Speakers

Eric Anderson is President of And One Technologies and an angel investor in emerging space and IoT. He has contributed to dozens of space products, missions, and programs within small and large companies, government and academia. He currently supports technology and business aspects of several space, near-space, and air system developments with an emphasis on the delivery of data and services via new technologies, channels, and business models.

As Chief Technologist for Space at Moog, he helped lead the company’s space business and collaborated with worldwide colleagues on business strategy, technology and innovation across multiple markets. Eric was part of the leadership team at the nationally-recognized small company CSA Engineering, serving several years as President. He earned BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, was on the technical staff at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, worked at Sikorsky Aircraft and serves as board chair for the Kenya-focused non-profit The Kilgoris Project.

Mr. Chris Badgett is vice president of Technology for Kratos Space. In this role, he sets vision, technology strategy and direction for a portfolio of Kratos Space products.  This includes secure and protected virtual satellite ground solutions for military and commercial applications.  Prior to Kratos, Mr. Badgett served in the Air Force as a weapons engineer in the Air Force Research Lab. Chris has also worked in the Space Development and Test Wing as a program manager for a satellite system developed by Ball Aerospace.  Mr. Badgett holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from University of Tennessee and an MS in Space Systems from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Kari is the Chief Strategy Officer at HawkEye 360, the first commercial company to use formation-flying satellites to create a new class of radio frequency (RF) data and analytics. She is guiding the company through an evolving space landscape and growing market for RF data and analytics, and focused on how such capabilities can support national security users and a wide array of industries.

Previously, Kari served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (Deputy USD(I&S)), after being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in May 2017. The USD(I&S) establishes policies and priorities for the defense intelligence and security enterprises (including the DIA, NGA, NRO, NSA, and DCSA); manages an annual budget of over $54 billion, including military intelligence and joint military-national intelligence programs; and oversees the defense intelligence and security workforce of over 120,000 personnel. Kari began the realignment of defense intelligence and security investments to address National Defense Strategy priorities, guided the Department’s AI/ML pathfinder, and elevated the Department’s focus on personnel and industrial security.

Prior to DoD, she was the Policy Director on the House Armed Services Committee and staff lead for its Strategic Forces subcommittee, advising members of Congress on defense policy, program, and budget matters. Prior to entering government, Kari specialized in national security space issues, working with U.S. defense and intelligence community clients, first as a space systems analyst at SRA International’s Adroit C4ISR Center, and then as a senior space policy analyst at the Aerospace Corporation.

Kari is a non-resident Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) and a member of the Blue Origin, Beacon Global Strategies, and CalypsoAI advisory boards. She was a commissioner on the CSIS Task Force on Technology and Intelligence. She is passionate about “paying-it-forward” as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University and as a member of the Common Mission Project Board of Advisors. She is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a 2002 NRO Technology Fellow.

Eric Brown is the Senior Director of Mission Strategy for Lockheed Martin’s Military Space business, working with the US Government and its allies to develop space solutions relating to missile warning / missile defense, MILSATCOM, position / navigation / timing (PNT), space control, space domain awareness, and tactical missions. Mr. Brown leads Lockheed Martin’s efforts in this domain to combine the company’s investments in future capabilities with those of teammates in industry, academia, labs, and the Government to establish new architectures in response to emerging threats to space and mission challenges. Based on the criticality of space to today’s warfighting environment, Mr. Brown coordinates across Lockheed Martin’s domains (e.g., aircraft, missiles, mission systems) to provide the infrastructure that enables Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO). This includes leadership for Lockheed Martin Innovation Partners, the company’s initiative to engage, accelerate, and onramp non-traditional partners to programs of record.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin Space, Mr. Brown led PwC Strategy&’s global space community of interest, providing strategic consultation on topics of competitive positioning, new technology introduction, and inorganic strategy to executives across aerospace, defense, space, industrial, and technology sectors. Previously, he supported various agencies across the intelligence and defense communities in the development of mission and organizational strategies and concepts of operations to respond to evolving threats and critical national requirements.

Mr. Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College, a Master of Arts in US National Security Policy from Georgetown University, and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Astrotech Space Operations.

Phil Carrai is President of the Space, Training and Cybersecurity division of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, Inc, where he is responsible for all aspects of business operations, sales, mergers and acquisitions. Kratos Defense is an approximately $650 million public company focusing in Aerospace and Defense products and services. 

Mr. Mike Chandanais serves as the Director of Satellite Communications and Deputy to the Commander for U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Satellite Operations Brigade. He is responsible for Wideband and Narrowband MILSATCOM global payload management as well as all satellite communications planning at the Command’s Regional Satellite Communications Support Centers. He also serves as the Operational Project Lead and Operational Project Manager for DoD’s Wideband Satellite Communications Joint Production Memorandums of Understanding and directs the Command’s delivery of MILSATCOM through DoD’s other international partner agreements.

Mr. Chandanais is a retired Army Signal Officer. Over a 23-year career he served in a variety of assignments at various echelons beginning with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Blackhorse), and the 141st Signal Battalion in Germany. Later he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he served with the 187th Infantry Regiment, Division G6, 3rd Brigade S6 (Rakkasans), and 501st Signal Battalion. As a field grade officer his tours included assignments with 78th Division, 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Third Army, and Mission Command Center of Excellence. His final tour was with USASMDC where he led the Regional SATCOM Support Division. Since 2004, he was the communications planner for several key partnership events include the 60th Anniversary of D-Day Commemoration Ceremonies, US Israel missile defense partnership program culminating with Juniper Cobra 2005, and several allied communications interoperability experiments including Talon Strike, Omni Fusion, and Allied Auroras.

Following Mr. Chandanais’ retirement from active duty in 2014, he accepted an appointment as a Department of Army Civilian serving first as the Chief of Plans for G6 Narrowband Division and later selected as the Director of Satellite Communications.

Mr. Chandanais is a graduate of Michigan State and Webster Universities, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

He and his wife Nicole have been married for more than 27 years and have two daughters.

As Vice President of Business and Strategy at Virgin Orbit, Stephen Eisele is responsible for leading all sales and strategies around commercial and international business efforts, engaging with the civil, commercial and the new space small satellite community. Part of his initiatives includes initiating the Virgin “VIP” Program (or Virgin Interplanetary Program) for satellite missions to journey beyond LEO to GTO, the Moon, Mars and beyond. In addition, he has spearheaded Virgin Orbit’s international spaceport architecture, setting up spaceport partnerships around the world including in the UK, Japan, Italy and many more to be announced.
Prior to joining Virgin Orbit, Eisele served as a senior business development executive for Surrey Satellite Technology US, where he helped lead Surrey’s business growth opportunities through strategic partnerships, including OTB Missions.
Stephen previously served as Vice President of Space Services Inc, a commercial space holdings and investment company, where he managed multi-million dollar companies and start-ups; served as head of sales and marketing for Excalibur Almaz (EA), an international space exploration company created to provide routine, affordable access to and from space; and also worked as the Marketing Director for the X PRIZE Foundation’s Google Lunar Lander Challenge in 2007. Prior to working with entrepreneurial aerospace firms, Stephen worked as a senior analyst for DFI International (now Avascent Group) in Washington, DC, managing and researching numerous projects for Fortune 100 aerospace and defense firms.

Stephen holds a bachelor of arts in international studies from the Johns Hopkins University and a master of arts in international economics and strategic studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where he received the William C. Foster Award for “sound scholarship and a record of distinguished service and leadership.” He also holds a master’s certificate from the International Space University in space business.

Karen Emery serves as Sr. Director of Product Management for iDirect Government. In this role, she seeks to anticipate customer needs and drive the product strategy, development, and timely launch of new capabilities.  She is fascinated by the intersection of innovation and effective problem solving, and she and her team are always interested in learning more about the customer experience.  She has more than 20 years in product engineering, design and management, as well as operations experience.

Emery has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Ann Arbor, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Debra Facktor is the Head of U.S. Space Systems for AIRBUS U.S. Space & Defense, Inc., reporting to the Chairman and CEO of Airbus U.S. She joined the company in March 2020 and is responsible for managing the two businesses within U.S. Space Systems: National Security Space and Space Exploration. She also represents Airbus on the board of Airbus OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb operating a high-volume, high-speed satellite production facility in Florida, leveraging Airbus’ long standing heritage in satellite manufacturing.
Prior to joining Airbus U.S., Debra was Vice President and General Manager of Strategic Operations for Ball Aerospace, leading the company’s Washington DC operations, strategic development, and marketing and communications. Her extensive business experience includes serving as President and Owner of AirLaunch LLC, a small business that won funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and as Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Kistler Aerospace Corporation, a company that was developing a privately-funded reusable launch vehicle for the telecommunications satellite and International Space Station commercial resupply markets. Earlier in her career, Debra was Chief of Moscow Operations for ANSER’s Center for International Aerospace Cooperation.
Debra is actively engaged as a board member, advisor and mentor in the aerospace community, with organizations such as the Intelligence and National Security Association (INSA), American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Future Space Leaders Foundation, Brooke Owens Fellowship Program, Women in Aerospace and the International Women’s Forum. She serves on the Industrial Advisory Board of the University of Michigan aerospace engineering department and as an adjunct faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University systems engineering department. She is a fellow of AIAA and the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).
Debra received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, and is an alumna of the International Space University summer session program in Strasbourg, France.

Dr. Gregory Falco is an Assistant Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University where his lab, the Autonomy OWL, focuses on matters of assured autonomy, space system cybersecurity, space habitation and future satellite capabilities. His work on space cybersecurity has been incorporated into national policy and he actively works with government agencies, the military and private companies to improve their space asset resilience. Dr. Falco completed his PhD at MIT in Cybersecurity and was previously listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 for his contributions to Enterprise Technology.

Karl Fuchs joined iDirect Government in 2004 as the Director of Sales Engineering, just as the satellite-based IP communications company was expanding its very small aperture satellite (VSAT) market presence into the federal government and international Internet Protocol (IP) networking world. He now works as the Sr. Vice President of Technology.

With more than 25 years of experience in technology and with the federal government, Fuchs leads iDirect Government’s team of federal sales engineers, hardware engineers, software engineers, and serves as chief architect for new product integration.

Prior to joining iDirect Government, Fuchs was Director of Systems Engineering at Nortel Networks, where he oversaw the Verizon account team of systems engineers, leading the design of IP, Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) networks. Before joining Nortel, he designed IP and ATM networks for Sprint and the federal government.

Active in the satellite industry for more than 20 years, Fuchs has contributed editorial to numerous publications including Federal Computer Week, Institute for Defense and Government Advancement, COTS Journal, Military Information Technology, Via Satellite, MILSATCOM and Satellite Evolution Global. In addition, he has been a featured speaker at leading industry events including the DoD SATCOM User Workshop, ISCe, IBC, Pacific Telecommunications Council and Emergency Management Talks.

Fuchs holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. and an MBA from Averett University, Danville, Va.

Mr. Gauthier is a senior government executive at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) serving as Director of their Commercial and Business Operations Group in the Source Directorate.  He also serves as the Chair of the newly-formed Intelligence Community Commercial Space Council.  Previously, he was the NGA Chief Strategy Officer where he spearheaded strategic plans for a data-enabled workforce and artificial intelligence.  Over the past 23 years, he has led various intelligence operations and programs across the U.S. Air Force, private industry, and government giving him experience with a variety of technical collection systems and analytic innovations.  He is known for his role in maturing activity-based intelligence and his primary interests are model-driven collection, U.S. space policy, and innovations in remote sensing.

Mr. Gauthier has two Masters Degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder in both Aerospace Engineering and Telecommunications Science; and he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY.

Tom Gillespie serves as a Partner on In-Q-Tel’s Investment Team and as Investment Lead for In-Q-Tel’s Field Technologies Practice, where he is responsible for identifying technologies that address challenges faced by the Intelligence Community. He is the Investment Team partner associated with IQT’s commercial space initiative, CosmiQ Works, and he has led a number of IQT’s investments in commercial space ventures, including launch vehicles, small satellite constellations, and space situational awareness. In addition, he has led IQT investments in the areas of robotics, materials, power sources, and autonomous systems, as well as several analytics investments.

Prior to IQT, Gillespie was a Strategy Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, serving clients in the financial services, aerospace, and government (national security and defense) sectors. Previously, he co-founded LaunchFuel, a venture commercialization firm that created, developed, and advised early-stage technology businesses; Gillespie also directed numerous business and technology strategy projects with Global 2000 clients for AT&T Solutions. Earlier experience includes positions in international privatization and the United States Congress, where he focused on financial services, telecommunications, space, and foreign affairs issue areas.

Gillespie earned a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Katherine is the Chief Executive Officer for the ManSat Group. ManSat is the world’s largest commercial provider of satellite spectrum and offers bespoke consultancy services in spectrum regulatory matters.

Before joining ManSat, Katherine worked with U.S. defense contractors to bring commercial satellite and terrestrial communication technologies to austere environments in support of military, diplomatic, first responder, and commercial initiatives.

Katherine serves on the Board of Directors for Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) and mentors entrepreneurs through Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator.
Katherine is a graduate of the International Space University’s Executive Space program and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia.

Tyler J. Goudie is Vice President and Chief Technologist within the S&GS Business Unit at Parsons with over 20 years of systems engineering and software development experience within the aerospace industry. At Parsons, he has contributed as a Systems/Solutions Architect and Developer on a number of high-profile Satellite Programs including Enterprise Ground Services (EGS). Tyler is a Parsons product expert and currently leads all Technical Vision within the S&GS Business Unit Products and Technology.
He began his career working small satellite designs for Space Dynamics Lab and AFRL and continued to refine his experience with satellite systems engineering working with the Aerospace Corporation on high level system satellite designs. Tyler further pursued his experience through requirements gathering, design documentation, verification and validation, and customer interaction at LASP, CCAR, and Raytheon. He worked on a prototype instrument for the International Space Station and on Modeling and Spacecraft Simulation for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Satellite under Lockheed Martin. Tyler also worked on Force Protection and Intelligence software development programs for the Air Force and Intelligence Communities.
Tyler moved into project leadership roles for small, medium, and large sized teams and led them to successful delivery of their respective software systems, keeping high profile contracts on schedule and under budget. Tyler maintains technical expertise in the areas of satellite systems, systems engineering, development, testing, modeling and simulation, and high-level architecture design.
Finally, Tyler leads many high budget Parsons Product Opportunities and Technical Proposals through business development, sales, and strategic partnerships leveraging Parson’s COTS/GOTS product line solutions across the S&GS enterprise.

Education
Tyler holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from University of Colorado, Boulder (2004) and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Utah State University (2003).

Mr. Grady has been involved in the Satellite Communications industry since 2005, joining NSR in 2010. Through his 10 years at NSR, he has risen from a Junior Analyst to NSR’s Principal Analyst for Mobility Markets, focusing on Commercial and Government SATCOM Markets. In that role, he leads NSR’s research on “anything that moves.” He leads a group of NSR Analysts focused on Aeronautical and Land-Mobile opportunities, and authors NSR’s Maritime SATCOM Markets, Energy SATCOM Markets, and Government and Military Satellite Communications. He regularly provides his insights and analysis to NSR’s single-client consulting practice, and is also a regular contributor to leading industry publications and forums.

Before joining NSR, Mr. Grady served as the Sustainable Development Projects Coordinator Intern with the Global VSAT Forum where he worked regularly with the GVF Secretariat and the Regulatory Working Group on many of the forum’s initiatives. Working with the Regulatory Working Group, Mr. Grady helped develop and implement various RWG initiatives aimed at protecting satellite spectrum, increasing awareness of satellite services, and working to promote regulatory reforms across the globe.

Mr. Grady holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park where his research focused on renewable/alternative energies, Information Communication Technologies and the Satellite Communications Industry.  He works in NSR’s Washington DC office, with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.

Clare A. Grason is Chief, Commercial Satellite Communications (COMSATCOM) Office, assigned to Headquarters United States Space Force, Washington, D.C.  She is responsible for delivering COMSATCOM capabilities to support the joint warfighter, federal agencies and international partners. Her portfolio includes the Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) Program Office, the EMSS Gateway and Capabilities Office and the Department of Defense COMSATCOM Solutions Office.

EMSS is an $800 million global satellite program that provides the Department of Defense, federal and coalition partners with unlimited access to the commercial Iridium constellation, a mesh-network of 66 on-orbit cross-linked satellites, through a dedicated, EMSS controlled gateway.

The COMSATCOM Solutions Office acquires any commercial satellite capability for any customer, anywhere, and has $4.6 billion under management.

Prior to this role, Ms. Grason was the SATCOM Division Chief, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). In this role she managed the Department of Defense Enterprise Gateways Program Office, the SATCOM Operations Integration Branch, and the COMSATCOM portfolio described above, prior to its Congressionally-directed transfer to the AFSPC. Other assignments include Program Manager, EMSS and Program Manager for a classified telecommunications system within DISA’s National Leadership Command Capabilities Center (NLCC). Ms. Grason began her career in government with DISA as a contracting officer, and served as the Chief, Special Projects Contracting Branch, which held a contracts portfolio valued at over $2 billion.

Prior to joining the government, Ms. Grason was a retirement funds analyst for T. Rowe Price.

Ms. Grason received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from West Virginia University, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Ms. Grason is DAWIA Level 3 certified in contracting.

Tess is a vice president at Bessemer Venture Partners fostering entrepreneurship of frontier technology, specifically the commercialization of space, drones, autonomous vehicles, and the future of agriculture and food technology. She wants to invest in technology and people who believe as strongly as she does that frontier technology will develop solutions for societal problems.

Tess earned a Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics engineering from Stanford. She went on to work for Boeing and then SpaceX where she worked with the government on integrating its payloads with the Falcon9 rocket. She remains close to her alma mater through co-teaching a class at Stanford for professors interested in commercializing their research, serving on the board of advisors for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program and founding the Stanford Aero/Astro Alumni Association. Tess was recently named Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Venture Capital.

Tess is passionate about space exploration and imagines a future where we all travel to space. She hopes to make the trip herself soon.

Brigadier General Peter F. Hoene, USAF (Retired) was named President and CEO of SES Government Solutions on January 19, 2015. In his previous role, he served as the Corporate Vice President for Development for SES Government Solutions, headquartered in Reston, VA. As Corporate Vice President for Development, he worked with United States warfighters and other government users to help determine their requirements and offer communications support, hosted payload opportunities, and network solutions. He then communicated those requirements to the SES parent organization to take advantage of existing on-orbit SES fleet capacity, or to influence future satellite designs.

Pete retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2010 as Brigadier General, following 30 years of service. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, as well as a distinguished graduate of both the Air Command and Staff College and the National War College. He holds two master’s degrees and served in a wide variety of Space, Command and Control, and research, development, acquisition, test, staff and command assignments. In his last active duty position, Hoene served as the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Program Executive Officer for Command and Control, where he managed a portfolio of Joint and Coalition Command and Control and Information Sharing programs.

Prior to his DISA assignment, he was Commander, 350th Electronic Systems Wing (C2&ISR Wing), Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., where he managed a portfolio of 49 command and control (C2), ISR, Space and Cyber programs valued at more than $9 billion.

Nick Jernigan is a Product Manager at Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). Currently, he manages both the Orbital Outpost and multi-Orbit Logistics families of DIU prototypes. Prior to his time at DIU, Nick spent three years at the Space and Missiles Systems center working on next-generation space logistics and hypersonic technology for the Air Force. Nick has a master’s degree from MIT in Operations Research and is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Academy class of 2012.

A corporate partner and satellite practice co-head, Steve Kaufman uses industry knowledge and versatility to negotiate and close many types of deals globally.

For 18 of his 30 years at the firm, Steve served as outside general counsel for satellite clients, leading strategic joint ventures, “bet-the-company” contracts, financings, and M&A.

What Steve does best: understanding complex business issues and translating them into legal documents. If a client can describe something, Steve can draft it. Working from complicated to simple, he has many times reduced a lengthy contract into a few pages of bullet points, showing the client what it needs and how to obtain it. He has even written a business and financing model for parties in the form of an agreement. Many clients comment that the business guidance from Steve is as valuable as the legal advice.

Steve relies on his familiarity with issues common to satellite and communications companies to give him an edge in negotiations. This experience produces extra benefits when Steve deals with specialized satellite contract terms, targeted warranties, creative covenants, use of insurance to close gaps, license and spectrum issues, and even finance and accounting matters. According to Chambers Steve Kaufman is “a real authority and somebody who will always know the answer.”

In advising clients, Steve emphasizes practicality, striving to achieve the client’s business objectives for the transaction, whether economic, risk reduction, regulatory/compliance, or transaction speed. This carries over into deal management as well as negotiations, where he willingly takes the lead. Steve and satellite practice co-head Randy Segal are regulars at the satellite conferences, making connections among clients and even adverse parties. He is listed in Chambers, Super Lawyers, and Legal 500.

As Founder, Chairman and CEO, Chris leads the overall company strategy and direction for Astra. Chris previously served as CTO of NASA and founded OpenStack, an open-source cloud computing infrastructure software project that is one of the three most active open source projects in the world.

At NASA, he partnered with Google and Microsoft and helped create Google Moon and Mars (online maps that allow you to explore the planets) and worked with the White House to develop the cloud computing strategy for the government. Chris advises and serves as a board member at various tech companies.

Dr. Fred Kennedy was the inaugural Director of the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD) Space Development Agency (SDA), established by Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan on 12 March 2019. The SDA mission is to define and monitor the DOD’s future threat-driven space architecture and to accelerate the development and fielding of new military space capabilities necessary to ensure U.S. technological and military advantage in space for national defense.

From 2017 until he became the SDA Director, Dr. Kennedy was the Director of the Tactical Technology Office (TTO) of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Prior to joining DARPA, he served as the senior policy advisor for national security space and aviation in the National Security and International Affairs Division of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). In this role, Dr. Kennedy advised the President of the United States on matters related to space and aviation policy.

Dr. Kennedy served 23 years in the United States Air Force, where he retired as a colonel. During his tenure, he served as a Senior Materiel Leader in both the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center’s Remote Sensing Directorate and the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center’s Battle Management Directorate. Prior to that, he was the lead for Space Requirements with the Joint Staff/J-8 in the Capabilities and Acquisition Division at the Pentagon and a chief for Spacecraft Payload Development and Test and Satellite Systems and Acquisition at the National Reconnaissance Office. From 2005 to 2008, while in the Air Force, Dr. Kennedy was a program manager in TTO, where he created and managed efforts around spacecraft and satellite servicing, advanced space power and propulsion systems, and innovative space technologies.

Dr. Kennedy holds a Ph.D. in electronics and physical sciences from the University of Surrey; a Master of Arts in organizational management from George Washington University; a Master of Arts in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College; and a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science, both in aeronautics and astronautics, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Stephen Kitay co-leads Microsoft’s efforts to connect Azure with the space sector. The rapid advances in commercial, government and international space capabilities provides a unique opportunity to both enable the space industry through the power of Azure and leverage these space services for Azure customers. Stephen and the Azure Space team are developing capabilities and services to extend connectivity across the world, simulate digital space environments, discover new insights, and drive innovation both on the ground and in orbit.

Prior to Microsoft, Stephen served in the United States Government, most recently as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy where he had a key leadership role in the establishment of the U.S. Space Force. He has also held a range of positions in the Air Force, Intelligence Community and Capitol Hill. Stephen has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of West Florida.

Dr. Josef Koller is a Systems Director for the Center for Space Policy and Strategy, serving as a senior analyst and team leader on topics that cut across policy, technology, and economics. Prior to joining Aerospace, Dr. Koller served as a Senior Advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Space Policy where he directly supported key national and international strategy efforts for space-related U.S. Government and DoD policy matters including commercial remote sensing, space traffic management, and related congressional affairs. Prior to that assignment, Dr. Koller managed and co-lead over 40 scientists in the “Space Science and Applications Group” at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Koller also established and led the Los Alamos Space Weather Summer School to promote graduate student research and outreach at the Laboratory.

Dr. Koller has over 17 years of experience with global security and space science programs. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific publications with 700 citations. Dr. Koller has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Rice University.

Rich Leshner has been working in the DC space policy community for nearly two decades, with experience in the non-profit, government, and industry sectors. Rich’s NASA experience had him working on international projects for collaboration in exploration, managing a $150 million portfolio of innovative small business research, and working in the Administrator’s office. He worked for two years at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he supported the development of the 2010 National Space Policy as well as championed reforms to more fully integrate commercial space capabilities into national programs. Since 2014 Rich has been at Planet, the small satellite Earth observation data and analytics company based in California. Rich was previously Planet’s Vice President for Regulatory and Government Affairs, and is now the Executive Vice President of Planet Federal – Planet’s subsidiary for work with the U.S. government. Rich has a MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford, and a PhD in Public Policy and Public Administration from George Washington. He lives in DC with his wife and daughter.

Janna is a senior attorney and technology strategist with more than 17 years of experience counseling clients in the aerospace, national defense and intelligence, and commercial space sectors. She has unique, cross-sector expertise in guiding programs and technology development for U.S. government and commercial initiatives, including experience with satellite, launch, unmanned vehicles, C4ISR architectures, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.

Prior to joining BAE Systems, Janna worked for Northrop Grumman as Corporate Counsel-IP, supporting their Mission Systems Sector, where she facilitated innovation and strategic partnerships to advance defense and intelligence capabilities. Prior to that, Janna worked for Facebook, where she supported Facebook’s mission to enable global internet connectivity. She helped to frame industry partnerships to catalyze delivery of global space-based and high-altitude connectivity solutions. Before Facebook, Janna was in private legal practice, where she served as senior legal counsel to U.S. and international clients in the aerospace and defense, healthcare, software, and telecommunications industries.

Janna is a member of the Defense Innovation Board, Space Advisory Committee and a volunteer with the Space Foundation. She frequently writes and speaks about the evolving legal and cultural landscapes in the defense, intelligence, and space industries, and has been recognized for her proactive, results-oriented approach to client counseling. Janna is committed to diversity in the space industry, and is a strong advocate for new space professionals.

Rick Lober is the Vice President and General Manager of the Defense and Intelligence Systems Division (DISD) at Hughes Network Systems, LLC. In this role, he is responsible for applying the company’s broad range of SATCOM technologies and services to the worldwide defense marketplace and intelligence community. Applications cover satellite communications on the move for both ground-based an airborne platforms along with numerous classified development programs. He has over 30 years experience with both COTS-based and full MIL communications and intelligence products, systems and major programs starting as a design engineer and progressing to a P&L executive.

Mr. Lober previously worked at Cubic Corporation as Sr. VP/GM of the Communications Business Unit. In this role, he led the company’s development of the Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL) for application to both manned and unmanned military ISR platforms.

Mr. Lober worked at Watkins-Johnson Company before joining Cubic. In this role, he started as a design engineer for the company’s large catalog of signal intelligence equipment and progressed to a Department P&L lead for SIGINT equipment and systems. Mr. Lober led the program to develop the world’s first high volume digital HF receiver and also led efforts to move the company into commercial telecommunications markets.

Mr. Lober received his BSEE and MSEE degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana, and is a member of the IEEE, AFCEA, AUSA, AUVSI and the Society of Satellite Professionals. He has published numerous papers and presentations on digital receiver design, high-speed data links, and satellite communications. Mr. Lober holds a patent in wireless communications and he and his family live in Annapolis, MD.

Tim Lynch is executive director of the Multi-Domain Architecture Group within the Space and Airborne Systems segment of L3Harris Technologies. Space and Airborne Systems covers an extensive portfolio of solutions
in intelligence, surveillance, small satellites, electronic warfare, avionics (including carriage and release systems), wireless solutions and C4I systems.    Prior to his current position, Lynch was a chief mission architect of L3Harris. In this role, he was responsible for working with customers and program teams to develop new solutions and mission architectures to support all major areas within the organization, including smallsats, radio frequency and electro-optical payloads, and end-to-end mission solutions.

 Previously, Lynch was the senior director of advanced programs with the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance business unit at Harris Corporation (prior to the company’s merger with L3 Technologies in 2019).

 Lynch joined Harris in 2000, earlier assignments included general manager of the company’s Mission Solutions. He also led two enterprises – Satellite Solutions and Advanced Technologies. These enterprises provided commercially hosted payloads, smallsat end-to-end solutions, and state-of-the-art processing systems for the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community and commercial market.

 Lynch began his career as an electrical engineer and has held positions of increasing responsibility in the areas of engineering, business development, program management and mission architecture. 

 Lynch holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Florida State University. He is a graduate of the Wharton executive leadership program.

 He is a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity Florida Alpha Chapter, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, and several other intelligence and defense organizations.

L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers’ mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $18 billion in annual revenue and 48,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries.

Katherine Monson is the CEO of KSAT USA (Kongsberg Satellite Services). KSAT is a world-leading provider of ground station services for satellites, rocket launchers, and experimental spacecraft. With over 50 years of experience, KSAT’s network today spans over 180 antennas at over 20 ground station locations across the globe (including Pole to Pole coverage from Antarctica to the Arctic) and is constantly expanding. We are proud to be the behind-the-scenes bridge back to earth, supporting the vast majority of space companies, agencies, and start-ups.

Javier is a satellite communications program manager for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Infrastructure Directorate in Ft Meade, Maryland, where he supports satellite systems’ worldwide implementation. He
is a US military veteran with over 30 years of experience in satellitepayload and gateway planning, implementation, and operations. His focus is in the delivery of SATCOM and terrestrial services, as well as, telecommunications management. Javier specializes in integrating software, analytical capabilities, and operational business intelligence in support of
terrestrial communications and satellite processes. He received a Ph.D. in Information Technology from Capella University in 2019, which focused on the successful use of Business Intelligence systems. Javier is a certified program management professional (PMP).

COL Stephen Parrish was born near Satellite Beach, Florida, and at the age of 12 moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He graduated from Thomas B. Doherty High School in 1991 and attended college at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a minor in sociology in 1994. He joined the U.S. Army in 1997 and attended Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Upon graduating, he commissioned as a military intelligence officer. In 2001, he earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, and in 2020, earned a Masters of Strategic Military Studies from the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. COL Parrish has served in a variety of command and staff positions throughout his 23-year career.

COL Parrish’s assignments include:

• • 2019-2020. student, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base.
  • 2017-2019. chief, Space Concepts Integration Officer for the Capability Development Center and Mission Command Center of Excellence at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
  • 2015-2017. G-3 executive officer, U.S. Army Europe, and deputy director of Space Forces, USEUCOM, Wiesbaden, Germany.
  • 2012-2015. J35 and J71 at Joint Functional Component Command for Space, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
  • 2010-2012. director of Ops, Plans, Training, and Security, Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands.
  • 2006-2010. brigade S-2, 1st Space Brigade, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
  • 2004-2006. company commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Support Company, and S-3 training officer,

532nd Military Intelligence Battalion, Yongsan, Republic of Korea.

• 2000-2003. squadron S-2, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, California.
• 1997-2000. Military intelligence platoon leader, brigade motor pool officer, and executive officer, 111th MI Brigade, Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

COL Parrish deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the theater linguist manager and chief, Counter Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device Task Force, Multi-National Forces, Baghdad, Iraq.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (five oak leaf clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (two oak leaf clusters), the Army Achievement Medal (four oak leaf clusters), the Joint Military Unit Award (two oak leaf clusters), the National Defense Service Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Army Overseas Service Ribbon (oak leaf clusters), and the Army Master Space Badge.

COL Parrish has attended Military Intelligence Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Imagery Intelligence Officer Course, Space Operations Qualification Course, Space 200 and 300, Intermediate Level Education, Joint Professional Military Education Level II, the Special Technical Operations Planner’s Course, and the Senior Service College.

Colonel Parrish is married, and they have four children.

Greg Quiggle currently serves as the Vice President, Product Management at Kratos, where he is responsible for overall product strategy and ongoing lifecycle management of Kratos’ commercial product portfolio.

Prior to joining the team, Quiggle served as the Vice President of Emerging Products for VT iDirect, during which time he played an instrumental role in developing the company’s 5G/SDN strategy and ecosystem. Additionally, he has served as the Executive Vice President of Marketing for Tollgrade Communications and the Vice President of Marketing for Acterna Corporation (now Viavi). In these roles, he has spent over 25 years conceptualizing and executing successful, corporate-level product/technology strategies within the communications industry.

Quiggle has earned a BS of Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Maryland

Chris is the president of Quilty Analytics, an independent research and consulting firm that provides strategy, competitive benchmarking, financial analysis, and investment diligence on all aspects of the Satellite & Space industry.

Prior to establishing Quilty Analytics in 2016, Chris served as a sell-side research analyst with Raymond James for 20 years, publishing hundreds of company-specific, macro, sector, and thematic research reports on the industrial, defense, space, wireless, and communications industries. Chris is widely-acknowledged as the leading Wall Street analyst on the Satellite & Space sector and has participated in 30 capital markets transactions over the past five years valued at over $2.5 billion

Chris received a BS degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1989 and an MBA from the University of Chicago in 1994.

Dr. Mir Sadat has more than 25 years of experience in private industry and government. Mir is a former policy director at the U.S. National Security Council, where he led interagency coordination on defense and space policy issues. In this role, Mir supported the establishment of both the US Space Force and US Space Command, and reviewed national security decisions involving civil space (NASA) and the US commercial space sector. Mir is also a naval officer with intelligence and space qualifications and in his preceding two naval assignments; he served as a space policy strategist with Chief of Naval Operations and as a space operations officer with U.S. Tenth Fleet. Mir has a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University and has taught at various universities in California and Washington, DC.

He is founding editor-in-chief of Space Force Journal and co-author of “U.S. Space Policies for the New Space Age: Competing on the Final Economic Frontier.” Follow him on Twitter @Dr_Sadat_USN and LinkedIn

With 20 years of in-house general counsel experience, Randy Segal brings an individual perspective to every matter she handles, both as your outside counsel and as someone who has walked in your shoes. With a focus on satellite, wireless, drone, and technology transactions, Randy provides commercially practical solutions in industries where technological change is ever-present. Randy’s practice often involves multi-level chess games, where every move needs to be considered from a multitude of angles to be successful.

As a result, Randy’s practice is reflected in three segments. First, as co-leader of the Space and Satellite practice, Randy has handled many types of transactions, from day-to-day matters to the most complex international transactions for industry operators, investors, and technology providers. She has been involved in taking companies public, advising on acquisitions, divestitures, and complex cross-border joint ventures, as well as large satellite system development, deployments and funding.

Second, as an advisor to technology investors and their portfolio companies, Randy has advised on transactions focused on big data analytics, IT, wireless systems, spectrum licenses, environmental analytics, wireless proximity analysis, drone technology, terrestrial positioning, and other innovative technologies.

Third, Randy provides “strand of pearls” advice to global clients, working seamlessly with our international offices to develop familiar, comfortable and “right-sized” solutions. Randy’s extensive cross-border experience has resulted in an extensive tool-kit of resolutions for the most complex of legal regimes. Randy’s transactional and advisory experience is both deep and broad, working throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and on the most complex of international programs and legal issues.

John is the Chief Executive Officer of HawkEye 360, a developer of space-based radio frequency (RF) mapping and analytics capabilities. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Allied Minds where he led the formation of and the investment into HawkEye 360, along with other Allied Minds companies such as BridgeSat, Federated Wireless, Optio Labs, Percipient Networks, and Whitewood Encryption Systems. John’s investment activities and management expertise center upon the intersection of profit-maximizing private capital and the unique requirements and R&D capabilities of the U.S. government.

A former Airborne Ranger-qualified U.S. Army infantry officer with duty stations at the 82d Airborne Division & UNCSB-JSA of the Korean DMZ, John holds a BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and an MBA and MPA from Harvard University.

Chris Shank is a Vice President at Maxar Technologies. Chris previously held various leadership roles in the military, U.S. government and commercial industry for over 25 years. Before joining Maxar, Chris was the Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office at the U.S. Department of Defense. In this role, he led the development of new and innovative ways to shape and counter emerging threats across all domains, bringing unexpected and game-changing capabilities to the Joint Force.

 

Chris has also held leadership roles at Van Scoyoc Associates, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Honeywell Aerospace, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and NASA. He served as an Officer in the U.S. Air Force for 11 years with assignments at Space Command, National Reconnaissance Office, and Pentagon. Chris holds a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame.

Mr. Kameron Simon is a senior systems engineer for Kratos Space RF Sensing Systems business area.  His area focuses on the application of advanced algorithms to RF satellite emissions in support of Space Situational Awareness and Radio Frequency Situational Awareness. He works with a team of talented software engineers, and system engineers in the research and application of how monitored radio frequency spectrum can be used to inform users in these domains.  Mr. Simon has over 10 years of experience in systems engineering and holds a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining Kratos, Mr. Simon worked as a Senior Engineer and Modeling and Simulation Lead for the Space Fence program and Technical Lead for the iSpace product at Lockheed Martin where he gained experience on the Space Surveillance Network of ground sensors and the Space Situational Awareness, Missile Warning, and Missile Defense mission areas.

Chris Stott is the Founder and Chairman of ManSat, the world’s first, and now largest, commercial satellite spectrum firm and was also key in founding the multi billion dollar space and satellite industry on the Isle of Man. He is presently Chair of the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), the largest professional association in the global space and satellite industry. He was named Celton Businessman of the year in 2010.

A founder of the International Institute of Space Commerce, he is also a passionate activist for STEM & STEAM education serving as faculty at the ISU and on the University’s Main Board and with the Conrad Foundation, Challenger Centers, and the United Space School. At ISU he teaches entrepreneurialism, networking, and other business topics and is a past Co Chair of the School of Management and Business. He also teaches on the TED Fellows program.

Chris is also a co founder of the Manna Energy Foundation and Geeks Without Frontiers, focused on bringing clean energy, clean water and clean telecoms (the ‘world wide well’) to the developing world via sustainable enterprise, and recently completed the world’s first IEEE Certified Open Source 80211s Mesh Networks protocols with the support of Google, RIM, Microsoft, Laptop Per Child, Global Connect, and Nokia.

Chris serves on the Board of the AMAR US Foundation, having worked with Baroness Nicholson on AMAR in the early 1990s when AMAR was first founded.   Chris was then working in the House of Commons for Emma when she was a Member of Parliament, having come to this position from interning and volunteering in the US Senate and on at a senior level on two US Presidential Campaigns.

He is a published author and produces the occasional movie, with three projects currently under work. His work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, the Financial Times, Le Monde, the BBC, and Wired Magazine. A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Member of the Reform Club, and the International Institute of Space Law, Chris is also a TED’ster and TEDx Curator (ISU, Douglas, and Sugarland).

After working in executive positions with Boeing and Lockheed Martin, Chris left Lockheed Martin in 2000 to become an entrepreneur in the space industry before it was trendy.

Born on the Isle of Man, Chris is a now an American Citizen by choice (having read way too much Jefferson).   He resides in Houston, Texas with his wife, retired NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott, and their son. He is a keen shot (skeet, trap, pistol and rifle), SCUBA diver, and is currently working on his Rotor (Helicopter) pilot’s license.

As President of SIA, Tom Stroup is the trade association’s lead advocate for regulatory and policy issues of critical importance to SIA’s membership, including spectrum and licensing issues, defense and public safety matters, and export control and international trade issues. He also manages the day-to-day operations of SIA, including member communications, staff leadership and organization of SIA sponsored events.

Prior to joining SIA, Mr. Stroup was with Shared Spectrum Company (SSC), a leading developer of spectrum intelligence technologies, where he served as CEO. For more than a decade, he served as the President of the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA). Previous to his position at SSC, he founded and ran several companies in the technology industry, including Columbia Spectrum Management, P-Com Network Services, CSM Wireless, and SquareLoop.

Mr. Stroup holds a BS, summa cum laude, in Public Administration from the University of North Dakota. He is also a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center where he served as Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal.

Experienced innovation and engineering executive across multiple industries including wireless networking (cellular and WiFi), consumer electronics, silicon platforms, and large-scale cloud client computing. Currently CTO of Carnegie Technologies. Other roles included SVP Software Engineering at Comcast NBC Universal, VP of Engineering at Cable Vision Systems, VP Silicon Platform at Motorola PCS, CTO of Dell’s Client Solutions Group, and CTO Broadband at Texas Instruments. He was a founder and CTO of two successful startups: Wi-Fi innovation leader Aironet Wireless (acquired by Cisco) and 4G wireless innovator Raze Technologies. He started his career at the National Security Agency.

Gen. David D. Thompson is the Vice Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force. As Vice Chief he is responsible for assisting the Chief of Space Operations in organizing, training and equipping space forces in the United States and overseas, integrating space policy and guidance, and coordinating space-related activities for the U.S. Space Force and Department of the Air Force.

The U.S. Space Force organizes, trains, equips and maintains mission-ready space forces that provide missile warning, space domain awareness, positioning, navigation and timing, communications and space electronic warfare for North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Space Command and other combatant commands.

Gen. Thompson was commissioned in 1985 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a career space officer with assignments in operations, acquisition, research and development and academia. Gen. Thompson has commanded operational space units at the squadron, group, and wing levels; he is also an Olmsted Scholar, graduate of the Senior Acquisition Course and Level III-Certified Program Manager. Prior to his assignment as Vice Chief of Space Operations, Gen. Thompson was the Vice Commander, U.S. Space Force.

EDUCATION
1985 Bachelor of Science, Astronautical Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
1989 Master of Science, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
1990 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1993 Olmsted Scholar, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
1998 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2000 Advanced Program Managers Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va.
2001 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2005 Master of Science, National Security Industrial Policy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2005 Senior Acquisition Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1985–May 1988, Experimental Rocket Propulsion Engineer and Chief, Motor/ Component Operations Section, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
2. June 1988–July 1989, Graduate Student, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
3. August 1989-October 1992, Instructor of Astronautics, Assistant Professor and Executive Officer, Department of Astronautics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
4. October 1992–May 1993, Student, Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey, Calif.
5. June 1993–July 1995, Olmsted Scholar, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
6. August 1995–July 1997, Program Manager, Advanced MILSATCOM Program, MILSATCOM Joint Program Office, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
7. August 1997–June 1998, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
8. July 1998–August 2000, Spacelift Requirements Officer and Chief, Spacelift Vehicle Requirements Branch, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colo.
9. September 2000–April 2002, Deputy Director, Commander’s Action Group, Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
10. June 2002–July 2004, Operations Officer and Commander, 2nd Space Launch Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
11. August 2004–June 2005, Student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
12. June 2005–July 2007, Commander, 45th Operations Group, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
13. July 2007–May 2009, Commander, Aerospace Data Facility – Colorado, Buckley AFB, Colo.
14. June 2009–June 2010, Director of Space Forces, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Southwest Asia
15. July 2010–May 2011, Vice Commander, U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis AFB, Nev.
16. May 2011–March 2012, Director of Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
17. March 2012–January 2014, Deputy Director of Global Operations, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
18. January 2014–June 2015, Director of Plans and Policy, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
19. July 2015–July 2017, Vice Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
20. July 2017–April 2018, Special Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colo.
21. April 2018–December 2019, Vice Commander, Air Force Space Command, Washington, D.C.
22. December 2019–September 2020, Vice Commander, U.S. Space Force, Washington, D.C.
23. October 2020–present, Vice Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force, Washington, D.C.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2007–May 2009, Commander, Aerospace Data Facility – Colorado, Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., as a colonel
2. March 2012–January 2014, Deputy Director of Global Operations (DJ3), U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb., as a brigadier general and major general
3. January 2014–June 2015, Director of Plans and Policy (J5), U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb., as a major general

BADGES
Command Space Operations Badge
Parachutist Badge
Master Acquisition Badge
Missile Maintenance Badge

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2006 Outstanding Space Operations Crew, Air Force Association
2009 National Reconnaissance Office Gold Medal
2012 General Jerome F. O’Malley Distinguished Space Leadership Award, Air Force Association
2018 Peter B. Teets Government Award, National Defense Industrial Association
2019 Space Leadership Award, Federation of Galaxy Explorers
2019 Outstanding Aerospace Engineer, Purdue University

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 29, 1985
First Lieutenant May 29, 1987
Captain May 29, 1989
Major Aug. 1, 1996
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2000
Colonel Aug. 1, 2004
Brigadier General June 18, 2010
Major General Oct. 10, 2013
Lieutenant General April 4, 2018
General Oct. 1, 2020

Dr. Derek Tournear is the Director of the Space Development Agency (SDA). Established in March 2019, is responsible for unifying and integrating the Department’s space development efforts, monitoring the Department’s threat‐driven future space architecture, and accelerating fielding of new military space capabilities necessary to ensure U.S. technological and military advantages in space.

Dr. Tournear most recently served as Assistant Director of Research and Development for Space within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering where he was responsible for coordinating all DoD efforts in space, and initiating programs to address critical gaps.

Dr. Tournear previously held leadership roles in industry,
most recently the director for Harris Space & Intelligence (SIS) research & development. SIS was a $2B business focused on providing advanced technical solutions addressing the top National Security threats from underwater to outer space.

Prior to industry, Dr. Derek Tournear was a Senior Program Manager (SNIS‐HQE) at the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). At IARPA, Dr. Tournear served as a senior scientist for space activities and space technologies in the Office of Smart Collection.

Dr. Tournear was previously a Program Manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Tactical Technology Office and Strategic Technology Office. At DARPA, he initiated and directed a large portfolio of program, with an emphasis on sensors and space.
He has professional experience at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) managing intelligence and defense programs.

Dr. Tournear has a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University and a B.S. from Purdue University. In 2010 he received an “Outstanding Alumnus” award from Purdue University and a 2008 DARPA award for “Outstanding Accomplishments in a Systems Technology Area.” Dr. Tournear is a 2011 recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service, and a 2012 recipient of the Office of Director of National Intelligence Award for Exceptional Public Service.

Richard (Ric) A. VanderMeulen is the Vice President of Space & Satellite Broadband, Viasat Inc., a global broadband service and technology company.  Viasat is the world’s largest operator of GEO Satellite Communication Capacity.

Since 2010, Mr. VanderMeulen is a strategy and thought leader in Viasat’s efforts to serve government and commercial markets with best available broadband networks extending reach and accessibility of broadband internet service, globally.  He is engaged in the company’s innovations in designing highest-capacity satellites, secure ground infrastructure, and terminal technologies to provide broadband to fixed and mobile customers.  He applies Viasat’s High Throughput/Capacity Satellite technologies to US Government and International markets for Ground Segment, Customer Premise Equipment, and highly assured Satcom-as-a-Service solutions.

He is an avid proponent of the Space and Satellite Communication industry, has published numerous papers on Space resilience and deterrence, and served on Boards of several industry organizations including Space & Satellite Professionals International, Satellite Industry Association, and Mobile Satellite Users Association.

Mr. VanderMeulen joined Viasat in 2001, as Vice President General Manager for Viasat’s Government Satcom business responsible for all Viasat’s government Satcom programs through 2009.  Bringing both engineering and business expertise during his more than 35 years in the Satellite Communications industry, Mr. VanderMeulen has held senior general manager and program manager positions at Viasat, The Boeing Company responsible for Boeing’s Space and Communication Group new ventures, and Rockwell Collins responsible for design completion and production of multiple Satcom Systems including Milstar, SMART-T, SCAMP, and others.

Ric was born in Detroit, Michigan.  He attended the University of Virginia and graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science.