Mariangela Zappia is the Italian Ambassador to the United States of America. A career diplomat with over thirty-five years of experience, she is the first woman in her country to hold this position, as she was the first woman Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York and to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). She has also been the first woman Diplomatic Advisor to the Italian Prime Minister and G7/G20 Sherpa. She is a regular speaker at international conferences on Italian Foreign policy and multilateral and global issues.

Ambassador Zappia is an active member of the International Gender Champions Network, aimed at promoting gender parity and women’s participation in decision-making. In 2019 she was awarded with the “Mela d’Oro” (Golden Apple) by the “Fondazione Marisa Bellisario”

Colonel Aniello Violetti started his career in 1994, enlisting as a pilot in the Air Force Academy where he got his master’s degree in Aeronautical Sciences. He received his Military Wings in 1999 and in 2001 he was assigned to the 155th Squadron (electronic warfare) where he was awarded the qualification of combat-ready pilot on the Tornado ECR aircraft. Between 2005 and 2017, as an experimental test pilot, he managed mainly experimental flight test activities relating to the Tornado and AMX ACOL aircraft, holding the positions of Head of the Attack Aircraft Section, Head of Operations Service, Head of Operations Office, and Commander of the 311st test squadron.

In 2017, Colonel Violetti held the position of Head of the "Innovation for Aerospace" Office of the Air Force General Office for Space, managing mainly Italian Air Force suborbital flight strategies. He subsequently held the position of Deputy Head of the Air Force General Office for Space, followed by his appointment as Head of Space and Aerospace Policies in the Office of the Prime Minister's Military Advisor. Since July 2021, Violetti has been working as the Space Attaché at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C.

As Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations, Karen Feldstein is responsible for supervision and management of NASA's interactions with Executive Branch offices and agencies, international relations for each of NASA’s Mission directorates, administration of export control and international technology transfer programs, and support of NASA advisory councils and committees. Her prior positions in NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations have included Deputy Associate Administrator, Director of the Science Division, Deputy Director of the Space Operations Division, and Executive Director of the NASA Advisory Council. Prior to joining NASA as a Presidential Management Intern, Karen served as a management consultant in Washington, D.C. Karen earned her M.A. in International Relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, in Washington, D.C. and her undergraduate degree at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

Dr. Scott Pace is the Director of the Space Policy Institute and a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He is also a member of the faculty of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. His research interests include civil, commercial, and national security space policy, and the management of technical innovation. Dr. Pace rejoined the faculty of the Elliott School in January 2021 after serving as Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary of the National Space Council from 2017-2020.

From 2005-2008, he served as the Associate Administrator for Program Analysis and Evaluation at NASA. Prior to NASA, Dr. Pace was the Assistant Director for Space and Aeronautics in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). From 1993-2000, Dr. Pace worked for the RAND Corporation's Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI). From 1990 to 1993, Dr. Pace served as the Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Office of Space Commerce, in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Commerce. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Harvey Mudd College in 1980; Master’s degrees in Aeronautics & Astronautics and Technology & Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982; and a Doctorate in Policy Analysis from the RAND Graduate School in 1989.

The Honorable Lori Garver was the Deputy Administrator of NASA and leader of the Agency’s transition team from 2008 - 2013. Garver has since served as the General Manager of the Air Line Pilots Association and CEO of Earthrise Alliance. Garver is currently an Operating Advisor at Bessemer Venture Partners and a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and Technology. She serves on the board and as an advisor to several commercial aerospace interests including Sierra Space, World View, K2 Space and Hydrosat.

Earlier in her career, Garver founded Capitol Space and the AstroMom project - which led her to Star City where she trained and received her medical certification for a commercial spaceflight on a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station. She has served as an appointed member of the NASA Advisory Council and the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Council, President of Women in Aerospace and the American Astronautical Society, and a member of the Board of Directors of Maxar Technologies.

In addition to being a co-founder and board member of the Brooke Owens Fellowship, Lori has received numerous awards including AIAA’s 2022 Public Service Award, Women in Aerospace’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award and three NASA Distinguished Service Medals. Her memoir, Escaping Gravity, My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age was released in 2022.

Dr. Christopher Mason is the WorldQuant Professor of Genomics, Physiology, and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Director of the Initiative for Quantitative Prediction and the Cornell Aerospace Medicine Biobank. He is also co-Founder and scientific director at Onegevity/Thorne, co-Founder and global director at Biotia, Founder of the MetaSUB Consortium, and author of The Next 500 Years: Engineering Life to Reach New Worlds and The Age of Prediction.

Dr. Mason and his lab develop and deploy computational and experimental methodologies to identify the functional genetic elements of the human genome and metagenome. We perform research in three main areas: (1) clinical genetics, including molecular profiling of aggressive cancers, unusual diseases, and astronauts, (2) computational biology, including new biochemical and computational techniques in DNA/RNA sequencing and DNA/RNA base modifications, and (3) genome engineering for new cell, genome, and microbiome modifications. Overall, our lab aims to better understand of the functional elements of the human genome and metagenome, such that we can begin to repair or re-engineer these genetic networks for ameliorating disease and lay the foundation to enable long-term human survival.

Dr. Mason has won the NIH’s Transformative R01 Award, the NASA Group Achievement Award, the International Space Station (ISS) R&D Award, the CDC Honor Award for Standardization of Clinical Testing, the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance Young Investigator award, the Hirschl-Weill-Caulier Career Scientist Award, the Vallee Scholar Award, the WorldQuant Scholar Award, and served on the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Decadal Survey for NASA. He was named as one of the “Brilliant Ten” Scientists by Popular Science, featured as a TEDMED speaker, and called “The Genius of Genetics” by 92Y. He has written 2 books and >350 peer-reviewed papers, featured on the covers of Nature, Science, Cell, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Microbiology, and Neuron, as well as legal briefs cited by U.S. District Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. Coverage of his work has also appeared on the covers of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, TIME, The LA Times, and across many media (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN, NASA, NatGeo). He is an inventor on five patents and five FDA-authorized diagnostic tests, has co-founded 10 biotechnology companies, serves as an advisor to 32 others, and has also co-founded 4 non-profits. He lives with his daughter and wife in Brooklyn, NY.

Kevin O’Connell is a recognized expert on space commerce, the global space economy, international intelligence and U.S. national security matters. For almost four decades, he has focused on space commercialization and technological competitiveness and how to advance them in global markets. He has also focused on how these innovations impact U.S. and allied national security.

His U.S. government assignments include the Department of Commerce (SES), The Department of Defense, The Department of State, The National Security Council, The Office of the Vice President, and The Office of the Director of Central Intelligence. Within the private sector, Mr. O’Connell was a senior research analyst at RAND and was the first Director of RAND’s Intelligence Policy Center. In 2007, he founded Innovative Analytics and Training, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in assessing high-tech market areas including geospatial markets, cloud computing, and cyber analytics.

Mr. O’Connell’s most recent role was Director of the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) within the U.S. Department of Commerce. He was the principal architect of outreach to U.S. private space companies to facilitate innovation and encourage increased market growth and viability. He focused on the growing role of the private sector in space, encouraged new space partnerships, worked to ensure the competitiveness of the U.S. commercial space industry, and advanced American leadership in space safety and sustainability. Mr. O’Connell testified before Congress on space policy and regulatory issues, American space competitiveness, and the growth of space commerce. He was awarded the Vice President’s Dedicated Service Award for his support to the National Space Council.

Mr. O’Connell also expanded international outreach on space commerce issues with a wide range of U.S. allies and partners, especially to compare notes on regulation, encourage new partnerships and advance space safety and sustainability. His overseas space engagements included participation in the U.S.-Japan Comprehensive Space Dialogue, as part of a Space Delegation to Luxembourg, and including high-level discussions with the EU, India, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Commonwealth partners.

Mr. O’Connell is a recognized expert on the policy, security, and commercial aspects of satellite remote sensing technologies and markets. He served as the Executive Secretary of the Independent Commission on the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) in 2000 and later as an advisor to the Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He was a long-standing member of NOAA’s federal advisory committee, ACCRES, including as Chair between 2012 and 2016.

Mr. O’Connell has been a regular author on space commerce issues. He contributed the foreword to "Space Policies for the New Space Age: Competing on the Final Economic Frontier,” by Bruce Cahan and Mir Sadat (NewSpace New Mexico, December 2020). He co-authored Commercial Observation Satellites: at the Leading Edge of Global Transparency (ASPRS/RAND, 2000). He taught graduate courses in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the RAND Graduate School for many years and has lectured at academic and research organizations around the world.

Caryn Schenewerk is a respected leader in navigating the complex regulatory and policy landscape in the spaceflight industry. As the President of CS Consulting LLC, she provides expert guidance to clients on regulatory and policy engagement with all levels and branches of government in addition to supporting economic development activities.

With over a decade of experience in the space industry, Caryn’s expertise is highly unique. Prior to forming CS Consulting, she served as the Vice President for Regulatory and Government Affairs at Relativity Space, where she helped the company to become a trailblazer in launching the world’s first 3D printed rocket.

Caryn spent nearly ten years at SpaceX, where she was responsible for supporting first of their kind commercial and civil space licensing, facility expansion, and economic development. She has an extensive track record of successfully interacting with U.S. government agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation, the U.S. Space Force and the U.S. Coast Guard in support of launch and recovery operations.

Caryn is also an adjunct professor of space law at Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to her work in the space industry, she served as the Deputy Associate Director for Legislative Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. Caryn has also served as Counsel, Policy Director, and Deputy Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill. She started her career in international trade law.

Caryn obtained her bachelor’s degree from Austin College in Sherman, TX, where she serves on the Board of Trustees. She earned a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin and a Master’s in Laws (LLM) in International Criminal Justice and Armed Conflict Law from the University of Nottingham in England. Caryn is a member of the New York and D.C. Bars.

Michelle L.D. Hanlon is the Executive Director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law a Professor of Practice within UM’s Air and Space Law program. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Space Law, the world’s oldest law journal dedicated to the legal problems arising out of human activities in outer space. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Drone Law and Policy, the first legal journal focused on law and regulations governing the operation and use of uncrewed aircraft in both civilian and military capacities. Her research and advocacy centers upon the concept of “due regard” in space law and evolving the framework necessary to assure that human exploration of space is responsible, successful and sustainable. In this regard she has done considerable work and written and presented extensively on topics related to orbital debris remediation, space solar power, small satellite constellations, environmental considerations and the protection of human heritage in space.

Michelle is also Co-Founder and President of For All Moonkind, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that is the only organization in the world focused on obtaining international legal recognition for and protection of human cultural heritage in outer space. In this capacity, she was instrumental in the development of the One Small Step Act in the United States, the first national legislation to acknowledge the existence of human heritage in outer space. For All Moonkind has been recognized by the United Nations as a Permanent Observer to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and Michelle contributes regularly to the international discourse on space law through the Committee. Most recently, Michelle urged the United Nations to recognize and adopt temporary heritage protection zones around certain sites on the Moon as part of a legal framework for space resource utilization. Under Michelle’s leadership, more than 100 space law and heritage law experts from every inhabited continent contribute their valuable time and experience to advance For All Moonkind’s important mission

Mi/chelle is an advisor to The Hague Institute for Global Justice Off-World Approach project. She also serves on the Advisory Committees of a number of space-related start-up organizations.

Michelle received her B.A. in Political Science from Yale College and her J.D. magna cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Center. She earned her LLM in Air and Space Law from McGill University where the focus of her research was commercial space and the intersection of commerce and public law. Prior to focusing on aviation and space law, Michelle was engaged in a private business law practice. Her legal career commenced with the restructuring of sovereign debt for a number of South and Latin American countries and evolved into the negotiation and implementation of cross-border technology mergers and acquisitions. Her subsequent solo practice advised entrepreneurs across four continents on all aspects of bringing their innovative ideas to market: from basic corporate formation to financings and buyouts. Michelle continues to provide advice and counsel in respect of all aspects of air, space and cyber law through the consulting firm of ABH Aerospace, LLC.

Deeply rooted in the sci-fi genre, Moore got his start in the entertainment business on the writing staff of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” During his tenure there, he wrote or co-wrote 27 episodes, including the two-hour series finale “All Good Things,” for which he won a Hugo Award in 1994. That same year, Moore was honored with an Emmy® Award nomination and was eventually promoted to Producer.

In 2003, Moore created the re-imagined series, “Battlestar Galactica,” and served as Showrunner/Executive Producer of the series, which ran for four seasons. “Battlestar Galactica” was honored with a prestigious Peabody® Award and twice as an official selection of the AFI (American Film Institute) top television programs for 2005 and 2006. In 2006, Moore was nominated for an Emmy® Award for Best Writing in a Dramatic Series, and in 2008, he won an Emmy® for the “Battlestar Galactica” webisodes.

In 2010, Moore’s production company, Tall Ship Productions, signed an overall deal with Sony Television to develop and produce television series. Under the Tall Ship banner, Moore is currently producing the Golden Globes®-nominated series “Outlander” for Starz and “For All Mankind” for Apple TV+.

Moore is a native of Chowchilla, California and attended Cornell University, where he studied political science. He lives in California with his wife, Terry. He has three children – Robin, Roxy and Jonathan.

John Reed is United Launch Alliance’s Chief Technologist and Senior Technical Fellow for Guidance Navigation and Control. Mr. Reed is responsible for the Technical Fellows program at ULA and manages a portfolio of IRAD investments. He is currently focused on a wide variety of initiatives from Principal Investigator for launch vehicle reuse to enhanced navigation, whether in earth orbit or CisLunar operations, to creating a culture of innovation. He has been working a variety of roles on launch vehicles in Denver since 1986.

Reed is a long time member of the AAS and an Associate Fellow of the AIAA. He is the Technical Program Chair for ASCEND and serves as TC Liaison for the Rocky Mountain Section of AIAA. He received his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science and Technology) and his master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Rob Hampton leads a team of highly experienced project managers responsible for the planning and execution of research and development payloads utilizing the ISS U.S. National Laboratory. He is an experienced Operations Project Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the space industry.

Olivia Gamez Holzhaus is the Founder and CEO for Rhodium Scientific, charged with advancing the company’s biotech commercialization strategies within the low Earth orbit economy. Olivia oversees science, engineering, and QA strategies at Rhodium Scientific to ensure discoveries made in microgravity translate into products utilized by regulated consumer, manufacturing, and life science industries. Ms. Holzhaus’ company is an official Commercial Services Provider to multiple national laboratories, including the International Space Station (ISS). She led the creation and implementation of Rhodium Scientific’s Quality, Industry-Compatible (QuIC) Space Process, a trade secret process ensuring industry-standard quality controls are incorporated into spaceflight missions allowing for reproducibility and standardization for biotech and biomanufacturing investigations.

Olivia Gamez Holzhaus has over 20 years in research and applied life science fields, has served in Scientist and Sr. Engineering positions with advanced research organizations and Fortune 500 companies, and holds an advanced Management of Technology degree specialized in delivering high-fidelity research and programmatic results at the speed of business. Currently, she on the Board of Advisors for the Global Entrepreneurship Network-Space (GEN-Space), the International Space Safety Foundation (ISSF), the College of Science and Engineering for Texas State University, Generación STEM Workforce Advisory Council at Texas State University, and ISS National Laboratory’s Biomanufacturing in Space Working Group. For fun, Olivia serves as Rear Commodore for Galveston Bay Cruising Association (GBCA), having competed in over 30 sailing regattas and is defending class champion for the 2021 GBCA Women’s Regatta.

Dr. Greg Autry is the Professor of Practice in the College of Business and Associate Provost for Space Commercialization and Strategy. He will lead the college’s efforts to deliver Executive and MBA programs in Space Commercialization while helping the university craft and implement a roadmap for its space efforts.

Before joining UCF, Dr. Autry was the Director and Clinical Professor of Space Leadership, Policy and Business at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. He serves as the Vice President for Space Development at the National Space Society and Chairs the Business Case sub-committee for NASA’s In Space Production Applications program (InSPA) which sends manufacturing experiments to the International Space Station.

Steven Wolfe is Beyond Earth Institute President and Co-Founder. He is also Deputy Executive Director for Global Spaceport Alliance and partner at CWSP International. He serves as the Space and Board of Editors for the Journal of Space Philosophy. Steve served in Washington as the executive director of the Congressional Space Caucus and drafted the Space Settlement Act of 1988. The bill was signed into law as part of the NASA Authorization bill. Steve is the author of The Obligation: A Journey to Discover Human Purpose on Earth and in the Cosmos.

Courtney Stadd is Founder/President, Capitol Alliance Solutions, LLC, a Washington, DC based management consulting firm whose clients include a wide range of pioneering commercial space actors. For nearly 40 years, Stadd’s career path has been a mix of senior government leadership and corporate executive jobs – primarily focused on encouraging the removal of policy and regulatory barriers to the emergence of a competitive American-led commercial space marketplace.

Courtney has held multiple senior positions at the US Department of Commerce, the US Department of Transportation, the White House, and worked directly for three NASA Administrators, including as Chief of Staff/White House Liaison. As Senior Director of the White House National Space Council, he helped draft numerous Presidential directives encouraging a competitive commercial space industry, including commercial space guidelines which have governed executive agency use of commercial space products and services for over 30 years.

With almost two decades of experience in government, in both NASA missions and policy, Ezinne Uzo-Okoro leads the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s space and aeronautics portfolios. Her policy work includes Earth Observations, Orbital Debris, Microgravity research in Low Earth Orbit, Space Weather, In-space Servicing Assembly and Manufacturing, Aeronautics, and space science. Her NASA 17-year engineering career spanned contributions to Earth Observations, planetary science, heliophysics, astrophysics, human exploration, and space communications missions. She earned an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and three masters degrees in Aerospace Systems, Space Robotics, and Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University, MIT, and Harvard University respectively. She also earned a doctorate degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. She has received several NASA awards and the 2023 Commercial Space Federation Commercial Space Policy award. Her story is profiled in President George W. Bush’s book, Out of Many, One.

Kenneth Bowersox is the associate administrator for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, overseeing the International Space Station (ISS), the Commercial LEO Development Program, Space Communications and Navigation, Launch Services Program , Human Spaceflight Capabilities, and operations of crewed Artemis missions. Before being appointed to that position, he had served as deputy associate administrator for the mission directorate.

Bowersox served as the Interim Chair of the NASA Advisory Council from June 2016 to January 2017. He is a retired U.S. Naval Aviator, with over 19 years of experience at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Selected to the astronaut corps in 1987, he has flown five times on NASA's Space Shuttle, serving as pilot, commander and mission specialist, and once on a Russian Soyuz, where he served as the flight engineer during descent. During his five orbital missions, Bowersox has logged over 211 days in space, including five and a half months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where he was the mission commander of the 6th expedition. He was also a crew member for the first two Hubble Space Telescope repair flights and two United States Microgravity Laboratory flights.

Subsequent to his mission aboard the ISS, Bowersox served as the director of the Johnson Space Center's Flight Crew Operations Directorate, retiring from NASA and the U.S. Navy in December, 2006. After retirement, he remained involved with the U.S. space exploration program as a member of the standing review boards for ISS, Space Shuttle, and the Constellation Program. From 2009-2011, Bowersox was the Vice President of Astronaut Safety and Mission Assurance at SpaceX. Bowersox also worked as an independent technical consultant, advising clients on spacecraft design, proposal development, and providing independent assessment of technical programs. He joined the NASA Advisory Council in November 2013, and served as Chair of the Human Exploration and Operations Committee.

Mike Gold is the Chief Growth Officer at Redwire. In this role, Mr. Gold leads Redwire’s civil, commercial, and national security business development; marketing and communications; and government relations activities.

Prior to joining Redwire, Mr. Gold was NASA’s Associate Administrator for Space Policy and Partnerships, Acting Associate Administrator for the Office of International and Interagency Relations, and Senior Advisor to the Administrator for International and Legal Affairs. At NASA, Mr. Gold led the development and implementation of the Artemis Accords, which establish norms of behavior to ensure a peaceful and prosperous future in space for all of humanity. Mr. Gold also successfully led the negotiations to develop and execute the binding agreements for the lunar Gateway, the development and implementation of the first lunar resource purchase by NASA, and updating planetary protection regulations. Due to this trailblazing policy work, Mr. Gold was awarded NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2021.

Before joining NASA, Mr. Gold was Vice President of Civil Space at Maxar Technologies and General Counsel for the company’s legacy Radiant Solutions business unit. Additionally, Mr. Gold spent thirteen years at Bigelow Aerospace, where he established the company’s Washington office, oversaw the launches of the Genesis 1 and 2 spacecraft, and was a recipient of a NASA Group Achievement award for the development and deployment of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module onto the International Space Station.

Mr. Gold is currently the Vice Chair of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and has previously served as Treasurer. Mr. Gold is also a member of the Committee on Space Research’s (COSPAR) Planetary Protection Panel, representing the Committee on Industry Relations. Additionally, in 2022, Mr. Gold was appointed by the NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate to serve on the Agency’s Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Independent Study Team which was subsequently given the NASA Silver Group Achievement Award for their collective efforts to advance the understanding of this phenomena. Moreover, Mr. Gold was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to Chair the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee from 2012 – 2019, and was appointed by the NASA Administrator to serve on the NASA Advisory Council and chair its Regulatory and Policy Committee in 2018.

Mr. Gold has authored numerous law review articles and editorials addressing commercial space issues. He has also testified on several occasions before the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate as an expert in commercial space as well as space law and policy.

Mr. Gold received a BA from Brandeis University and a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he founded and led the Journal of Constitutional Law. Mr. Gold is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and the District of Columbia.

Ambassador Stuart Holliday is CEO of Meridian International Center, a leading nonpartisan institution advancing global security and prosperity through diplomacy. He served as U.S. Ambassador for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations (2003-2005). His primary duties involved representing the U.S. on issues in the U.N. Security Council. Previously, Holliday was Coordinator (Assistant Secretary) of the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs.

From 2000-2001, he was Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel at the White House. From 1998-2000, he served as Assistant Policy Director to the Governor of Texas. Previously, Holliday served as Executive Director of the Dallas Council on World Affairs and Regional Director for North Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey at the International Republican Institute. He served on active and reserve duty as an Officer in the U.S. Navy (Intelligence) from 1988-1995 and is a recipient of the Joint Service Commendation Medal.

He obtained his B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University and his M.A. from the London School of Economics and Political Science and serves as a Trustee of the Center for the Study of Presidency and Congress, Blair House, and the Global Leadership Council of the U.N. Foundation.

James A. M. (Jim) Muncy is the President and founder of PoliSpace. Mr. Muncy started PoliSpace, an independent space policy consultancy, in early 2000 to help space entrepreneurs and intrepreneurs succeed at the nexus of space business, technology, and public affairs. Muncy spent over five years working in the U.S. Congress, including three yeas on the Professional Staff of the House Science Committee. Muncy spent over two years on Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s as lead space policy staff. He worked as a policy assistant in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Reagan. Muncy began his work in space policy in 1981 as a staff advisor to Rep. Newt Gingrich, where he helped found the Congressional Space Caucus. A long-time leader in the space advocacy community, Muncy co-founded the Space Frontier Foundation in 1988. He is a frequent speaker and writer on space policy issues. Mr. Muncy holds an MS in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota and a BA from the University of Virginia, where he was an Echols Scholar.

Rich has over 20 years experience in the space sector, including time in government (NASA), the non-profit sector, at aerospace start-ups, and as a consultant. Rich previously worked at the White House, leading the development of National Space Policy, was the program manager and selection official for the NASA SBIR/STTR program, and led the Analytics team at BryceTech.

As CEO and Chief Engineer of Lunar Helium-3 Mining, Dr. Chris Salvino leads the mission to extract lunar Helium-3 to return it to Earth, powering future fusion reactors and achieving the world’s first green energy source. With master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Flight Test Engineering from the National Test Pilot School, Chris brings hands-on expertise in aerospace systems and challenging environments.

His background in Aerospace Medicine, experience as an F-16 flight surgeon, and role as a trauma/critical care surgeon provide unique insights into the health impacts of space travel. Additionally, his Master’s in Space Studies equips him with essential knowledge of space business and policy. With advanced degrees in Planetary Geology and Mining Engineering, alongside ongoing Ph.D. research in lunar Helium-3 mining, Chris ensures LH3M’s operations are technologically feasible and focused on risk reduction.

Chris’s leadership guides LH3M’s multidisciplinary team as they employ systems engineering principles and agile management techniques. Their innovative approach ensures LH3M works with the lunar environment, not against it, to fuel the future of fusion power on Earth.

Kelli Kedis Ogborn’s leadership has played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of companies entering the space market. With extensive experience in R&D and cutting-edge technology applications for the U.S. government and private sector, her methodologies guide organizations and companies that are transitioning from development ecosystems to market capitalization.

In her role as Vice President of Space Commerce and Entrepreneurship at Space Foundation, Kedis Ogborn leads Space Commerce Institute, an initiative aimed at providing valuable insights and actionable programming to empower countries, individuals, and companies to carve out their niche and thrive in the rapidly expanding space economy.

Kedis Ogborn is an often-published author and speaker on the market applications of innovation and has worked extensively as an authoritative voice within the emerging space economy – qualifying and quantifying the economic drivers and technology trends driving the industry forward and shaping its investment potential and growth. She is also a frequent panel reviewer and technology assessor for commercialization merit of government R&D proposals and mentor for entrepreneurs.

Donna Roberts, MD, MS, joined the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) in 2023 as Deputy Chief Scientist where she supports the development of interagency microgravity research programs for the ISS National Lab. Prior to joining CASIS, Dr. Roberts was a Professor of Radiology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). In addition to clinical work as a practicing neuroradiologist, she served as principal investigator for NASA-funded studies investigating the impact of spaceflight on the human brain and conducted several industry-sponsored clinical trials. She previously worked for Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company where she provided program management support to the NASA Life Sciences Division at NASA-HQ. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Roberts holds an MD degree from MUSC, an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado, and a BS degree in Computer Engineering from Clemson University.

Mr. Hoyt Davidson is the founder and Managing Partner of Near Earth LLC. His investment banking career began in 1987 as an associate and one of roughly 100 bankers at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. He was part of the phenomenal growth and success of DLJ to over 1,200 bankers by the time of its acquisition by Credit Suisse First Boston in 2000. At DLJ, Hoyt Davidson was a co-founder and one of two Managing Directors of the firm’s Space Finance Group, Wall Street’s first dedicated industry coverage group for the satellite industry. This group raised over $25 billion for satellite related entities and held a number one market share for several years.

Prior to investment banking, Hoyt Davidson was a Senior Research Engineer in the Space Systems Division of Lockheed Missiles and Space Company. At LMSC, Mr. Davidson focused on systems engineering, bids and proposals to win government contracts, and acted as a team leader and subcontract manager on a major advanced program where he held a TS/SCI clearance. He left Lockheed to get his MBA at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Mr. Davidson also earned his undergraduate degree in Physics from MIT.

Dr. Andrew Aldrin is President of the Aldrin Family Foundation, a charitable 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to harnessing the inspiration of space to ignite a passion for STEAM education in students of all ages and backgrounds. He has served in leadership roles in this organization since 2014, during which time he has overseen the extension of educational programs to over 300 elementary schools and universities.

Dr. Aldrin is also the Program Coordinator of the Masters of Space Operations at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Previously he was the Director of the ISU Center for Space Entrepreneurship at Florida Tech and an Associate Professor of Engineering Management at Florida Tech. Before moving into academia, Dr. Aldrin had a distinguished career in industry and government research, including executive positions at Boeing, United Launch Alliance and Moon Express.

Dr. Aldrin was also a member of the research staff at the RAND Corporation and the Institute for Defense Analyses. He serves on the board of several charitable organizations, including The Secure World Foundation, Sea Space Symposium, and the Tau Zero Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. from UCLA in Political Science, an MBA from TRIUM (NYU, LSE, HEC), and an MA from George Washington University in Science, Technology and Public Policy.

Dr. Heath J. Mills is an extreme environment microbial ecologist with academic degrees from Duke University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. As the Chief Scientific Officer for Rhodium Scientific, he leads initiatives to expand terrestrial and spaceflight research capacities into the advanced commercial biotechnology sector. Mills has over 19 years of experience, including two faculty positions at Texas A&M University and University of Houston, studying biogeochemistry and molecular microbial ecology in extreme environment ecosystems. He has published nearly 40 publications that have collected more than 2000 citations characterizing microbial community structure and function from locations across, beneath and above the Earth. In space-based research over the past eight years, Mills has been a Principal Investigator and co-Investigator on over 20 International Space Station science and engineering projects funded privately and by the Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health and the International Space Station National Laboratory. Recently, Mills was appointed to the International Space Station National Laboratory User Advisory Committee to serve on the Chair of the Technology Development Subcommittee.

Michael Castle-Miller is a Partner and Lead of ASG’s work on special economic zones (SEZs) and governance reform.

Mr. Castle-Miller works across all regions, specializing in the design of institutional frameworks to govern SEZs, cities, semi-autonomous jurisdictions, and localized policy reforms. He has advised clients in over 35 countries to help draft laws and regulations, create administrative agencies, develop policies, and structure public-private partnerships.

Mr. Castle-Miller also helps lead Refugee Cities/SDZ Alliance, a non-profit organization helping create special zones that lower the barriers preventing refugees and other forced migrants from legally working, starting businesses, and building homes and communities while displaced. He is also the creator of the Lunar Development Cooperative, which is an enabling framework for the use of space.

Previously, Mr. Castle-Miller led Politas Consulting, which provided legal and policy advice for government and private-sector clients developing cities and special jurisdictions. He also served as Managing Director at Locus Economica and as a consultant at the World Bank.

Mr. Castle-Miller earned his J.D. summa cum laude from the American University Washington College of Law and an M.A. in International Politics from American University, School of International Service.

Daniel Inocente, AIA, NCARB is a Licensed Architect, Professor of Practice in Architecture and Space Architecture at ASU, and Space Architect whose career spans years in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. His expertise and innovative approach have contributed to both terrestrial-built work and research in extraterrestrial architecture. Some of Daniel’s early experience includes working on the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi and Battersea Development for Frank Gehry. Daniel has also worked with Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in New York on Highrise, Airports, and Mixed Use Developments, several of which are built or under construction notably the Jiuzhou Bay Zhuhai Tower, Charenton-Bercy Tower, Guiyang World Trade Center, Hangzhou Wangchao Tower, and others.

Beyond the professional practice of Architecture, Daniel has made significant contributions to the discipline of Space Architecture through his research work and partnerships. This field integrates architectural design with aerospace engineering to create sustainable habitats, infrastructure, and space systems. Daniel has had the opportunity to work as a Senior Space Architect at the Jeff Bezos aerospace company Blue Origin. His work as a Space Architect involved government and commercial Space Architecture projects, focusing on habitation, mobility, and the development of supporting space systems. Daniel’s dedication to this field is evident in his past collaborations with organizations such as the European Space Agency, NASA, aerospace companies, and research universities.

His work in Space Architecture has been exhibited, presented, and published at the 70th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), AIAA Year in Review, IEEE, Architect Magazine, American Society of Civil Engineers, New Scientist Live, ISDC, MIT’s Beyond the Cradle, ESA’s Space 4 Inspiration and Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Daniel approaches Architecture through a creative process that harmonizes design and engineering principles. He strives to push the boundaries of what is possible through the lens of culture, technology, and sustainability. He also applies this thinking to his teaching as a Professor at Arizona State University, where he seeks to inspire the next generation of architects and space architects.

Lauren is the Director of Marketing and Communications for Beyond Earth Institute. She holds a JD from the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law and a Masters of Law in Air and Space Law from the University of Mississippi Center for Air and Space Law. In addition to her work at Beyond Earth, Lauren is a Senior Associate at Hive Group specializing in Federal Acquisition Regulation compliance, and is a Lecturer at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law teaching Space Law.

Benjamin "Ben" Allen is a partner in Holland & Knight's New York Litigation Practice Group, based in the firm's Washington, D.C., office. Mr. Allen focuses his practice on a wide range of transportation accident investigation and litigation matters, including aviation, maritime, railroad, pipeline, highway, hazardous materials and commercial space.

Mr. Allen brings a distinct perspective built from more than 20 years of aviation experience, including more than a decade with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and involvement with federal investigations conducted by U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Office of Inspector General (OIG), and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), foreign civil accident investigation authorities, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and other military departments. Mr. Allen has extensive experience handling on-scene crisis coordination with federal, state and local authorities, as well as private companies.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Allen served as the senior Assistant General Counsel for the NTSB, engaging with numerous companies and their counsel to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and addressing issues related to public communications and release of information, civil litigation and discovery obligations, export control restrictions, protection of confidential business and commercial information, and participation in NTSB investigative hearings.

During his tenure at the NTSB, Mr. Allen served as agency counsel in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Coast Guard and DOT in numerous administrative actions, criminal prosecutions and civil cases. Mr. Allen also served as acting Special Assistant to the NTSB Chairman as well as acting Senior Advisor to the NTSB Managing Director, where he reviewed and edited draft accident investigation reports before final votes by the Board.

Prior to his government service, Mr. Allen worked as an attorney at a Virginia-based law firm, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and an aviation law firm in Washington, D.C., and Maryland. While in law school, he was a legal intern for the DOJ's Civil Division in the Aviation, Space and Admiralty Litigation Section.

Mr. Allen has been a pilot for more than 20 years and has flown high-performance jet and piston aircraft. He is also a certified drone pilot and has logged time in a hot air balloon. He previously held a top secret security clearance.

Barbara Belvisi is an entrepreneur passionate about space, hardware, biology and AI. She started her career as an investor, from Private Equity to Venture Capital. She founded her own asset management firm at 27 to invest in deeptech startups and then cofounded Hardware Club at 29, a VC fund dedicated to hardware and robotics companies. Meanwhile, she participated in the launch of several innovation programs like Hello Tomorrow the largest deeptech event in Europe. At 33, she left her investor career and started learning engineering and architecture. Drove by her childhood passion for nature and space, she spent a year with NASA engineers prior to launching Interstellar Lab.

Interstellar Lab’s mission is to preserve life on Earth and expand it to Space. To do so, it develops, manufactures and operates a biofarming platform combining hardware, AI and bioscience on Earth and in space. On Earth, they provide an integrated solution to cosmetics and F&B companies for clean production of plant-based ingredients. In space, they provide food production and plant research capabilities to space stations. As a first step towards their multi-planetary vision, NASA has selected their technology for food production in a long-manned mission. Interstellar Lab has also launched a lunar mission in partnership with Antoine de Saint Exupéry Youth Foundation to grow roses on the moon.

Barbara is Top 10 Women in Tech in France, Top 100 Forbes, Best Innovator 2022, Choiseul 100, BOLD Award 2023.

Dr. Dana Levin has dedicated his life to supporting human health in space and other extreme environments. He is board certified in Emergency and Aerospace Medicine and has more than a decade of experience caring for humans on all 7 continents, beneath the sea, and in space.

He currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer and Flight Surgeon for Vast Space. In this role he is part of a team building the first commercial space station and developing artificial gravity systems for long term human habitation of space. Before this he worked for NASA’s Human Research Program as a Clinical Scientist developing medical risk assessments for deep space missions and designing the medical systems to mitigate them. He was the clinical lead for NASA’s artificial intelligence clinical decision support roadmap task force.

Dana maintains an active clinical practice in Emergency Medicine as faculty with UC Irvine, the Massachusetts General Hospital, and UCLA. He has cared for patients in settings ranging from single physician coverage rural hospitals to tertiary care medical centers and he has been the field physician for high altitude expeditions, underwater archeological expeditions, research stations in Antarctica, and every environment in between.

He is also an accomplished researcher and scientist with work focused on enhancing the ability to deliver high level care in resource limited environments and developing artificial gravity systems.

Gabriel Swiney is the Director of the Office of Space Commerce’s Policy, Advocacy, and International Division. He comes to OSC from NASA, where he was a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy. While at NASA, he worked on norms of behavior, legal policy, and the interagency authorization and supervision effort.

Prior to NASA, Mr. Swiney was an Attorney Adviser in the State Department’s legal bureau. He led the international space law portfolio at State and the U.S. delegation to the COPUOS Legal Subcommittee.

Mr. Swiney was one of the creators of the Artemis Accords and has participated in the negotiation of dozens of space cooperation arrangements. Before focusing on space issues, Mr. Swiney worked on the use of force, sanctions, and Africa legal issues at State.

He holds law degrees from Harvard and Oxford, has taught space policy and law at Harvard Law School, and has published on a range of issues.

Jared Isaacman is the CEO of Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR), the leader in integrated payment processing solutions. He is an accomplished pilot & astronaut with over 7,000 flight hours of aviation experience, including ratings in multiple experimental and ex-military aircraft. He was the commander of Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to space that helped raise over $240 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® to help eradicate childhood cancer.

Jared also holds several world records including two speed-around-the-world flights in 2008 and 2009 that raised money and awareness for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He has flown in over 100 airshows as part of the Black Diamond Jet Team, dedicating every performance to charitable causes. In 2011, Isaacman co-founded what would become the world’s largest private air force, Draken International, to train pilots for the United States Armed Forces.

Melanie joined Blue Origin in January 2023 after a 29 year career at NASA. She supports the Orbital Reef Program and other Space Systems Development programs and projects with strategy and expertise in international partnerships and contracts as well as expertise in legal and regulatory matters. Prior to joining Blue Origin she spent five years at NASA Headquarters, primarily as NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator. In this position, she assisted the Agency Associate Administrator in managing the Agency’s 17000+ civil servants and all aspects of the agency’s functions, policy, and oversight of the Agency’s $20B+ portfolio of programs, projects and operations. She also served as the Acting NASA Chief Financial Officer and Chief Resilience Officer.

Saunders spent the first 24 years of her NASA career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), in several roles overseeing a broad portfolio of human spaceflight activities as the Associate Program Manager for the International Space Station, the Associate Center Director and the Acting Deputy Center Director. She began her NASA career negotiating international agreements and contracts for the International Space Station Program.

Justin Ahasteen is Bilagáana (white) born for Tótsohnii (Big Water). His maternal grandfather is Bilagáana and his paternal grandfather is Kiisʼáanii (Hopi). Justin is from White Cone Arizona and is a proud graduate of Holbrook High School.

Justin graduated from Holbrook High School in May of 2014 and immediately enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After months of training, Justin was selected for a special duty assignment with the Marine Corps Office of Legislative Affairs at the Pentagon in Washington DC. Justin served as an Administrative & Congressional Affairs Specialist participating in a wide variety of issues to include military policy and military/veteran constituent affairs.

During his military service, Justin was awarded three prestigious awards for his involvement in the community to include the Presidential Volunteer Service Award with Silver Distinction, the American Legion Spirit of Service Award, and the United Services Organization's Service Member of the Year Award. Upon completion of his active military service in 2018, he continued his public service working in both the private and public sector.

In 2020, Justin joined Valleywise Health as an Executive Assistant supporting the CEO of their Federally Qualified Health Centers which focused on expanding access to primary care services to medically underserved communities addressing a variety of issues surrounding health inequities, challenges of access to care, and reducing social determinants to health to improve the health outcomes of their patient population.

In 2021 Justin transitioned to the Navajo Nation Washington Office serving as a Government and Legislative Affairs Associate leading the Navajo Nation’s Infrastructure, Veteran Affairs, Social Services, Health, and Public Safety portfolios. In January of 2023, Justin was appointed by President Buu Nygren of the Navajo Nation to serve as the Executive Director for NNWO.

Justin is a graduate of Rio Salado Community College with an Associates of Applied Science in Public Administration, a graduate of Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor’s in Justice Studies Minoring in Public Administration, and is currently a candidate for a Master of Legal Studies in Indigenous Law with the University of Oklahoma.

Mr. Pullen is the Chief Economist of Milky Way Economy (MWE), a 5th industrial revolution think tank and boutique consultancy based in Washington, DC. He is the author, co-author, or editor of 8 books and numerous articles on tech, finance, and the space industry. In addition to his role with MWE, Prof. Pullen teaches for the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, Columbia University, and guest lectures at several institutions in financial economics, blockchain, deep tech, commodities, derivatives, alternative markets, and the space economy.

George is also the economics facilitator of the Space Force Futures Workshops, Space Force Doctrine and Cislunar Organization Groups, and principal investigator to an MWE-AFRL SpaceWerx CRADA for space industry's financial and economic market studies. He is an investor, board member or advisor for several small and medium-sized businesses, including Blackstar Orbital, Rogue Space, PolarisTrends.AI, Crush Capital, Neutron Star Systems, AS3, OrbitsEdge, ScienceWerx, Dope Coffee Company, and CisLunar Industries.

Before co-founding MWE, George honed his craft, serving as an executive, banker, portfolio manager, hedge fund trader, and senior government economist. George is an alumnus of UMaine and Johns Hopkins. He splits his time between DC, New England, and airports. He was once and is always a US Marine. George has a beautiful wife and 4 wonderful kids and hopes at least one of his children grows up to become an astronaut.

Charles Miller is a serial space entrepreneur and senior commercial space executive who has repeatedly delivered breakthrough results over 3 decades. Most recently, Miller served as co- founder and CEO of Lynk Global, Inc. (Lynk) the creator of satellite-direct-to-standard-phone (sat2phone) that has become the hottest category in the satellite industry, where he serves as Chairman of the Board.

Miller built the team that discovered and invented the technology to allow satellites to connect directly with standard mobile phones on Earth – without any change to the phone. At the time, this was generally thought to be impossible. Miller then incorporated Lynk, brought sat2phone to the market and created a new $300+ billion business category. Industry analysts now predict 1 that sat2phone will become the largest opportunity in all of space and satellite.

Prior to co-founding Lynk, Miller was:

• Co-founding CEO of Nanoracks, which delivered more than 700 commercial satellite payloads to space, before being sold to Voyager Space Holdings in 2021.
• Founder and President of ProSpace, which persuaded Congress to pass the Commercial Space Act of 1998. This law forced NASA to contract for commercial space station cargo services, leading to two early NASA contracts for SpaceX at a critical time, $396 million in 2006, followed by $1.6 billion in 2008.
• Principle Investigator for the “Fast Space” study for US Air Force in 2017, which led directly to the creation of the DOD’s Space Development Agency in 2019. SDA recently announced a 5-year budget of $25 billion.
• Principle Investigator of the “Evolving Lunar Architecture” study for NASA in 2015, which led to the creation of NASA’s first commercial lunar lander program and over $6 billion in fixed- price contracts for SpaceX and Blue Origin in 2021 and 2023.
• Served as a member of NASA transition team for Trump-Pence in Dec. 2016-Jan. 2017. Miller recommended that Congressman Jim Bridenstine be named NASA Administrator. Rep. Bridenstine was confirmed as NASA administrator on April 19, 2018.

Rosemary Banks is New Zealand’s ambassador to the United States. A distinguished diplomat with over four decades of experience, she previously served as ambassador to the US from 2018 to 2022 before being reappointed in June 2024. Previously, she served as New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Permanent Representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and held ambassadorial posts in France and Portugal.

Maria Varmazis is the host of T-Minus Space Daily Podcast, co-host of the Hacking Humans podcast, and a frequent guest on numerous technology and cybersecurity podcasts. She is an artist, podcaster, journalist, and content creator with over 15 years experience in telling stories that engage and delight. She is always happy to geek out over space and cybersecurity, both professionally and personally.

Roberto Provera has served, since January 2019 as Director of New Initiatives, Partnerships, and Innovation in the Domain Exploration and Science of Thales Alenia Space.

Earlier, he served as Director of New Initiatives and Customer Solutions Development (2017-1018), Innovation Director Human Spaceflights and Transportation Programs (2009 - 2016), Director Human Space Transportation and Exploration Programs (2004 - 2009), as staff of the Senior Vice President of Infrastructures and Scientific Satellites with the responsibility for Business Development in 2004. In 2003 he was the Head of System Engineering Unit and Deputy Head of Avionics and Operations Director. From 1992 to 2002, Roberto Provera led the Operations & Logistics Department.

Roberto is a member of the Technical and Scientific Committee of the Edoardo Amaldi Foundation and the Steering Board of the Piedmont Aerospace Cluster. He has had significant roles in projects like Columbus Laboratory, Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Delta II Second Stage Tanks, EXPERT, Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV), Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module, Orion European Service Module, LEO Cargo Return Service and Multi-Purpose Habitat.

He graduated from Politecnico di Torino in 1985 with a degree in Nuclear Engineering.

Jeff Foust is a senior staff writer for SpaceNews, joining the publication in 2014. He covers civil and commercial space topics, ranging from NASA programs to developments among entrepreneurial space companies. He has extensive experience writing about space policy, commercial space, and related topics. In 2003, he started The Space Review, a weekly publication of longform articles and commentary on a wide range of space topics that continues to operate to this day. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999 and a B.S. with honors in geophysics and planetary science from the California Institute of Technology in 1993. He received the Press Award from the National Space Club and Foundation in 2018.

Zhou Guolin has been the Minister Counselor of Science and Technology in the Embassy of People’s Republic of China since Dec. 2023. Before taking the current position, Mr. Zhou served as Counselor of Science and Technology in the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York from Oct.2019 to Dec. 2023. Mr. Zhou served the Department of Personnel, Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) as Deputy Director General (DDG) for four years. He worked as DDG in the Department of Policy and Supervision, MOST from Nov. 2014 to Nov. 2015. He had been DDG of Zhongguancun Science and Technology Management Committee during Aug. 2012 through Nov. 2014. Mr. Zhou has years of experience in managing and facilitating international scientific and technological cooperation. He was posted to the Chinese Embassy in Israel as the Counselor of S&T from Jan. 2008 to Apr. 2012. He had worked in the Chinese Mission to the EU for three and a half years. Mr. Zhou, majoring in forestry, had spent 14 years working in the Ministry of Forestry of China.

Gilles Bauer has joined the Luxembourg Embassy in Washington, D.C., as Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) in September 2021.

Gilles Bauer has held various positions at the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Most recently, he served as DCM at the Luxembourg Embassy in Moscow (2016-2021). Prior to that, he was a Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister (2013-2016). He has also held positions at Luxembourg’s Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels (2011-2013 incl. External relations, Asia, Eastern Europe), as well as in the MFA’s Directorate of International Economic Relations and European Affairs (2008-2011 covering i.a. Asia, Africa, OECD, sanctions).

Gilles Bauer holds master’s degrees in International Relations (Cambridge University, UK, 2006) and in Philosophy & Economics (Aix-Marseille III, France, 2005), as well as an undergraduate degree (maîtrise) in Philosophy (Aix-Marseille I, 2004).

Brent Sherwood is a space architect and consultant with 36 years of professional practice: Space Domain Lead for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; four years as Senior Vice President at Blue Origin; 14 years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory establishing the JPL Innovation Foundry and managing solar system mission formulation; 17 years at Boeing developing business for planetary exploration, the International Space Station, and Sea Launch; and space station module manufacturing methods.

He has published over 60 papers about the exploration and development of space. He edited Out of This World: The New Field of Space Architecture. He is recipient of the 2021 Columbia Medal from the American Society of Civil Engineers; corresponding member of the International Academy of Astronautics; Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; former chair of the AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee; former board member of the American Astronautical Society; former member of multiple NASA strategy teams, and member of Phi Beta Kappa.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale, summa cum laude; Master of Architecture from Yale; and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland.

Jacob has over six years of experience in the space industry, specializing in mission management and strategic program leadership. At Nanoracks LLC, he oversaw payload integration and customer research on the ISS, progressing from mission manager to program manager. In 2024, Jacob joined Interstellar Lab as Space Program Lead, driving the development of sustainable habitats and life support systems for Earth and space. He manages key projects like NuCLEUS, a modular food production system for space missions that won NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge. Jacob is also leading Interstellar Lab’s lunar mission BLOOM, a plant growth unit set to launch in 2027, as part of the company’s broader vision for human habitation on the Moon and Mars.