigators at the World Trade Center site following the September 11 terrorist attacks and also was the lead NTSB investigator assisting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration investigation into the loss of space shuttle STS-107/Columbia.
And last, Mr. Benzon was the recipient of the Safety Board's highest annual honor, the Chairman's Award, for 2006. |
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Dallas Bienhoff is the Boeing Manager for In-Space and Surface Systems for the NASA Vision for Space Exploration. He is responsible for developing concepts and capturing contracts related to fixed orbital infrastructure systems (e.g., in-space propellant depots, orbiting assembly nodes, communications & navigation networks) and lunar surface systems (e.g., habitats, rovers, mining and processing equipment). Dallas is also responsible for identifying and creating commercial space opportunities in the Earth-Moon system.
Mr. Bienhoff has 33 years of experience in human space systems and space exploration activities; 25 of which have been in advance programs organizations where he led numerous contract and IRAD space transportation and exploration architecture studies.
During his career, Dallas has worked for Boeing, Rockwell, The Aerospace Corporation, Rocketdyne and Martin Marietta on the following key programs: Vision for Space Exploration, Space Launch Initiative, ISS Propulsion Module, Crew Return Vehicle, X-33 Single Stage to Orbit, International Space Station Russian Integration, Vandenberg Air Force Base Space Shuttle Facilities, Space Shuttle Main Engine Development, and Titan III.
He earned a MS Engineering at California State University Northridge in1985 and a BS Mechanical Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology in 1974. |
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Dr. Jonathan B. Clark is the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) Space Medicine Liaison at Baylor College of Medicine. He is a member of the Spacecraft Survival Integrated Investigation Team at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) and on the Constellation Program EVA Systems Standing Review Board. Dr. Clark serves on the Board of Directors of Xtreme Space, Inc. and is Team Leader for Safety and Survivability for Orbital Outfitters Inc., medical advisor for Space Diver and Excaliber Almaz LLC, and is a consultant for Disney World Corporation. His interests are in neurologic effects in extreme environments and crew survival in space.
Dr. Clark worked as a Space Shuttle Crew Surgeon on six shuttle missions and was Chief of the Medical Operations Branch and an FAA Senior Aviation Medical Examiner at the NASA JSC Flight Medicine Clinic. Dr. Clark served 26 years on active duty with the U.S. Navy and qualified as a Naval Flight Officer, Naval Flight Surgeon and Navy Diver and U.S. Army parachutist and Special Forces Military Freefall parachutist. He flew as a DOD Space Shuttle Support Flight Surgeon and flew combat medical evacuation missions in Operation Desert Storm with the U.S. Marine Corps. Prior to joining NASA in 1997, he was Head of the Spatial Orientation Systems Department at the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory in Pensacola, FL, Head of the Aeromedical Department at the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One in Yuma, AZ, and Head of the Neurology Division and Hyperbaric Medicine at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute.
Dr. Clark is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association and the American College of Preventive Medicine. He has an academic appointment as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Dr. Clark is President of the Space Medicine and a reviewer for the journal Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine and served on the editorial board for the publication. He is on the Executive Council of the Aerospace Medical Association.
He received his bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., and his master's degree in public health from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He completed his internship and residency at Bethesda Naval Hospital and is a board certified in Neurology and Aerospace Medicine. |
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Ken Davidian currently works for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) and the Innovative Partnerships Program Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Within ESMD, Mr. Davidian is charged with leading ESMD's space commercial development strategy efforts for the benefit of the Vision for Space Exploration, the Global Exploration Strategy, and NASA.
Mr. Davidian is also the program manager of Centennial Challenges, NASA's prize program modeled on past and ongoing prize competitions. Centennial Challenges was established to stimulate technology developments from private industry, universities, and individual innovators that support of the Vision for Space Exploration and ongoing NASA programs.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Davidian served as Director of Operations for the X PRIZE Foundation. Responsibilities in this position included managing the registration process, team information and relations, and many aspects of flight attempt validation, judging, and event coordination.
In addition to his prize-related work experience, Mr. Davidian has worked for Paragon Space Development Corp. as Program Manager and also as Director of Operations consulting to Cargo Lifter Development.
Finally, Mr. Davidian spent the first 18 years of his career working for NASA Glenn Research Center in the area of analytical and experimental research on the performance of liquid rocket engines. For a three-year period, NASA Glenn loaned Mr. Davidian to work at the International Space University as the Assistant Director of Operations for the 1997-1999 Summer Session Programs. |
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Ms. Deckard is CEO and owner of Space Policy Consulting, Inc, and the manager of the Space Frontier Foundation's Space Solar Power Project. In 2000, she was the principal investigator for a NASA-funded study that reintroduced SSP to the environmental community, and gathered input from this community on its perceived costs and benefits of this technology.
Ms. Deckard began her career as a field ecologist studying the dung beetle and armadillo. She managed a large-scale two-year study of blue-green algal toxins in raw and finished drinking water. She has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations, including the Space Frontier Foundation and the Sunsat Energy Council. Ms. Deckard has a B.S. in Genetic Engineering from Purdue University, a M.S. in Systems Engineering from Wright State University (WSU), and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at WSU in complex mixed-initiative systems. |
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James E. Dunstan is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Garvey Schubert Barer, where for nearly 25 years he has concentrated on issues of high technology, communications, and space law. Jim represents a significant number of burgeoning outer space companies: he drafted and negotiated the first commercial lease for the Russian Mir space station on behalf of MirCorp. He has drafted and helped negotiate contracts with several potential commercial space passengers. Jim was a founding board member of LunaCorp and assisted in negotiating with the Russian Space Agency and NASA to shoot the first television commercial onboard the International Space Station (ISS). He helped arrange for the first pitch of the 2002 baseball World Series to be conducted onboard ISS. Mr. Dunstan has also been involved in export issues (ITAR) related to experimental hardware launched on Russian rockets.
Jim is a member of the Virginia Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS) Aerospace Advisory Committee, and an active member of the Space Frontier Foundation's Teachers In Space project. |
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Steve Durst is Editor and Publisher at Space Age Publishing Company, since 1976, and operates its Hawai'i (1988) and California offices. Space Age publishes Lunar Enterprise Daily and Space Calendar weekly, supports pioneering ventures such as the International Lunar Observatory and the Stanford on the Moon and Ad Astra Kansas initiatives, and pursues a business plan consistent with establishing a third office on the Moon.
Steve's commitment to the lunar imperative and to see people on the Moon within the decade reflects his understanding of humanity's greatest advance, and of the quickest way to great wealth, and to the Stars. |
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Mr. French is currently chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rocketplane and both subsidiaries, Rocketplane Kistler and Rocketplane Global. Mr. French served as both President and Chairman of the Board of Rocketplane Global, as well as President of Space Explorers, Inc. Mr. French serves on the board of several aerospace-related organizations including Spaceflight Association of America, Inc., Lunar Research Institute, Inc. and Space Week International. Mr. French has also received a number of awards, including the 2000 NASA AMES Research Astrobiology Team Group Achievement Award, National Space Society, 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year award, and 1995 Aerospace State Association Achievement Award. Mr. French attended the University of Arizona from 1963 to 1967. |
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Ms. Garver serves as a Senior Advisor for Space at the Avascent Group, a strategic consulting firm, based in Washington, D.C. Lori Garver has been a full-time consultant since January 2003. Ms. Garver served as Vice President of DFI Corporate Services (the predecessor organization to the Avascent Group) from 2001 - 2003.
Until January 2001 Ms. Garver was the Associate Administrator for Policy and Plans at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Prior to this appointment, Ms. Garver served as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Office of Policy and Plans.
Before joining NASA, Ms. Garver was the Executive Director of the National Space Society, a space advocacy organization. She is a recipient of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal as well as the National Space Society's Space Pioneer Award. Ms. Garver received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Colorado College in 2000.
Ms. Garver received her Masters degree in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from the George Washington University in 1989, and her Bachelors degree in Political Science and Economics from Colorado College in 1983. She resides in McLean, VA with her husband, David Brandt, and their two children, Wesley and Mitchell. |
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David Gump is President and Co-Founder of the Transformational Space Corporation.
In 1989, David co-founded LunaCorp, an entrepreneurial space company dedicated to commercial exploration and development on the Moon. While at LunaCorp, David arranged the filming of the first television commercial on the International Space Station. The advertisement, for electronics retailer RadioShack, showed the Space Station's crew receiving Father's Day gifts from their daughters. David also arranged for the crew to throw the ceremonial First Pitch for the 2002 World Series, on behalf of Fox Sports and Major League Baseball. LunaCorp also set up the sponsorships that provided Lance Bass of *NSYNC with all of his initial funding for his effort to visit the space station.
As co-founder of Pasha Publications in 1978, David created several newsletters such as Space Business News, Military Space and SDI Monitor. David also authored Space Enterprise: Beyond NASA, a book published in 1990 by Praeger Publishers.
David holds a Bachelor's degree in economics from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a Master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois. |
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Gary Hudson is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AirLaunch LLC. He formed the company specifically to address the needs of the DARPA/Air Force Falcon program to develop a small launch vehicle. He also co-founded Transformational Space (“t/space”) to revolutionize entrepreneurial space exploration activities. Previously, Gary Hudson was a founder of Rotary Rocket Company, serving as President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors.
Mr. Hudson has worked in the field of commercial space for over 25 years with an emphasis on the development of innovative low-cost systems. His experience includes both management and engineering in high-tech, entrepreneurial settings. He is the designer of the Phoenix Vertical Take Off & Landing / SingleStage-to-Orbit (VTOL/SSTO) family of launch vehicles and has participated in many launch vehicle projects including support for both General Dynamics and Boeing Aerospace corporation during the Strategic Defense Initiative Program (SDIO). He has published numerous papers on space vehicles and systems and has authored several studies on low cost and advanced propulsion systems.
In 1994 Mr. Hudson co-founded HMX, Inc. which designs and develops innovative aerospace propulsion systems. In 1995 HMX developed a monopropellant rocket engine propulsion system, including engines, tankage and support systems, for Kistler Aerospace Corporation of Kirkland, WA. Mr. Hudson had previously been co-founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific American Launch Systems, Inc.; served as a consultant to the United States Air Force's Project Forecast II; designed the Percheron 055 experimental launch vehicle; and spent ten years as a consulting Systems Designer on low cost commercial space systems.
Mr. Hudson attended the University of Minnesota. He has conducted seminars for the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and the Institute for Space and Astronautical Sciences of Tokyo University, and has taught graduate-level launch vehicle design at Stanford University. He is a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics. In January 1994 he received the Laurel Award from Aviation Week & Space Technology "for the vision, drive and competence that have pushed [single-stage-to-orbit and reusable launch vehicles] to the front of the U.S. launcher agenda." |
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John Gedmark is the Founding Executive Director of the Personal Spaceflight Federation. He previously served as the first Director of Operations for the X PRIZE Cup, where he managed a diverse array of rocket activities - including the first ever flights of a vehicle under an experimental permit by Armadillo Aerospace. Before that, John spent time as an engineer at TRW, Ball Aerospace, and Aerojet. John
has a BS from Purdue University and a MS from Stanford University, both in Aerospace Engineering, and while at Purdue he received the Herbert F. Rogers Scholarship, awarded each year to the most distinguished graduating senior of the Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. John is also co-founder and a board member of the Roosevelt Institution, a public policy think tank for students, which has chapters on more than 80 university campuses nationwide. |
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Rich Godwin is President of Apogee Books. |
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Jeff Greason has more than 15 years experience managing innovative technical project teams at XCOR Aerospace, Rotary Rocket and Intel Corporation. As president and a co-founder of XCOR, he leads the engineering team that has developed six different long-life, highly-reusable liquid-fueled rocket engines, the low-cost liquid propellant piston pump, and the manned reusable rocket aircraft - the EZ-Rocket.
Greason, a recognized expert in FAA/AST reusable launch vehicle (RLV) regulations, led XCOR Aerospace's licensing efforts until they were completed in early 2003, and remains deeply involved. He testified before the joint House/Senate subcommittee hearings on “Commercial Human Spaceflight.” Greason has maintained a close working relationship with AST since the 1998 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on RLV licensing and has been active in the COMSTAC RLV working group for five years.
Greason was cited by Time magazine in 2001 as one of the “Inventors of the Year” for his team's work on the EZ-Rocket. He holds 18 U.S. patents. He graduated with honors from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. |
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Doug Griffith is a Los Angeles-based aviation and spaceflight attorney who is experienced in litigating catastrophic aircraft accidents and advising the aviation, aerospace and commercial human spaceflight industries on legal risk management strategies. Mr. Griffith is a former U.S. Marine Corps aviator, safety officer and accident investigator with an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He has taught courses as an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and is a frequent lecturer under the Federal Aviation Administration's aviation safety program. He has spoken on the legal liability atmosphere confronting members of the personal spaceflight industry at Space Access 2007, the Aerospace Medical Association's 2007 conference, the 2007 International Space Development Conference (at which he chaired the Spaceflight Law & Insurance Track), and on “The Space Show.”
Mr. Griffith is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, and is on the Board of Directors of Angel Flight West, a charitable network of volunteer pilots throughout the thirteen western States who provide free air transportation for those in need. |
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Mohanjit Jolly is a Partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a leading Venture Capital firm in Silicon Valley. Mohanjit has spent the last ten years working with and investing in technology startups. Most recently, Mohanjit was a Managing Director at Garage Technology Ventures, a seed and early stage venture capital firm. While at Garage, Mohanjit worked with over 30 companies, including LeftHand Networks, PureSight (BCGI), Jibe Networks (CTRX), Media Publisher, Xora, Razz, Kaboodle and SimplyHired. Prior to joining Garage, Mohanjit was part of the strategic planning group at Mattel where he helped launch the Mattel/Intel joint venture, Intel Play. He also spent several years in both engineering and business development roles with Itek Optical Systems, a manufacturer of high-resolution reconnaissance systems for both military and commercial use. While earning his M.B.A from the Anderson School at UCLA, Mohanjit helped launch ViaSpace, a technology incubator in Southern California in conjunction with Caltech and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Mohanjit earned a B.S. and M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, with a specialization in electric propulsion systems. |
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Kanayama received a BA in Commerce from Keio University in 1984 and MBA in Marketing from University of Colorado, Boulder in 1988. After graduation, Kanayama joined Shimizu Corporation in 1989 and conducted extensive research of US space activities and provided preliminary decision of the strategic investment of $1M to U.S. firm. He later joined CSP Japan, an aerospace consulting firm, in 1996 and conducted and managed more than 80 research and analysis projects for Japanese government agencies and aerospace companies, as well as foreign and international aerospace firms. He currently serves as a director for aerospace policy and industry. |
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Kevin F. Kelly serves as Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates, Inc. (VSA) and is the Chief Operating Officer of the Washington, D.C. law firm of Van Scoyoc Kelly PLLC. Kelly came to VSA after a dozen years of Capitol Hill experience in various senior positions in the House and Senate. At VSA, Kelly specializes in budget, appropriations and legislative issues for a range of high technology and Fortune 500 companies, institutions of higher education, governmental entities and national trade associations. Kelly's practice includes efforts to obtain annual funding for a range of programs and projects, as well as providing executive branch liaison on policy and budgetary matters. In addition, Kelly offers corporations and non-profit entities strategic advice and counsel on the capture and expansion of technology-based government contracts. Finally, Kelly's practice includes assisting universities and colleges in the development of creative solutions to secure additional research funds from a range of federal agencies and programs.
In his prior government service, Kelly served for eight years with the Senate Appropriations Committee. Six of those years included service as the Chief Clerk and Majority Staff Director for the Veterans Administration, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Subcommittee, the committee's second largest subcommittee, with a $90 billion portfolio in 25 federal cabinet departments and agencies. Serving in this role, Kelly was the principal advisor and counsel to the subcommittee chair and members on all major budget and policy issues affecting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans' Affairs. The other two years of Appropriations Committee service involved his role as appropriations counsel and legislative assistant for Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. In this capacity, Kelly managed Senator Mikulski's appropriations initiatives for 12 of the committee's 13 subcommittees, including Transportation, Defense, Commerce-State-Justice, Treasury-Postal Service and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.
Most recently, Kelly served in the Senate leadership as Chief Counsel and Floor Assistant to the Secretary of the Democratic Conference, Senator Mikulski. In this role, Kelly served as a senior advisor to the Senate Democratic leadership on broad policy matters, including budget and appropriations strategy, regulatory reform, and welfare reform.
Earlier in his career, Kelly served as a professional staff member on the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, where he served as a subcommittee counsel on maritime commerce, water resources, marine pollution and regulation, and the Coast Guard. He also handled various transportation issues related to the Oceanography Subcommittee Chair's assignment on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Kelly holds a juris doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center, and a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Borromeo College of Ohio. He is a member of the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and American Bar Associations (ABA). |
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Michael S. Kelly is a 26 year veteran of the aerospace industry, across the spectrum of land-based strategic missiles, missile defense, and government and commercial space launch. He is an inventor, entrepreneur, and advocate for capitalism in space.
Beginning in 1980 at TRW Ballistic Missiles Division, Mr. Kelly acquired an extensive background in system engineering, procurement, development, test, and deployment of large missile systems in the Peacekeeper and Small ICBM programs. In 1987, he began applying his experience to the commercial space launch field. In that field, he is best known as:
• Inventor of the TRW family of low-cost, modular, solid propellant launch vehicles
• Co-founder and Director of Engineering for the TRW Space Launch Services Organization
• Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Kelly Space & Technology, Inc., a pioneering company in the reusable launch and space applications fields
• Inventor of the tow-launch technique for space vehicles, demonstrated in an award-winning series of manned flights at NASA/Dryden Flight Research Center
• Chairman of the Reusable Launch Vehicles Working Group of COMSTAC
Most recently, Mr. Kelly ran the Flight Operations portion of the first two X PRIZE Cup events, which successfully pioneered the public space and rocket show.
He is currently developing new technology-based business ventures, and writing a book on a comprehensive solution to opening the NewSpace frontier. |
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John Kohut is the Senior Program Manager for Advanced Space and Missile Defense Applications within the Raytheon Missile Systems company responsible for developing system concepts and architectures for space exploration, national security space applications, and commercial space exploitation. He has held this position since September 2004.
Born in Greenwich, Connecticut, Mr. Kohut joined the United States Navy in 1977 and served as an F-14 Naval Flight Officer operationally deployed on various aircraft carriers. He is a graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and the United States Naval Test Pilot School. He served as an acquisition professional in a variety of fighter aircraft and weapons programs, including the F-22 and the Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) programs. His final assignment in the Navy was as program manager of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) program, an international cooperative development program for command and control.
Mr. Kohut has a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering (1976) from the University of Connecticut and a Masters of Science in Computer Science (1988) from the Florida Institute of Technology. He is married to the former Martha Thompson of Stamford, Connecticut and they have two children, Kristyn and John Eric. |
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Jeff's direct space involvement began in 1979 with a summer job at NASA Headquarters. July 11th was a particularly exciting day, as Australia called to report the impact of Skylab debris. Jeff answered the phone, and feeling
somewhat unqualified to handle this he immediately delegated the task to someone else. Talk about leadership!
Jeff returned to NASA Headquarters in 1981, with a six-month graduate internship in the International Affairs Division. He was in the auditorium when the space shuttle Columbia was first launched on April 12th.
Returning to Houston and determined to participate in the space program, Jeff became an IBM Systems Engineer at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Thus began the unraveling of Jeff's commitment to NASA, as he realized this wasn't the same agency that had brilliantly succeeded with its lunar challenge. His emotional commitment to NASA died a slow and painful death, and Jeff searched for a different way to support human space activity.
Returning to Houston and determined to participate in the space program, Jeff was hired by IBM and became a Systems Engineer at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Thus began the unraveling of Jeff's commitment to NASA, as he realized this wasn't the same agency that had brilliantly succeeded with its lunar challenge. Instead, Jeff discovered that NASA had become just another government agency. His emotional commitment to NASA died a slow and painful death, and Jeff searched for a different way to support human space activity.
Invited to become a Space Frontier Foundation Advocate in 1990, Jeff spent several years conducting research for various projects. Combining his passions for space and writing, in the early 1990's he wrote a monthly column on space issues entitled "Think About It," which appeared in the Journal for Space Development and other space newsletters. He has also been published online and in Ad Astra, Space News, the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Business Journal, and Chelsea House published his first book essays in Spring 2005. Jeff is also a noted conference speaker and has been interviewed on radio and television news programs. Speech and interview excerpts and writing sampl demonstrate the breadth of Jeff's work around the world.
Jeff became a Foundation Board Member in 1995, and the first Director of Advocates the following year. In 1997 he vacated both Foundation positions to become a ProSpace Board Member and Director of the 1998 March Storm lobbying event. For the latter, Jeff received the 1998 ProSpace Activist of the Year Award. In 1999 he became Vice President and continued as Director of March Storm. Jeff became Chairman in 2002 and served until 2004. Since January 2005, Jeff has been Executive Director of the Space Frontier Foundation. |
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Alan Ladwig is currently serving at Whitney, Bradley and Brown, Inc. (WBB) as the Manager of Space Systems Consultancy. In this capacity he is responsible for developing a new business unit dedicated to technical and consulting services for the civil and commercial space sectors.
Prior to joining WBB Alan was the Manager of NASA and Civil Space Programs for the Integrated Systems Sector at Northrop Grumman where he directed marketing and sales activities in pursuit of contracts for NASA human space flight programs.
Ladwig served as the Chief Operating Officer for the ZERO Gravity Corporation, a space tourism and entertainment company offering commercial parabolic (weightless) flights to the public on a Boeing 727 aircraft. He was also the Assistant to the Chairman and Vice President for Washington Operations of Space.com, a multimedia company headquartered in New York City dedicated to space-related content.
Alan served at NASA Headquarters both as a political appointee and as a civil servant. From 1993 to 1999 he was an appointee of the Clinton-Gore Administration serving as the Associate Administrator for Policy and Plans. As a civil servant from 1981 to 1989 he managed a variety of programs including the Teacher in Space and Journalist in Space programs, and the Shuttle Student Involvement Program.
NASA awarded Ladwig the Distinguished Service Medal, the Exceptional Achievement Medal, and two Exceptional Service Medals. He is a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society.
Ladwig served in the U.S. Army, 558th USA Artillery Group, in Athens, Greece. He earned a M.S. in Higher Education Administration and a B.S. in speech at Southern Illinois University. |
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Mr. Lauer is a graduate of the University of Michigan College of Architecture & Urban Planning. He is a co-founder and Vice President of Business Development for Rocketplane Kistler, Inc. He is also a successful real estate consultant and developer, and the President of Peregrine Properties, Ltd. in Lansing, Michigan. Mr. Lauer has been responsible for negotiating, obtaining regulatory approvals and arranging financing for over $350 million in numerous successful real estate development projects. He has been researching and developing potential business opportunities in space since 1991, and has published numerous general interest articles and technical papers on commercial space development. Mr. Lauer has been a consultant to Boeing, NASA and several space start-ups on commercial space development. He is now actively involved in several new spaceport projects around the world; and is an Advocate and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Space Frontier Foundation. |
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Roger D. Launius has been chair of the Division of Space History at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, D.C., since 2002. Between 1990 and 2002 he served as chief historian of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Dr. Launius was born in Galesburg, Illinois, on May 15, 1954, and grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. He graduated from Graceland College, Lamoni, Iowa, with a major in history in 1976 and received the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history in 1978 and 1982 at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, with major fields in American frontier and military history.
After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Launius became a civilian staff historian with the United States Air Force, serving in a variety of historian positions with the Air Force. Between 1987 and 1990 he was Chief Historian for the Military Airlift Command, outside St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. Launius has lectured widely on historical subjects to military, scholarly, technical, and general audiences. He has also served part-time on the faculties of several colleges and universities. He has acted as a reader for publishers, as a member of the governing councils of several historical associations, and on the editorial boards of numerous journals. He is an active member of several professional associations, among them the American Astronautical Society, where he is a fellow and member of the board. He currently serves as president of the Society for History in the Federal Government.
He has written or edited numerous books and articles on aerospace history. Some of the more recent include: Space: A Journey to Our Future (Tehabi Books, 2004); Space Stations: Base Camps to the Stars (Smithsonian Books, 2003), which received the AIAA's history manuscript prize; Reconsidering a Century of Flight (University of North Carolina Press, 2003); Flight: A Celebration of 100 Years in Art and Literature (Welcome Books, 2003); To Reach the High Frontier: A History of U.S. Launch Vehicles (University Press of Kentucky, 2002); Imagining Space: Achievements, Possibilities, Projections, 1950-2050 (Chronicle Books, 2001). He is frequently consulted by the electronic and print media for his views on space issues. His research interests encompass all areas of U.S. and space history and policy history, especially cultural aspects of the subject and the role of executive decision-makers and their efforts to define space exploration. |
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Burton H. Lee, Ph.D. MBA, is Managing Partner of Innovarium Ventures, as well as an accredited angel investor and serial entrepreneur. Innovarium Ventures, located in Washington DC, provides senior strategic, financial and technical advisory services to technology startup companies, venture capital and private equity firms, angel networks, investment banks, major corporations and state economic development agencies in the areas of venture financing, corporate and technology strategy, competitive positioning, engineering design and architecture, new product development, technical due diligence, and emerging technology trends. He recently served as Chairman of the highly successful Space Venture Finance Symposium, which was held in Dallas in May. Complete program information on this important milestone event within the commercial space finance sector can be found at www.isdc2007.org/finance.
Dr. Lee's professional experience spans 15 years in strategy consulting, high tech industry, government and venture-backed startups working in corporate development and strategy, business development, technology commercialization, and advanced computing and space systems research. His management and technical experience includes senior positions with leading organizations such as GE Global Research, Hewlett Packard, DaimlerChrysler AG and NASA in the United States, Europe and Japan. His business and technical expertise spans the advanced computing/IT, commercial space, aviation, nanotech, alternative energy, clean tech, robotics and related global innovation sectors. Burton's space background includes an early tenure as Manager of the Stanford Small Satellite Program, working at NASA Kennedy Space Center as a Shuttle Thermal Protection Systems research engineer, advising NASA Ames on new venture development and spinouts, and serving as co-founder and COO of Orbital Recovery Systems, a commercial reentry capsule services provider.
Today, Dr. Lee sits on the MIT Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program Advisory Committee, and is a member of the FAA AST Comstac Working Group on Launch Operations and Support. Burton recently served as Technical Consultant to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. In 2006, Lee was appointed a Senior Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C., where he worked on national IT sector innovation policy for the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board.
Burton holds a PhD in Mechanical & Electrical Engineering from Stanford (2002), an MBA in finance and entrepreneurship from Cornell (2004) and an AB in Physics from Brown University. He also attended the International Space University and is a graduate of the inaugural class held at MIT in 1988. Burton's international experience spans over 10 years of professional and education-related positions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Austria, Japan and Jamaica. Additional professional and academic awards, credentials and background for this speaker are available on his profile at www.linkedin.com/in/burtonlee. |
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Debra Facktor Lepore is President for AirLaunch LLC. She is responsible for the external activities of the company, including development and execution of the company’s business plan, marketing plan, government relations and regulatory activities. AirLaunch is developing the low cost, responsive QuickReach TM launch vehicle under the DARPA / U.S. Air Force Falcon small launch vehicle program, and is currently executing a $17.8 M Phase 2B contract.
Prior to joining AirLaunch LLC, Ms. Lepore was Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Kistler Aerospace Corporation. In this position, she was responsible for identification and development of new business opportunities, as well as developing both short-term and long-term strategic planning. Ms. Lepore was a key player in the Kistler organization since joining the company in July 1997, previously serving as Director of Marketing and Manager of Payload Systems. She has a unique blend of technical, business, and international skills in entrepreneurial and established markets.
Ms. Lepore previously served as Chief of Moscow Operations for ANSER’s Center for International Aerospace Cooperation in Moscow, Russia, and as project leader and senior engineer at ANSER in Arlington, Virginia. She conducted technical, business, financial and policy analyses for clients around the world, including NASA, U.S. Air Force, Federal Aviation Administration, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and National Space Council, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, European Space Agency, National Space Development Agency of Japan, and numerous commercial entities. Projects included government and commercial space launch systems, alternative launch concepts for defense systems, propulsion, human spaceflight, and aerospace technology. Debra Facktor Lepore was the Lead Engineer for the Technical Panel of the Congressionally-mandated Space Launch Modernization Plan; participated in the Advanced Launch System (ALS) program; and contributed to the ten-year Space Launch Technology Plan in response to a White House National Space Policy Directive and the Vice President’s “Final Report to the President on the U.S. Space Program.”
Among other distinctions, Ms. Lepore is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA); an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA); an alumna of the International Space University (ISU); and a member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF). She is an active leader in the community and in major professional organizations, including Secretary of the IAA’s Commission on Space Policy, Economics and Law, and the 2007 Chair and 2006 Vice Chair of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) Space Council. She is the former chairperson of the American Astronautical Society Washington DC section and former Vice President of the Board of Washington Works. In April 2005, Ms. Lepore was appointed by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta to serve a two-year term on the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC).
Debra Facktor Lepore earned a Bachelor of Science degree (magna cum laude) in aerospace engineering and a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering, both from the University of Michigan. |
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John C. Mankins is the President of ARTEMIS Innovation Management Solutions LLC, a research and development management consulting start-up that solves tough innovation challenges for government, industry and not-for-profit clients. He is internationally recognized as a successful leader in space systems and technology innovation, as a highly effective manager of large-scale technology R&D programs, and as an accomplished communicator.
Mr. Mankins has 27 years of experience and knowledge involving NASA, the aerospace industry, academia and the international space community-as well with other U.S. Agencies, including the Department of Defense, (such as DDR&E, DARPA, NRO, NSSO), the National Science Foundation, and others. ARTEMIS Innovation provides consulting services to a range of clients, including the Department of Energy (for DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office, both the Solar Energy Technology Program and the Wind Program), the Office of Naval Research, the Applied Physics Laboratory, and a range of other organizations.
Mr. Mankins is well known as an innovator in R&D management, and was one of the creators of the widely used “technology readiness level” (TRL) scale for technology assessment. Mr. Mankins is an acknowledged subject matter expert in these fields. He has been consulted on both R&D management and space issues by the General Accounting Office, the Office of the Chief Technologist of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. National Security Space Architect, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and others.
He is also one of the foremost authorities on the subject of space solar power (SSP). Mr. Mankins led NASA's SSP “Fresh Look Study” in the mid-1990s, managed the SSP Exploratory Research & Technology (SERT) Program, and is the creator of several important SSP systems concepts, including the SunTower, the Solar Clipper, and others. He serves as the President of the Sunsat Energy Council (also known as the “Space Power Association”), a non-profit international group founded in 1978 by Dr. Peter Glaser, that promotes the potential of SSP for future application on Earth and in space. Mr. Mankins has authored numerous papers and articles on the topic of SSP and has testified before the U.S. Congress on the topic on several occasions.
Mr. Mankins holds undergraduate (Harvey Mudd College; B.S., 1978) and graduate (UCLA; M.S., 1983) degrees in PHYSICS and earned an MBA in Public Policy Analysis (The Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University; MBA, 1986). He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the Sigma Xi Research Society.
Mr. Mankins has received numerous awards and honors during his career, including the prestigious NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal (of which he was the first recipient). He has been recognized in “Who's Who” on various occasions and was named by SpaceNews as one of the “100 People Who Made A Difference In Space” (during 1989-2004)-a distinction he shared with NASA Administrators O'Keefe (former) and Griffin (current), as well as with former Congressman Robert Walker, innovator Burt Rutan, and others. He is a skilled communicator, including political, programmatic, technical and lay audiences, and has authored or co-authored more than 75 published papers, reports and other technical documents. |
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Mr. Miller is the President of Space Policy Consulting, Inc., a woman-owned small business that provides consulting services to the space industry.
Mr. Miller is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of Constellation Services International, Inc. (CSI) CSI was founded in 1998, and is an entrepreneurial orbital spaceflight services company that is focused on commercial opportunities in Earth orbit. CSI is developing, and patenting, a number of innovative space solutions for commercial and other markets. More specifically, CSI is developing the LEO ExpressSM Space Cargo System, an innovative, patented method for re-supplying space stations that uses over 99% existing technology. The LEO ExpressSM space cargo system completed a NASA system design review in July 2003.
Prior to CSI, Mr. Miller was the founding Chairman and President of ProSpace, where he served from 1996 to 1999. Known also as "The Citizens' Space Lobby," ProSpace was one of the most effective space policy groups working on Capitol Hill. Under Mr. Miller's leadership, ProSpace was instrumental in the passage of vital space-related legislative initiatives, including the Commercial Space Act of 1998, funding for NASA's X-33, Future-X and Space Solar Power programs, and the U.S. Air Force RLV Technology Development program.
Mr. Miller has received several awards for his work in the field, including the "Vision in Action" award from the Space Frontier Foundation, the "Space Pioneer" award from the National Space Society, and the "Exceptional Leadership" award from the California Space Development Council. |
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Edward M. Morris was appointed Director, Office of Space Commercialization (OSC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce in January, 2006. The Office of Space Commercialization (OSC) is responsible for implementing national space policies and promoting the capabilities of the U.S. commercial space industry. It acts as an industry liaison within the Executive Branch to ensure the U.S. Government maximizes its use of commercially available space goods and services, avoids legal and regulatory impediments, and does not compete with the U.S. space industry. OSC also supports the Deputy Secretary of Commerce in his role as a member of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Executive Committee and hosts the National Space-Based PNT Coordination Office (NCO). He is also the U.S. Government representative and co-chair of the U.S.-European Union Global Positioning System (GPS)-Galileo Working Group on Trade and Civil Applications. The working group is responsible for addressing non-discrimination and other trade related issues concerning civil satellite-based navigation and timing services and their augmentations. The objective of the working group is to ensure equal access to GPS and Galileo capabilities by worldwide government and industry users.
Prior to his appointment with NOAA, Ed worked with Orbital Sciences Corporation from 1991 to 2006. His most recent position was Senior Director of the Washington, D.C. Operations, responsible for development and implementation of White House, federal agency, and legislative actions and policies related to military, civil and commercial space matters, as well as, missile defense and tactical weapons programs. He received the Outstanding Management Award in 2001 for outstanding achievement of key company business development goals. In 1997, he was assigned as Director of Business Development for the Launch Systems Group, primarily responsible for technical and marketing roles for missile defense, international, and classified program new business initiatives. Other Orbital assignments included project management and systems engineering of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and commercial launch services valued at $100M.
Ed served in the U.S. Air Force from 1982 to 1991 in Space Acquisition, Launch Operations, and HQ USAF staff positions. He transferred in 1991 to the U.S. Air Force Reserve and continues to be active in his Reserve duties where he has served in a variety of staff and personnel assignments attaining the rank of Colonel. His military honors include the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, and Air Force Achievement Medal and is a graduate of Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, and Squadron Officer's School where he completed as a distinguished graduate.
Ed has a bachelor's degree in engineering from Rutgers University and a Master's in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.
Ed and his wife, Geary, live in Falls Church, Virginia. |
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James A. M. Muncy founded PoliSpace, an independent space policy consultancy, in early 2000 to help space entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs succeed at the nexus of business, public affairs, and technology. His clients have included several companies in the emerging private human space flight industry, firms offering commercial services to NASA spaceflight programs, and government managers of Air Force military space projects.
In 2004 and 2005 Muncy led two successful industry lobbying efforts: winning enactment of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004 (P.L 108-492), and securing an amendment to the Iran Nonproliferation Act to allow NASA to buy commercial space goods and services with Russian content.
Immediately prior to establishing PoliSpace, Muncy spent over five years working for the U.S. House of Representatives. From 1997 through early 2000 he served on the Professional Staff of the House Science Committee's Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. In addition to being Chairman Dana Rohrabacher's staff designee, Muncy held the lead responsibility for issues and programs such as reusable launch vehicles, human space flight commercialization, military space technology, export control reform, range modernization, and future NASA programs. Prior to this, Muncy spent over two years on Rep. Rohrabacher's personal staff as his Legislative Assistant for Space.
Before joining congressional staff in late 1994, Muncy spent nine years as a space policy and marketing consultant for various clients including NASA, NOAA, several private firms, and the not-for-profit space community, while also securing a graduate degree. In the mid-1980's he worked for two and a half years as a policy assistant in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Reagan, where he served as the White House's Staff Liaison to the National Commission on Space. Muncy began his career in space policy in 1981 as a staff advisor in the Office of Congressman Newt Gingrich, where he helped Mr. Gingrich co-found the Congressional Space Caucus and develop visionary space policy legislation and initiatives.
A long-time leader in the space advocacy community, Muncy co-founded the Space Frontier Foundation in 1988 and served as its Chairman of the Board for six years. Earlier he had served on the Board of Directors of both the Nat | | | | |
