Podcasts about sspi

In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We'll find out what they're doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In the second episode of season 2, we hear from Dr. Femi Ishola, Founder and CEO of Phemotron Systems Corporation. Dr. Femi Ishola is an experienced Innovator, Entrepreneur, Engineer, and Researcher with a strong background in Electro-Optics, Space, and Satellite Systems Engineering. Accredited and licensed engineering practitioner by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering(COREN); Reg. No. R.4218. With over 15 years of professional experience in the global space industry, Dr. Femi brings a super-heavyweight perspective to aerospace engineering projects and gatherings across the continents! Founder and CEO of Phemotron Systems Corporation, a multinational new space company with operations in Nigeria, Japan, and USA. Served as a Researcher at the Japanese Space Communication Systems Laboratory, National Institute of Information Communications Technology (NICT), Tokyo, Japan. Systems pioneer and Project Manager at the National Space Research and Development Agency, Nigeria. Versatile in optical systems development, antennas, and microwave systems. Actively conducting research on Laser Communication technologies for Small Satellites, Drones, Beyond-5G integration, Beamed Energy Systems, and Unmanned Autonomous Systems. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria in 2010, Incorporated Phemotron Systems Ltd in 2013, obtained a Master of Science degree from the International Space University, France, in 2014, and a Ph.D. degree from the Laboratory of Lean Satellites Enterprises and In-Orbit Experiments, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan in 2021. His Ph.D. research was focused on free-space optical communication technologies for small satellites. Completed advance satellite design course at the Samara National Research University, Samara, Russia. Dr. Femi served as the SSPI Nigeria Director of Student Affairs where he galvanized undergraduate student exposure to space education and general STEM activities. Dr. Femi participated and contributed to the Japanese Engineering Test Satellite (ETS-9) HICALI project and the 6U CubeSOTA optical communication terminal and mission development. He also participated in the Southern Australian Universities QB50 Collaboration Satellite project. He was the Pioneer and Project Manager of the Nigerian Space Agency Centre for Space Transport and Propulsion (CSTP) Ground Control Station. Recipient of the Best and Most Innovative Project Award, SEEES National Universities Competition 2009, Kano State Government Award for the Best Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Project, in 2011, the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Emerging Space Leaders Award, 2019 and the grand prize winner of 9th Annual SATShow (SATELLITE). Startup Space Competition, Washington DC, 2025.

How does a young woman from Pakistan grow up to become an influential community builder inside a global corporation like Hughes Network Systems? In this episode of the SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, SSPI's Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Adileh Sharieff, Senior Director Planning and Strategic Programs. In addition to her professional achievements at Hughes, Adileh co-founded a small group called BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch) in January 2023, which grew into a thriving community of over 200 women by the end of the year. In June 2024, she was invited to join the Hughes Women Impact Network (WIN) coordinator leadership team, where she has focused on building a supportive and empowering community for women within the company. With over 25 years of dedicated service at Hughes, Adileh Sharieff has continually evolved through various pivotal roles within the company. She began her career in Network Operations, mastering the fundamentals before transitioning to Systems Integration and Testing. This diverse experience has allowed her to build enduring relationships and make significant contributions as the business scaled its systems and resources. Currently, Adileh leads a Project Management team within North America Operations, overseeing the rollout and implementation of new projects. Her leadership and expertise ensure the successful execution of initiatives that drive the company's growth and innovation. Adileh holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan, and a Master's degree in Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park.  

In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We'll find out what they're doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In the first episode of season 2, we hear from Kelsey Doerksen, Data Scientist with the Climate and Data Environment Unit at UNICEF and 2021 Promise Award Recipient. Passionate to do impactful work for Earth, in space, Kelsey Doerksen is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Oxford in the Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems Centre for Doctoral Training Program, in the Oxford Applied and Theoretical Machine Learning Group under supervision of Yarin Gal. She is focusing her research on the uses of AI and Machine Learning to enable science discovery and understanding of climate-focused applications (expected graduation, 2025). Kelsey is a Research Affiliate at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and a part of the Machine Learning and Instrument Autonomy group, working on the Scientific Understanding from Data Science Strategic Initiative. She is also a Data Scientist with the Climate and Data Environment Unit at UNICEF, building the data pipeline infrastructure and providing analysis necessary to create the UNICEF Children's Climate Risk Index. Kelsey recently completed her Data Science Research Fellow position with UNICEF and European Space Agency F-lab, working on the Giga Initiative to use Earth Observation and AI to map schools in the global south and their access to electricity and the internet. She is a former Space Systems engineer at Planet on the Mission Operations team, using space to help life on Earth, and co-led the commissioning of 48 satellites for the Flock 4S commissioning campaign, publishing the work as part of the SmallSat 2021 conference. Kelsey graduated from the Masters of Engineering Science in Electrical & Computer Engineering in the collaborative Planetary Science and Exploration Program at Western University in December 2019. Her thesis topic involved the utilization of machine learning algorithms for space weather applications, using in-situ satellite data. Kelsey's Bachelors degree was in Aerospace Engineering: Space Systems Design with a Minor in Business at Carleton University, in which she further fostered her passion for one day becoming an astronaut. Spacecraft operations, machine learning, climate change and solar physics are some of her research-focused interests.

The space & satellite industry is more dynamic than ever, with professionals moving across sectors and roles at an accelerated pace. At SSPI, this has brought in a wave of new leadership, including a remarkable milestone: as of last year's election, four of our newest Board Directors are women. To celebrate this moment and International Women's Day, we will explore their perspectives and dive deeper into topics such as leadership, vision and the future of SSPI and SSPI-WISE. Newly appointed SSPI Executive Director Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Kidsan Barnes, Senior Vice President, Maritime, Cruise & Ferry at Quvia, Lisa Henke, Chief of Technology & Innovation, USG at Maxar Intelligence and Tina Ghataore, Chief Revenue Officer at Aerospacelab and SSPI-WISE Chair and Board Liaison. Kidsan Barnes is a distinguished leader in the satellite communications and cruise connectivity industries. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Cruise & Ferry at Quvia (formerly Neuron). With a career marked by innovation and strategic vision, Kidsan has played a pivotal role in driving growth and transformation within her sector. Her contributions have not gone unnoticed; she was honored on the South Florida Business Journal's “40 Under 40” list, recognizing her significant impact on her industry, the economy and community, and also recognized on their Influential Business Women's list for 2022. Under her leadership, Quvia's Cruise & Ferry division has seen remarkable advancements, solidifying its position as a leader in the fast-evolving world of satellite communications. Kidsan's dedication to excellence and philanthropic contributions are seen in her voluntary board roles for both SSPI and Florida International University where she gained her Executive MBA. She remains an inspiration for those in the industries she serves. Lisa Henke joined Maxar Technologies in 2016 as Chief Architect of Open Technologies and served in several leadership roles at the company before taking on her current role of Chief of Technology & Innovation, USG for Maxar Intelligence in May 2024. Prior to coming to Maxar, she was the Chief Architect for National Reconnaissance Office/Ground Enterprise Directorate/Integrated System Program Office leading ground development, cloud transformation and agile transformation. Lisa also served in leadership roles at DigitalGlobe, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. She is a proud Air Force Veteran and a certified Green Belt with an MBA with technology management emphasis and a variety of certifications, including Agile, Architecture and Systems Engineering and MBSE. Tina Ghataore joined Aerospacelab in August 2023 as Group Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, and CEO of Aerospacelab's new North American branch. Prior to joining the fast-growing international startup specialized in designing, manufacturing and operating small satellites, Tina served as Chief Commercial Officer of Mynaric and President of Mynaric USA where she led the company's efforts to position Mynaric as the preferred laser communication provider for aerospace application for both government and commercial markets. In 2022, Tina's contribution to the aerospace industry was recognized by both the public and industry peers alike when she was voted Via Satellite's "Satellite Executive of the Year," accepting her award in front of a select audience at the industry's leading annual conference SATELLITE 2022.

On February 7, 2025, the space & satellite industry lost a giant. Jim Oliver, Founder, Owner and CEO of AvL Technologies and a member of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame, was known throughout the industry as a pioneer, mentor, innovative design engineer and wildly successful entrepreneur. The innovations he brought to the satellite ground segment have been instrumental in freeing the satellite antenna from its fixed base and moving it out into the field for users from broadcasting and disaster relief to government and military. The world has gained in knowledge, lives saved, health restored and greater safety and security as a result. You can read his obituary here. In honor of his lifetime of contributions to our industry, SSPI is taking this week to rebroadcast an interview from the Risk podcast series, in which Jim shared his experiences taking risks as an entrepreneur and never giving up the passion required to succeed. Read more about Jim in his Space & Satellite Hall of Fame profile.

On the night of December 2, 2024 in London, SSPI and its UK Chapter held their annual Dinner to present Awards to three individuals and organizations that have made the world a far better place through their efforts. In this podcast series, you will hear their stories. The third episode features Dan Losada, Vice President, International Division at Hughes, who joins us to discuss Hughes' role in bringing internet access to some of the most isolated communities in Colombia through Juntas de Internet - Comunidades de Conectividad. Dan Losada, vice president at Hughes, leads the company's international sales team, responsible for satellite broadband systems sales around the globe, and maintaining the company's competitive edge as the world's leading VSAT provider. Prior to assuming leadership of the international sales team, Dan was senior director of the Hughes Defense and Intelligence Systems Division (DISD), supporting the U.S. military during its transition to Internet Protocol (IP)-based broadband systems. Previously, Dan held positions in microwave and RF systems design at Hughes and TRW, Inc. (now part of Northrop Grumman). Earlier in his career, Dan served as a technical consultant for Universidad Antonio Narino in Bogotá, Colombia, overseeing deployment of a point-to-multipoint network and evaluating proposals for the implementation of a city-wide WLAN Wireless Network. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Dan holds both a Bachelor and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has published papers on communication systems and design and speaks frequently at industry conferences and panels worldwide. Hughes, with Microsoft and the Colombian government, brought internet access to some of the most isolated communities in Colombia through Juntas de Internet – Comunidades de Conectividad (Internet Connectivity Communities). According to the Wireless Broadband Alliance, more than four billion people globally remain without internet access, including 80% of households in poorer countries and 75% of students in rural areas. The Colombian government laid the groundwork for Juntas de Internet in July 2023 with the backing of the country's Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTIC). The program was established to both enhance existing networks and build new ones. Internet implementation, connection, and maintenance is a joint effort between connectivity communities and regional internet service providers (ISPs). Connectivity communities are non-profit organizations whose income is exclusively used for the administration, operation, and maintenance of fixed community internet service. Hughes, serving as a regional ISP, partnered with Microsoft on Juntas de Internet. Read more about Hughes, Microsoft and Colombia's MICT – Juntas de Internet: Connectivity Communities.

On the night of December 2, 2024 in London, SSPI and its UK Chapter held their annual Dinner to present Awards to three individuals and organizations that have made the world a far better place through their efforts. In this podcast series, you will hear their stories. The second episode features Will Mudge, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Speedcast, who joins us to discuss Speedcast's provision of essential connectivity solutions during humanitarian crises and natural disasters. Will Mudge is the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Speedcast. In his current role, Will is responsible for managing 600 people across 44 countries with disciplines including supply chain, field engineering, IP engineering, teleports, R&D, NOC and systems engineering. He has built and improved numerous high-performing teams at Speedcast and is also an active contributor in industry panels and podcasts as well as a creator of video content and author of multiple papers. Before his current role, Will served as Vice President of Engineering Operations at Speedcast, a role in which he was responsible for a large part of Speedcast's global infrastructure and the delivery of a positive experience to customers. Prior to his current role, Will served as the Director of Satellite Capacity and Technology at Speedcast, developing global teleport and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation strategies. He also previously served as the Director of Satellite Capacity and Technology, the R&D engineering lead, and as a strategic product marketing manager and program manager at Speedcast (formerly as Harris CapRock). Will holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Speedcast has consistently demonstrated a commitment to humanitarian aid and disaster response efforts by providing essential connectivity solutions during crises. In areas affected by natural disasters, the company has delivered reliable communications as a vital lifeline for both the affected communities and first responders working to aid them. In May 2024, Speedcast contributed to disaster response efforts in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, when the region experienced catastrophic flooding. Rio Grande do Sul received an entire year's worth of rain in a matter of hours, leading to widespread landslides, the collapse of a key dam and many deaths. Speedcast took quick action to donate and deliver Starlink terminal kits and airtime to the Brazilian government, providing necessary connectivity to police, hospitals, the Brazilian army and various local and state government departments, which dramatically improved disaster response efforts. These quick-to-deploy solutions from Speedcast proved instrumental in reaching isolated areas and supporting recovery operations. Read more about Speedcast.

The annual SATELLITE conference in Washington, D.C. is the gravitational pull of the commercial space & satellite industry. Like every other conference, media outlet and association that gathers the global community, SATELLITE has undergone changes over the past five years that reflect the growth and wonderfully chaotic direction of the space & satellite industry. Jeffrey Hill, Executive Editor of Via Satellite and Executive Chairman of SATELLITE 2025, has taken a breather from conference planning to talk to SSPI's Lou Zacharilla about what we can expect this March in Washington, D.C. SATELLITE has adapted to many changes in conference structure and will be bringing exciting new features to the conference this year, such as the "Happy Hour Rocket Show" on the Exhibition floor. Jeff and Lou also discuss the "anxiety, both good and bad" running through the industry as it faces change after change and what we hope to see in the future. Jeffrey Hill serves as the Executive Editor of Via Satellite and chair of the annual SATELLITE conference and exhibition in Washington D.C. He is also the host and producer of Via Satellite's On Orbit podcast and the host of Via Satellite's technology webcast series. Over the course of his nearly 15-year career, Jeff has become one of the most connected people in the space and satellite industry. He has interviewed prominent space and technology leaders such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Bea Perez, Emily Calandrelli and Charles Bolden, as well as hundreds of policy makers, investors, influencers and executives from all over the world. A native of Philadelphia, he began his career as web editor for Next City magazine, while covering city hall politics for Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia Inquirer. He also previously served as a director of communications at Drexel University. He now lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and son, two beagles and piles of books, musical instruments and knick-knacks from countless industry events and conferences. He enjoys making Slack Emojis of his co-workers.

On the night of December 2, 2024 in London, SSPI and its UK Chapter held their annual Dinner to present Awards to three individuals and organizations that have made the world a far better place through their efforts. In this podcast series, you will hear their stories. The first episode features Andre L. Jones, who co-founded WANSAT Networks, Inc. to provide connectivity to underserved and unserved areas in his birth country of Guyana. Born in one of the poorest regions of the nation, Andre witnessed firsthand the challenges that rural communities faced due to their isolation. When oil was discovered in Guyana, for example, the nation experienced rapid economic expansion, but the benefits did not reach many rural areas. Andre turned the years of expertise in the satellite communications industry he had developed as a successful businessman in the United States toward the problem, securing vital partnerships with leading companies operating in the region like Intelsat, Viasat and Telefonica. Through these partnerships, WANSAT was able to deliver connectivity to remote regions unreached by fiber and terrestrial networks, providing those isolated communities with access to essential services and communication options.

The United Kingdom's robust and ambitious space sector has many personalities. In this podcast series, we introduce you to three whom the UK Chapter of SSPI is considering for its prestigious Personality of the Year Award in 2024. One of these three finalists will be named the 2024 Satellite Personality of the Year live at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in London on 2 December. Each of the three finalists is a star who has made significant contribution to the UK and global satellite industry and whose career is a study of performance and excellence at the highest level. In the third episode, we learn a bit about Mark Boggett, CEO of Seraphim Space Fund. Mark Boggett is the CEO and co-founder of Seraphim, an investment firm exclusively focused on SpaceTech domain globally. Seraphim launched the world's first Space VC fund in 2016. Now operating Seraphim Space Accelerator on three continents, with >$350m raised for the seed stage alumni. Seraphim also operates a space growth fund, listed on the London Stock Exchange. Across these three elements Seraphim has built a portfolio of over 100 SpaceTech startups - the world's most prolific investor in the space domain.

The United Kingdom's robust and ambitious space sector has many personalities. In this podcast series, we introduce you to three whom the UK Chapter of SSPI is considering for its prestigious Personality of the Year Award in 2024. One of these three finalists will be named the 2024 Satellite Personality of the Year live at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in London on 2 December. Click here to join us there! Each of the three finalists is a star who has made significant contribution to the UK and global satellite industry and whose career is a study of performance and excellence at the highest level. In the second episode, we learn a bit about Antonio Franchi, Head of the 5G/6G NTN Programme Office at the European Space Agency (ESA). Antonio Franchi works at the European Space Agency as the Head of the 5G/6G NTN Programme Office in the Connectivity and Secure Communications Directorate. Antonio has over 30 years of experience in the satellite telecommunications industry. Prior to ESA, Antonio worked for over 20 years with Inmarsat, a major global satellite operator, spearheading a new generation of satellite communications systems. Antonio received an MSc in Electronic Engineering from the University of Rome and an MBA from the London Business School. He is author of 30+ articles and papers published at international conferences and professional magazines, and he holds six international patents in the satcom field.

The United Kingdom's robust and ambitious space sector has many personalities. In this podcast series, we introduce you to three whom the UK Chapter of SSPI is considering for its prestigious Personality of the Year Award in 2024. One of these three finalists will be named the 2024 Satellite Personality of the Year live at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in London on 2 December. Click here to join us there! Each of the three finalists is a star who has made significant contribution to the UK and global satellite industry and whose career is a study of performance and excellence at the highest level. In the first episode, we learn a bit more about Dr. David Parker FRAeS, Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Space Agency and Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton. Dr. David Parker has led a distinguished thirty-five-year career in the space sector, spanning industry, UK government and the European Space Agency (ESA). Until June 2023, he served as ESA's Director of Space Exploration at ESTEC in the Netherlands, overseeing astronaut missions to the International Space Station, Europe's involvement in Artemis and pioneering projects like training an astronaut with a physical disability. Previously, he was the Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency (2013-2016), where he led Tim Peake's ISS mission and negotiated ESA's first UK center in Harwell. Starting in the UK space industry in 1990, he contributed to projects like XMM-Newton and ExoMars. Dr. Parker holds a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics and a PhD from NASA Langley Research Center. He has received several accolades, including the Royal Aeronautical Society's Geoffrey Pardoe award. He currently works part-time at ESA, serves on the UK Space Agency Board and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton.

In this special Making Leaders and SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, we hear from Joan Tang Mancuso, Marketing & Business Development Consultant (now retired), who was selected as SSPI's 2024 Mentor of the Year. Joan has provided expert guidance, mentorship and support to young people in the space & satellite industry throughout her more-than-30-year career and long after retiring from full-time work. As a member of the SSPI Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board, she spearheaded the creation, promotion and implementation of a scholarship program to help inner city high school students with STEM education. An inaugural participant in SSPI-WISE's Mentorship program, Joan mentored four different women across three countries, guiding them through career development, job changes, promotions and professional and personal challenges. Of particular note, she guided one mentee through a successful career transition from a technical role to a managerial position and helped another advance her career while navigating a difficult international relocation. Joan has also provided her insights and expertise to broader groups of women and industry professionals through a number of SSPI-WISE panels and online discussions.

In this Better Satellite World podcast, based on a panel session at the live New York Space Business Roundtable on September 18, we hear a discussion on the role of space and satellite in economic development, both in New York and beyond. Experts share their tips and what challenges they have faced or expect to face in the future. Our guests include: Lou Zacharilla, Director of Innovation, SSPI (moderator) Nick Reese, CEO & Founder, Frontier Foundry, former DHS Luc Decker, Consul General, Luxembourg Trade & Investment Office NY Norman R. Garza, Jr., Executive Director, Texas Space Commission

In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, SSPI Director of Engagement Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Penelope Longbottom, former Senior Advisor, Satellite Division at Sage Communications, now retired, and a Member of the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame and Andrea Maleter, former Technical Director at the Futron Corporation, now retired, and the 2010 SSPI Mentor of the Year. Penelope launched her eponymous firm Longbottom Communications, LLC, in 2000. It was a full-service branding, public relations and marketing communications firm that advised and served a spectrum of clients in the global space, satellite, telecommunications and broadband sectors. In 2015 the firm was acquired by McLean-based Sage Communications, at which time Ms. Longbottom took full retirement. In 2016 she was inducted into the SSPI Hall of Fame in honor of her contributions fostering global awareness and the benefits of satellite communications to governments, enterprises, public safety, disaster management and ever-evolving applications and markets. Penelope devoted over three decades to helping her employers, and later clients, drive strategic messaging and branding to foster market growth and help a skeptical public understand and utilize satellites for rapidly expanding communications capabilities. She applied her PR and marketing expertise first in the analogue world of television and cable broadcasting, through the evolution of digital direct-to-home TV and radio, mobile communications and multiple business applications and vertical markets. She entered the industry in 1985 as Director of Communications for Hughes Communications. Departing Hughes in 1996, Penelope was tapped by Lockheed Martin Corp. to help stand up and brand its newly created Lockheed Martin Intersputnik unit in London, a new partnership with Russia. Following that short-lived venture, Penelope was appointed VP of Lockheed Martin's Space & Strategic Missiles Division. In 1999, she joined XM Satellite Radio to brand and drive the go-to market strategy of this first U.S.-licensed digital satellite radio operator to launch.    Andrea Maleter spent some 40 years in the global satellite, telecommunications and aerospace industries. As a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Futron she provided policy, regulatory, investment and marketing advice to telecommunications companies, satellite manufacturing businesses and governments worldwide on areas including strategies for new technology implementation; telecommunications sector policy and privatization. Prior to consulting she held management positions at INTELSAT and COMSAT where she participated in the development of global telecommunications satellite markets and the planning and procurement of new satellite systems. Andrea currently serves as Co-Chair of the SSPI-WISE Mentoring Working Group and has been instrumental in the formation and success of the SSPI-WISE Mentorship program.

Bits, Bytes and AI, Oh My!, the podcast of the Digital Space campaign, underwritten by Hughes, delves into the rapidly evolving world of digital technology and its transformative impact on the space of satellite industries. In this series, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning and space based digital infrastructure with industry leaders and technologists. In episode 4, we hear from Kidsan Barnes, Senior Vice President of Cruise & Ferry at Neuron.   Kidsan Barnes is a distinguished leader in the satellite communications and cruise connectivity industries. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Cruise & Ferry at Neuron. With a career marked by innovation and strategic vision, Kidsan has played a pivotal role in driving growth and transformation within her sector.   Kidsan's leadership philosophy centers on strategic intent, mental clarity and the joy of leading. Her contributions have not gone unnoticed; she was honored on the South Florida Business Journal's “40 Under 40” list, recognizing her significant impact on her industry, the economy and community, and also recognized on their Influential Business Women's list for 2022.   Under her leadership, Neuron's Cruise & Ferry division has seen remarkable advancements, solidifying its position as a leader in the fast-evolving world of satellite communications. Kidsan's dedication to excellence and philanthropic contributions are seen in her voluntary board roles for both SSPI and Florida International University where she gained her Executive MBA. She remains an inspiration for those in the industries she serves.

In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We'll find out what they're doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In episode 3, SSPI Director of Engagement Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Laura Cummings, Associate at Greenberg Traurig, LLP and 2023 "20 Under 35" honoree. Laura Cummings focuses her practice on space law and commercial space regulation, providing legal support to businesses dealing with complex matters pertaining to space, satellite, and telecommunication industries. Her work scope is global, involving policy-making, legislative interpretation, and application of regulatory frameworks. She is involved in virtually all areas of space regulatory affairs including spectrum advocacy, remote sensing, export compliance, payload authorization, and providing guidance on in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing mission authorization. Laura has deep experience influencing international telecommunications regulations and policy. Laura has served as a member of the U.S. Delegation to International Telecommunication Union conferences, including the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference, contributing to ongoing work around space sustainability. Similarly, she advocates for evolved U.S. domestic space regulations that are cohesive with international law and foreign domestic laws, working across a variety of jurisdictions and legal systems. She plays a role in driving a regulatory agenda for the small satellite industry and in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing capabilities. In her previous role at Astroscale U.S., Laura managed spacecraft licensing for the geostationary Life-Extension Services program, drove spectrum advocacy, and supported export compliance. Laura also has experience with the Federal Aviation Administration, supporting the creation of new regulations regarding launch and reentry licensing requirements.

In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We'll find out what they're doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In episode 2, SSPI Director of Engagement Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Slava Frayter, Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales at Kayhan Space. Mr. Slava Frayter is the Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales at Kayhan Space, a SaaS company specializing in space situational awareness (SSA) and providing space traffic coordination and collision avoidance services for satellite operators and government organizations. Before joining Kayhan Space in May 2024, Slava served as the Vice President for North America at Gilat Satellite Networks. In this role, he oversaw all company operations in North America, managed the regional team, and developed and executed growth strategies across various markets, including cellular backhaul, enterprise, mobility, and government sectors. Prior to his tenure at Gilat, Mr. Frayter spent nearly two decades with Newtec, a Belgian satellite communication technology company, where he held several executive positions for the Americas region, including the CEO of Newtec America role. During his time there, Slava successfully built cross-functional organizations, grew revenue, significantly expanded the company's market presence, and forged long-term strategic relationships with partners and clients. Mr. Frayter holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Riga Technical University in Latvia and an MBA in International Business and Finance from the University of Connecticut.

In this podcast series, we speak with friends of SSPI who recently made big executive moves. We'll find out what they're doing now and what they hope to achieve in their new roles in the industry. In episode 1, SSPI Director of Engagement Tamara Bond-Williams speaks with Jennifer Manner, Senior Advisor for Space and Satellite Policy at the Office of Spectrum Management in the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Jennifer A. Manner is the Senior Advisor for Space and Satellite Policy at the Office of Spectrum Management in the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In this role, Jennifer is the principle advisor to NTIA on spectrum management issues related to space and satellite communications. Prior to joining NTIA, Ms. Manner served as Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at EchoStar Corporation, Deputy Chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology, as well as the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Jennifer has also held senior positions at the FCC and in industry, including at MCI/WorldCom (not Verizon) and Skyterra (now Ligado). Jennifer has held leadership roles in a number of organizations including the Global Satellite Operators Association, the Satellite Industry Association, and the U.S. ITU Association. Jennifer has also held leadership positions in a number of U.S. government advisory committees including Chair, Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee and Vice Chair of the FCC's World Radiocommunications Advisory Committee and the Commerce Department's International Trade Advisory Committee. Jennifer also holds leadership positions at the International Telecommunications Union. Further, Jennifer served for over a decade as a professor of law at Georgetown University Law School teaching international telecommunications law, and continues to teach at Carnegie Mellon's Executive Education Program in Technology Policy and the Silicon Flatirons Program at UC Boulder. Jennifer is also an author of numerous articles and several books on spectrum and telecommunications including Spectrum Wars: The Rise of 5G and Beyond (Artech House 2021). Jennifer is currently working on her latest book, Spectrum Wars: A New Hope for Connectivity (expected release 2025). Jennifer is also a filmmaker, with her latest film, When Wire Was King: The Transformation of Telecommunications is available on PBS, as well as Amazon and AppleTV and other streaming platforms. Jennifer holds a B.A. in Political Science and Theater from the State University of New York at Albany, a J.D. cum laude from New York Law School and a LL.M. with honors from Georgetown University Law School. Jennifer lives in Bethesda, MD with her husband, Dr. Eric Glasgow, and her golden doodle, Charliedoodle.

In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, Tamara Bond-Williams, Director of Engagement at SSPI, speaks with Merissa Velez, Chief of the Satellite Programs and Policy Division at the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Space Bureau. This podcast is the second episode of New Ideas in Space Safety, the podcast of the SSPI topic campaign: Reducing the Risks of Space, Part 2: New Ideas in Space Safety. Merissa Velez is Chief of the Satellite Programs and Policy Division of the Federal Communications Commission's Space Bureau. In this role, Ms. Velez oversees a team addressing legal and policy issues associated with the licensing and regulation of satellite systems. Ms. Velez has focused on satellite regulatory issues at the FCC for the past ten years, and was previously the Chief of the Satellite Policy Branch in the International Bureau's Satellite Division. Prior to joining the FCC, Ms. Velez clerked for the Supreme Court of Hawaii and worked in the legal publishing industry.  Ms. Velez is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and Middlebury College.

In the fifth and final episode of Invisible, Indispensable Infrastructure, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Jonathan Baliff, Chief Financial Officer at Redwire Space. Redwire, based in Florida, is a new leader in mission-critical space solutions and high-reliability components for the next generation space economy. On April 24, Redwire received the 2024 Business Award from the Luxembourg-American Chamber of Commerce, becoming the first space and satellite company to receive this honor. Jonathan Baliff has been a leader in the aerospace, energy and infrastructure sectors for over 25 years as both a public company senior executive and investment and commercial banker. Mr. Baliff has served on the Redwire Board of Directors and as Chair of the Audit Committee since September 2021. Mr. Baliff also serves on the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc (NYSE: TCBI). Most recently, Mr. Baliff was the President of Genesis Park Acquisition Corporation, the special purpose acquisition corporation that merged with Redwire. Previously Mr. Baliff served as Chief Executive Officer of Bristow Group (NYSE: BRS), the world's largest commercial helicopter and industrial aviation company serving the energy and government sectors. He served as Bristow's Chief Financial Officer from 2010 to 2014 until his appointment to Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Bristow Group in 2010, Mr. Baliff was the Executive Vice President for Strategy at NRG Energy, where he led the development and implementation of NRG's overall strategy. Before joining NRG in 2008, Mr. Baliff was a Managing Director in Credit Suisse's Global Energy Group, where he advised energy infrastructure companies on over $50 billion in merger and acquisition assignments and project and corporate financings starting in 1997. Mr. Baliff started his business career with J.P. Morgan's Natural Resource Group in 1995 after nearly a decade flying F-4 Phantom fighter aircraft in the US Air Force, including the first combat missions during the first Gulf War.

In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, Tamara Bond-Williams, Director of Engagement at SSPI, speaks with Diana Klochkova, Chief Marketing Officer at Privateer Space, a pioneering company dedicated to making space access safer and more accessible. This podcast is the first episode of New Ideas in Space Safety, the podcast of a new SSPI topic campaign: Reducing the Risks of Space, Part 2: New Ideas in Space Safety. Diana Klochkova is CMO of Privateer, where she leads marketing for the space start-up as it builds the tools that will make space safer and more accessible. Diana's background spans a variety of roles in B2C, B2B, digital, and content marketing. In 2018, she founded Zaya, a boutique agency focusing on purpose-driven projects. Prior to Zaya, she held leadership roles at Rebel Ventures, Omnicom Media Group and Levi Strauss & Co.

In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with John Murtagh, Head of Strategy at Airbus Defence and Space - Intelligence. They discuss John's work with Airbus' Intelligence program unit and the key role of Earth observation data analytics in modern strategy and intelligence planning. John Murtagh is an Earth observation industry professional. He is a strategist within the Strategy Team of Connected Intelligence within Airbus Defence and Space, a leading supplier of satellite imagery and related defense solutions. Since joining Airbus in 1992, John has undertaken a wide range of roles and is now an executive member driving strategies focused on new digital transformation services and platform initiatives. He has worked in over 30 countries on all continents since joining Airbus and brings a unique perspective from the global customer vantage point. John received his undergraduate degree from King's College London and graduated with an MSc in Remote Sensing from Imperial College/University College London. He also has an MA in Marketing and an MBA in Strategy. Prior to joining Airbus, John worked for BP Exploration in their Remote Sensing Group as a data integration specialist.

In this Better Satellite World podcast, recorded as a special bonus interview after of the February edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with TIME Magazine reporter Vera Bergengruen. Vera recently returned from Ukraine where she reported on the nation's communication network, including satellites. Vera Bergengruen is a senior correspondent at TIME Magazine, based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. She covers the overlap of national security, politics, and technology. Her work at TIME has won the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award and a New York Press Club Award. Vera has over 10 years' experience as a Washington correspondent, having worked as a National White House and later Pentagon Correspondent for McClatchy and National Security Correspondent for BuzzFeed before joining TIME. She joined the New York Space Roundtable on February 21, 2024 to discuss the potential role of satellites and commercial space in bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we ask the question: “What would you do if you had the power to make the world a better place during your career?” Joining SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to answer that question in the second episode are 3 members of the “20 Under 35” cohort of 2023: Julie Newman, Program Chief Engineer at Boeing; Dr. Zhe Liu, Senior Materials & Process Engineer at Maxar; and Alix Rousselière, Strategy Consultant for Satcom at Euroconsult. Julie Newman is Program Chief Engineer for Satelit Nusantara Lima N5 (SNL), a major geostationary communications satellite program, at Boeing. In this role, she has been instrumental in overseeing risk management and problem resolution for the satellite, particularly in the midst of a challenging shift to a different payload. Julie regularly directs and approves the work of senior engineering staff and provides recommendations to the program management office and the customer. She has also represented her executive manager in various critical functions, ranging from safety to quality assurance across Boeing's El Segundo site and has spearheaded multiple process improvement initiatives, including major efforts to improve Boeing's engineering training and metrics tracking systems. Before taking on her current position, Julie was the Technical Program Manager, a role in which she led a team of 15 engineers to develop the engine controller assembly for the Space Launch System (SLS) first stage rocket. The team consistently exceeded expectations under her leadership while executing a late re-design of the unit to resolve a leakage issue associated with a sneak path discovered during testing of the engineering model. She received a Promise Award from SSPI in 2023. Dr. Zhe Liu is Senior Materials & Process Engineer at Maxar as well as an accomplished scientist with a broad range of expertise in material science, biopolymers and computer science. Originally from China, Dr. Liu began her academic journey with an undergraduate degree in her home country. She then spent several years engaged in research and development in biopolymers before moving to the U.S. for further studies. She earned a Master's degree in Material Science with a concentration in composite materials from the University of Dayton before pursuing a PhD at Florida State University, where her research focused on nano composite materials for thermal ablative applications. During her PhD, Dr. Liu joined a California-based start-up company that specialized in the novel 3D printing of continuous fiber carbon composites. As team leader, she characterized the materials and developed the process for printing structural components. This crucial work paved the way for the successful commercialization of a carbon fiber/thermoplastic composite bicycle. Dr. Liu is currently working on a second Master's degree in Computer Science at Georgia Tech while working full-time for Maxar. Alix Rousselière is Strategy Consultant for Satcom at Euroconsult, which she joined in April 2022. Her role responsibilities include advising satellite operators and space agencies, conducting commercial and financial assessments and developing market intelligence reports on a variety of topics, including milsatcom and NGSO constellations. Although not an engineer herself, Alix has completed exemplary work on highly technical technology harmonization dossiers for the European Space Agency (ESA), demonstrating her ability to learn and adapt quickly. She participated in more than 12 international consulting missions within her first year at Euroconsult. Before joining Euroconsult, Alix spent two years at Thales in Abu Dhabi where she worked on Strategy and Commercial Development for Defense & Space Key Accounts. In particular, Alix formulated and helped implement a new, transversal, coordinated 5-year Strategic Plan for the company's UAE Defense accounts by analyzing trends and providing recommendations to C-level executive management on priority subjects and associated investments.

In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with the Rt Hon Lord Willetts FRS, President of the Resolution Foundation and Chair of the UK Space Agency. Lord Willetts delivered the keynote address at the 2023 Better Satellite World Awards Dinner where Avanti Communications, the International Rescue Committee and Maxar New Bureau received Better Satellite World Awards for their achievements. The Rt Hon Lord Willetts FRS is the President of the Resolution Foundation and Chair of the UK Space Agency. He is a member of the Board of Darktrace plc and is Chair of Innovate Cambridge. He served as the Member of Parliament for Havant (1992-2015), as Minister for Universities and Science (2010-2014) and previously worked at HM Treasury and the No. 10 Policy Unit. He is a Board member of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a visiting Professor at King's College London and an Honorary Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford. Lord Willetts has written widely on economic and social policy. His book “A University Education” is published by Oxford University Press. A second edition of his book “The Pinch” on fairness between the generations was published in 2019.

In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Massimiliano Ladovaz, Chief Operations Officer at Eutelsat Group. Massimiliano leads the UK-based Eutelsat Group team responsible for the completion of  the Gen-1 LEO constellation and the design and development of the LEO-GEO Next-Gen constellation. For his achievements, he was chosen as the 2023 SSPI-UK Satellite Personality of the Year and honored at the 2023 Better Satellite World Awards Dinner. Massimiliano joined OneWeb in 2018 at its UK HQ and became the Chief Technology Officer in 2020. With HMG investing in OneWeb after bankruptcy, Massimiliano was instrumental in re-starting the engineering and satellite operations teams in the UK; thus leading the timely production and launch of 650 satellites and the procurement/deployment of 45 gateways and ground network around the globe. Massimiliano started his career at the European Space Agency, then moved to Luxembourg-based SES as VP Spacecraft Platform Engineering and Launch Systems. He then joined Inmarsat in the UK as Senior VP Space Segment & System Architecture at Inmarsat, leading the design, procurement and deployment of several multi-billion US dollars space programs. He holds a Masters in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Rome.

In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with representatives of the three 2023 recipients of Better Satellite World Awards. Libby Barr, Chief Operating Officer of Avanti Communications, Fernando Carballal, Associate Director of Product Development and Operational Partnerships for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Stephen Wood, Senior Director of the Maxar News Bureau join Lou to discuss their projects, goals and making a better world for all. Libby Barr is the Chief Operating Officer at Avanti Communications (“Avanti”) and a member of its Executive Committee. Joining in January 2019, Libby is responsible for the development and growth of the Carrier, Mobility and Enterprise customers along with overseeing the end-to-end customer experience across Avanti's Sales and Marketing departments. Libby is passionate about connecting some of the hardest-to-reach communities in the world. Key milestones include the connectivity of over 1,000 villages in Africa, to which Avanti has made significant investments to provide satellite infrastructure and digital connectivity in rural and ultra-rural areas. Along with her team, Libby's focus will be on connecting a further 10,000 villages and schools over the next five years. Prior to Avanti, Libby was at BT for nine years. As Managing Director of Customer Care, she was a key member of the BT Consumer Leadership Team who grew the company's revenue by more than £1.2bn in five years. Libby was also responsible for the strategic vision, leadership and transformation of a 10,000 strong Customer Care organisation across more than 30 sites worldwide. Libby began her career at Vodafone. At the company for 22 years, she held positions in both the global and UK organisations, leading the Enterprise Sales and Service organisations. In addition, Libby was a Trustee of the Vodafone Foundation. Avanti Communications' rural solution is a groundbreaking satellite service designed to bridge the digital divide by connecting ultra-rural villages in Nigeria for the first time. This innovative solution has proven key to the Nigerian Communications Commission's (NCC) National Broadband Plan of 2020, which sets out two national goals: to achieve 90% population coverage and a penetration rate of 70% by 2025. Avanti Rural solution uses advanced satellite technology to extend mobile network coverage to the hardest-to-reach areas of Nigeria, that would be impossible to reach using traditional terrestrial infrastructure. This off-grid service is a game-changer in the telecommunications industry, providing cellular services to the most remote communities, and in turn, promoting digital inclusion and socio-economic development. As of 2023, Avanti has deployed over 500 ultra-rural sites in 21 Nigerian states, providing 2G and 3G connectivity to 2.5 million Nigerians. All these areas previously had no connectivity, with residents forced to travel on foot or by local bus to the nearest towns with coverage just to use their mobile phones. Fernando Carballal is Associate Director of Product Development and Operational Partnerships for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization that helps people affected by humanitarian crises—including the climate crisis—to survive, recover and rebuild their lives. He is also Co-Founder and Innovation Consultant of Impactspace, which works with businesses, NGOs, government and academia internationally to explore and commercialize new impactful ideas. Before joining IRC and co-founding Impactspace, Fernando served as Head of Design and User Engagement for Sen and as a Designer for a variety of companies, including Satellite Applications Catapult, Thingmaker and Cyclehoop Ltd. He is a graduate of London Metropolitan University with a Masters in Product Design and the University of East London with a Bachelors of Science in Architecture. The Mapping Invisible Populations project is an innovative initiative by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), created in collaboration with Flowminder and Humanitarian Open Street Map. The project was developed in 2023 with the central aim of providing support services to hard-to-reach populations. This initiative primarily targets fragile and conflict-affected areas which may receive less medical and other humanitarian support. Using satellite imagery mapping techniques and GIS methodologies provided by its partners, the Mapping Invisible Populations project gathers satellite and spatial data and combines it with population estimates analyzed by its partners to determine the location of these underserved populations. Subsequently, these estimates are verified by community informants for further corroboration. The objective is to identify populations living in areas that are large enough to justify IRC investing resources, time, and risk to provide medical and humanitarian assistance. Stephen Wood is the Senior Director of the Maxar News Bureau. He has more than 30 years of experience analyzing satellite imagery and performing all-source analysis for government, commercial and media customers. Mr. Wood joined DigitalGlobe (which became Maxar Intelligence) in 2000, after 14 years in the U.S. government, where he held a range of senior imagery intelligence-associated positions. He was the co-founder of AllSource Analysis, an imagery analytic company based in Colorado. He has an in-depth record of creating geospatial and all-source material and has briefed audiences extensively throughout his career, including high-ranking government officials, CEOs and the media on geospatial information and high current interest issues. The Maxar News Bureau is a unique partnership program that collaborates with renowned media organizations worldwide, focusing on using technology for social good and global transparency. The program is operated by Maxar Intelligence, a leading provider of secure, precise geospatial intelligence. The Bureau leverages the business' satellite imagery, analytics and expertise to complement quality journalism and provide irrefutable evidence in an era where credibility is critical. The Maxar News Bureau has provided high-resolution satellite imagery and analysis for notable reports like The New York Times' 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning report on Russia's use of shadow warfare and the 2019 Emmy-winning “One Building, One Bomb” story, which reconstructed a chemical attack in Syria. The Bureau's satellite imagery allowed the Times reporters to enhance their storytelling and lend credibility to their reports. In the realm of current events, information is traditionally released by the media, governments or organizations directly involved in the event. The Maxar News Bureau serves as an auxiliary source, providing supporting evidence or context to unfolding situations.

In this SSPI-WISE Presents podcast, guest host Divya-Kala Bhavani, General Manager for PR, Communications & Marketing at Dhruva Space and co-chair of the SSPI-WISE Elevating Women Working Group interviews Pramoda Hegde, former Mission Director of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). They discuss Pramoda's journey from a small coastal village in India to Mission Director at the ISRO and how she continues in retirement to tour different villages across India to speak with young engineering hopefuls about the space industry. A note for non-Indian listeners of this podcast: the convention "Pramoda Ma'am" is an expression of respect for a female elder that is common in India. Divya-Kala Bhavani oversees the Public Relations, Communications & Marketing activities at Dhruva Space, a full-stack Space engineering company and the first private Space-Technology company in India. Divya-Kala has previously worked as a journalist and National Technology Features Editor at The Hindu, one of India's largest and oldest English daily newspapers. Divya-Kala holds a Master's degree in Media & Communications Governance from London School of Economics, and a Bachelor's (Hons) in Journalism from London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. Divya-Kala is an active member of HAPS Alliance and of Space and Satellite Professionals International and SSPI-WISE, where she is the Co-Chair of the Elevating Women Working Group. Dhruva Space has been recognized twice by the Government of India, having been awarded the National Startup Award for its efforts in Satellite and Space Technology, and having been awarded the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom Excellence Award 2022 for the company's work in the field of Satellite Communications. On 24 June 2022, Dhruva Space became one of the first private companies to receive authorization from IN-SPACe. The company has since completed three Space missions within 12 months; including the history-making Thybolt Mission, which saw the launch of India's first two private satellites, Thybolt-1 and Thybolt-2, authorized by IN-SPACe, to be successfully deployed into orbit. In January 2024, Dhruva Space also successfully validated its P-30 Nanosatellite platform, which kicks off the company's LEAP initiative of hosted payload solutions for the global market. Pramoda Hegde is a former Mission Director at the Indian Space Research Organisation. Her career at ISRO spanned 32 years, during which she played pivotal roles in some of India's historic Space missions. In 2011, Pramoda was designated as Mission Director for the GSAT-12 mission; this was the first time a woman was designated as Mission Director for a GEO Mission in ISRO's history; additionally, this was also the first time all three key positions of a mission were handled by women. Pramoda also took on the roles of Project Manager, Operations Director, and Deputy Project Director for many other Geostationary satellite missions: INSAT-4A and INSAT-4B, GSAT-9 GSAT-12, GSAT-18, and GSAT-31. After retiring from ISRO, Pramoda frequently delivers lectures at various research institutes across India, and is also known for her 'From Village to Space' storytelling sessions where she recounts her journey of growing up in Muroor, a small farming village in India, and eventually joining ISRO.

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we explore the exciting developments in space-based data analytics and the absolutely game-changing nature of this relatively new part of the industry. The fourth episode features a conversation with Mike Collett, Founder and Managing Partner of Promus Ventures and Joe Fargnoli, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of the New York Space Alliance and co-host of the monthly New York Space Business Roundtable alongside SSPI's Lou Zacharilla. Mike and Joe join Lou to talk about space-based data analytics and the role satellites play. Mike Collett is Founder and Managing Partner of Promus Ventures. Since its inception in 2012, Promus Ventures invests in DeepTech early-stage startups, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco and Luxembourg. Mike has been a venture capital investor for over 20 years. Mike has invested in over 100 startups, including Rocket Lab, AngelList, Whoop, Mapbox, ICEYE, Bellabeat, FLYR, Kensho, Swift Navigation, Spire Global and others. Prior to Promus Ventures, Mike was Founder and Managing Partner of Masters Capital Nanotechnology Fund, a venture capital firm. While working at Masters Capital, a hedge fund, Mike invested in software and hardware startups. Prior to venture capital, Mike was a Vice President in Merrill Lynch's Mergers & Acquisitions group. Mike holds a BA in Math and BA in English from Vanderbilt University. He also holds a MBA in Finance from Washington University in St. Louis. Mike and his wife Paige have four children and live in Chicago. Joe Fargnoli is one of the co-founders of the New York Space Alliance (NYSA), a Public Benefit Corporation focused on bringing the immense and diverse resources of New York City and State to the New Space Economy. NYSA offers programs in tactical entrepreneurship such as an accelerator, a bootcamp in conjunction with Founder's Institute and a Hacking for Space Program in development as well as an online Innovation Exchange community connecting the many different space impacting industries with the New Space Economy. He also serves as a Solutions Architect for Raytheon Intelligence & Space and SMA, Inc. and Managing Partner for both NYSA and Innovation Acceleration Capital in Rochester, New York. Together with SSPI, Joe co-founded the New York Space Business Roundtable, a monthly dialogue and real New York style conversation about the space & satellite industry and its many facets, including where the investments are going. January's edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable - 2024: What We Want! - is coming up later this week on Wednesday, January 17. You can learn more and register for the Roundtable on SSPI's website. His previous career background includes Northrop Grumman Electronic Sensors and Systems group working on both National Electro-Optical as well as SAR system and Kodak/ITT/Exelis/Harris with focus on National and Commercial systems.  He also served as a Technical Fellow within the NRO. Joe holds an MS in Optics from the University of Rochester, an MS in Telecommunications and Computers from the George Washington University a BS in Mathematics and MS degree in Electrical Engineering from The State University of New York.

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we explore the exciting developments in space-based data analytics and the absolutely game-changing nature of this relatively new part of the industry. The third episode features a conversation with Raimundo Rodulfo, Director of Innovation & Technology and Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Coral Gables in Florida. Raimundo joins SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to talk about how Coral Gables is using satellite technology to manage city services and provide better quality of life for its citizens - one of many reasons why Coral Gables was recognized in 2023 as a Top7 Intelligent Community of the world by the Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org). Raimundo Rodulfo started his career 30 years ago in the early 1990s as an electrical engineer in the telecommunications industry, developing urban networks and intelligent systems. He joined the City of Coral Gables in 2004 and currently serves as Director of Innovation & Technology and Chief Innovation Officer. He leads strategic planning, co-innovation, oversight and management of citywide IT operations, infrastructure and smart city initiatives. Under his leadership, the City has received numerous awards including IEEE Smart Cities Jury Award in 2022, first place in the Digital Cities 2018, first place in the U.S. Open Cities Index in 2019 and 2020, first place in the Government Experience award in 2023, Smart 50 Award in Urban Infrastructure in 2020 and 2023, Smart Cities Council Innovation Excellence Award in 2022, Smart21 and Top7 Intelligent Community in 2023, and being recognized as one of the 8 Smart Cities to Watch in 2020 by State Tech Magazine and as one of the Top 12 worldwide in the Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for government in 2021. Prior to joining the City, he spent ten years in the private sector working for various Fortune 500 companies such as Bellsouth, Siemens, and NCR in varying capacities. During this time, he also worked on engineering and technology projects for Motorola and Lucent Technologies in Chicago, and Agilent Technologies in Silicon Valley. He volunteers as Co-Chair of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Global Cities Team Challenge (GCTC) Superclusters, as a member of the World Business Angel Investment Forum (WBAF) Miami Board of Directors and the Cities Today Institute (CTI) Leadership Forum, and as an advisory member of international nonprofit professional committees, academic programs, and engineering standard development organizations. He has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and events, and has also authored multiple research papers, articles, technical book chapters and other publications in the areas of smart cities, engineering and technology. Rodulfo has received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career. Most recently, he was named City Executive of the Year in the 2022 LocalSmart Awards, received the Globant Digital Disruptor award and the CyberTrust Pioneer award in 2021, was named to State Tech Magazine's list of 30 State and Local Government IT Influencers Worth a Follow in 2020, was recognized as Sustainable Technology Innovator in 2023 and Smart Disruptor in 2020 by Smart Cities Americas, and received the Key to the City from the Mayor of Coral Gables.

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we explore the exciting developments in space-based data analytics and the absolutely game-changing nature of this relatively new part of the industry. The second episode features a conversation with Peter Broadhurst, Senior Vice President, Safety and Regulatory at Inmarsat. Peter joins SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to talk about how Inmarsat is making continuous investments in safety and enhancing life at sea while helping to build maritime communities and collect and process data to improve our knowledge of and relationship with Earth's oceans. Peter Broadhurst joined Inmarsat in 2014 as Vice President of Service Delivery for the Maritime business unit, where he was responsible for leading the development of products and services from conception and implementation, through to launch and life cycle management. Peter was instrumental in the launch of Inmarsat's high-speed broadband service Fleet Xpress launched in March 2016. With over 25 years of experience in the maritime industry, Peter began his career at sea as a Radio Officer, before running his own business and working for a maritime distributor. Peter then spent 15 years with Sea Tel Inc., / Cobham SATCOM as Vice President of Sales and Marketing where he was responsible for overseeing and managing global sales, support, marketing, training, and product management. Peter has a HND Electronics, Marine Radio General Certificate, Radar and Marine Navigation Aids accreditation from Wray Castle Merchant Navy School, and holds an Open University, BSc (Hons) First Class degree on Radio Frequency Systems. Peter is Acting President of Comite International Radio Maritime (CIRM), on the Board of the World Maritime University and an Ambassador for the Sailors' Society.

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, we explore the exciting developments in space-based data analytics and the absolutely game-changing nature of this relatively new part of the industry. The first episode features a conversation with Geoffrey Craig, Senior Product Strategist at Ursa Space Systems. Geoff joins SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to talk about how satellite imagery can be applied to Commodities. Geoffrey Craig is a Senior Product Strategist at Ursa Space where he focuses on developing remote sensing products for commodity markets. Prior to joining Ursa Space, Geoff spent eight years at S&P Global Platts covering oil futures, renewables & carbon markets. He was also a Cairo-based business journalist, during which time he traveled widely across the Middle East & North Africa. Geoff began his career as an International Trade Analyst at the US Department of Commerce. He holds a Master's degree from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor's degree from The George Washington University. Headquartered in Ithaca, New York, Ursa Space Systems is a satellite intelligence company providing on-demand analytic solutions. Through its radar satellite network and data fusion techniques, Ursa detects real-time changes in the phsyical world to understand trends and events at deeper levels than ever before.

In this Better Satellite World podcast, we hear a special live report from the World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23) in Dubai from Dr. Tony Azzarelli, President of SSPI's UK Chapter and CEO of Azzurra Telecom Ltd. We'll also get a sneak preview of what sorts of fun and excitement are in store at the upcoming Better Satellite World Awards Dinner in London this December! Dr. Tony Azzarelli is CEO of Azzurra Telecom Ltd., which he founded in August 2018 to provide expertise and consulting on Regulatory and Government Affairs for the telecom industry. He is also one of the founders of SSPI's UK Chapter and its new President. Tony is the Founder and Company Director of ACCESS.SPACE Alliance, an organization dedicated to the small satelite industry, and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET) and the Royal Society of Arts. Before founding Azzurra Telecom, he served in a variety of management roles at OneWeb, including VP of Market Access, VP of Global Spectrum Licensing and VP of Regulatory and Government Affairs. Tony previously served as Head of Space and Sciences Services Group for Ofcom, Deputy Director of International Market Access and Regulatory Affairs at Boeing and Director of Spectrum Affairs at ICO Global Communications. He began his career at the European Space Agency as a System Telecom Engineer and went on to become a Senior Engineer in Spectrum Management for INMARSAT. Tony holds a Doctorate in Electronic Engineering from Politecnico di Torino and an MBA from the Open University.

In the third episode of this Making Leaders podcast series, we hear from James Hinds, Chief Executive Officer at Airbus OneWeb Satellites. James joins SSPI's Robert Bell to discuss his career path and what experiences he brought from his engineering and management background to the new space sector. James Hinds is the CEO of Airbus OneWeb Satellites, a position he was appointed to in January 2021. He has over 35 years of leadership and engineering experience in the space and satellite industries. Prior to his previous role as COO of Airbus OneWeb Satellites at the end of 2019, he spent four years with Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France, where he was responsible for strategic planning of its Space Systems business. Before that, he worked with Airbus and Boeing (and predecessor companies) in satellite engineering, production and project management. Notable achievements include his responsibilities as Airbus program manager for the Hylas 1 satellite (a joint Airbus/India Space Research Organisation programme); director responsible for payload research and development at Airbus including digital processors, active antennas and amplifier development; and as the lead verification engineer of Boeing's 601HP satellite series.

On September 28 during the September open meeting, SSPI-WISE was pleased to offer a workshop on entrepreneurship. This podcast, the first of the SSPI-WISE Presents series, is based on that inspiring workshop. Everyone charts their own career path and for some that path is entrepreneurial. We have all heard about the challenges and successes of “running your own business,” but this podcast offers you a first-hand look through the experiences of a panel of women entrepreneurs. You'll hear answers to your questions on key issues including: Why start your own business How to establish Goals, Mission, and Value Proposition Developing Finance and other Resources In this podcast, you'll hear from: Mary Frost, CEO, Power to Change US Susan Irwin, President, Irwin Communications Andy Steinem, CEO, Dahl-Morrow International Dasha Tyshlek, CEO, StratCraft

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk “the road less travelled,” the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call “The Truth.” This series features people you may have heard about but may not have yet had a chance to actually hear speak. In the fifth episode of The Road Less Travelled, Lou speaks with Brad Bode, CIO, CTO & Founder of ATLAS Space Operations. They discuss Ground Segment as a Service, ATLAS' promising approach to satellite operations that offers a range of benefits to satellite operators and how ATLAS' work has them ranked in the top 30 among Fortune's most innovative companies. Brad Bode brings over 20 years of software development experience in the aerospace industry to the ATLAS team. He has designed, developed, tested and deployed satellite command and control, mission planning and data management applications throughout his career. Now, Brad, as the architect and visionary behind Freedom GSaaS (Freedom Ground Segment as a Service), is responsible for hundreds of thousands of satellite passes and terabytes of data collected. He holds an MS in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University.

GEO satellite has been with us since the dawn of the satellite age, and it's easy for us to take it for granted. GEO 2.0 makes its contribution to the Eternal Orbit campaign by inviting today's experts in geosynchronous orbit to discuss the future of this grandfather of satellite orbits. What's new, what's sexy and what is tried and true? Let's find out together in GEO 2.0. Mark Twain once famously quipped, "Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." Well, Pam Sullivan isn't so sure about that! In the third episode of GEO 2.0, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Pam Sullivan, Director of the Office of Geostationary Earth Orbit Observations at NOAA's Satellite and Information Service. In this role, she oversees the development, acquisition, integration, installation, and acceptance of major system elements (spacecraft, instruments, launch services and ground systems) for the GOES-R Series satellites and NOAA's next-generation geostationary satellites, Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO). Pam Sullivan joined NOAA in May 2018. Previously, she managed the GOES-R Series Flight project for NASA, directing the development of the spacecraft, Instruments, and launch services for the four satellites in the GOES-R series. Sullivan has broad space flight development experience that includes serving as the Deputy Project Manager for the Joint Polar Satellite System Project, Program Manager for the National Polar Operational Environmental Satellite System Visible/Infrared Imager/Sounder System, and Manager of the James Webb Space Telescope Integrated Science Instrument Module, the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera, and GOES-IM Imager and Sounder instruments. GOES satellites are designated with a letter prior to launch. Once a GOES satellite has successfully reached geostationary orbit, it is renamed with a number. GOES-U, the final satellite in the series, is scheduled to launch in 2024. Prior to starting her NASA career, Sullivan served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, training as a space shuttle flight controller and supporting military space experiments using the shuttle. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

GEO satellite has been with us since the dawn of the satellite age, and it's easy for us to take it for granted. GEO 2.0 makes its contribution to the Eternal Orbit campaign by inviting today's experts in geosynchronous orbit to discuss the future of this grandfather of satellite orbits. What's new, what's sexy and what is tried and true? Let's find out together in GEO 2.0. In the second episode, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla talks with Dr. Channasandra “Ravi” Ravishankar and Bhanu Durvasula from Hughes about how integrated constellation solutions, including GEO, are meeting the demands of the day and will meet challenges of the future. You'll also hear more about where satellites in geosynchronous orbit are expanding the capabilities of their nearer Earth cousins. Dr. Channasandra “Ravi” Ravishankar is Senior Vice President of Engineering at Hughes and leads end-to-end system design activities of GSO and NGSO satellite systems. He led the development of GMR-1 Mobile Satellite System air interfaces that adapts terrestrial 3GPP specifications over satellite – these air interfaces have been standardized in ETSI and ITU. He has contributed to 3GPP 5G NTN specifications in the area of mobility management. He was a keynote speaker at the International Communication Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC) in 2022. He has served as Editor of IEEE Transactions on Communications journal and Guest Editor of IEEE Networks Magazine on “Integration of Satellite and 5G Networks.” He received his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, USA. Prior to joining Hughes, he was with Comsat Laboratories, Clarksburg, Maryland, USA. Bhanu Durvasula, Vice President of the International Division at Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), leads the company's international product and operations team, responsible for product line management of satellite broadband systems. In his 30+ years at Hughes, Mr. Durvasula has held a variety of leadership roles in engineering and product development for solutions including, among others: cellular backhaul over satellite, Mobile Satellite Systems (MSS) ground networks; and point-tomultipoint wireless products for terrestrial cell backhaul and last mile access. Most recently, Mr. Durvasula's efforts have been focused on satellite network technology for community Wi-Fi hotspot and cellular backhaul solutions in support of the company's efforts to bring connectivity to unserved and underserved areas of the world. He holds several patents, both issued and pending. Mr. Durvasula earned a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Consumers, businesses, governments and communities around the world benefit from the connected experiences enabled by Hughes technologies and services.

GEO satellite has been with us since the dawn of the satellite age, and it's easy for us to take it for granted. GEO 2.0 makes its contribution to the Eternal Orbit campaign by inviting today's experts in geosynchronous orbit to discuss the future of this grandfather of satellite orbits. What's new, what's sexy and what is tried and true? Let's find out together in GEO 2.0. In the first episode of GEO 2.0, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Mike Antonovich, CEO Commercial for U.S. Electrodynamics, Inc. Mike gives us a look at what may be in store for GEO's future in the satellite industry from the perspective of an industry veteran. Mike Antonovich is a globally recognized leader in the managed transmission service industry with over 30 years experience delivering high quality solutions and services to the world's leading media, enterprise and government clients. He currently serves as CEO Commercial for U.S. Electrodynamics, Inc. (USEI), a position he took on recently. Mike joined USEI after working as Senior Satellite Services Sales Specialist for Telstra, where he was responsible for growing Telstra's presence in the satellite communications marketplace. Before Telstra, he was VP of International Sales & Business Development at DataPath, where he worked in systems design and integration, global field services, and transportable Earth stations, among other areas. Mike served for 4 years as CEO of Eutelsat Americas, a position in which he was responsible for all activities for Eutelsat in the Americas and for supporting Americas-based clients on Eutelsat's global capacity. He has served in a variety of other leadership roles throughout his career in the industry, including SVP of Global Sales at Media Global Links, SVP and GM for the Americas at ATEME, President & CEO of The SPACECONNECTION and EVP of Global Sales and Marketing at PanAmSat.

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk “the road less travelled,” the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call “The Truth.” This series features people you may have heard about but may not have yet had a chance to actually hear speak. In the fourth episode of The Road Less Travelled, Lou speaks with Dr. Kimberly Arcand. Dr. Arcand is the Visualization Scientist & Emerging Tech Lead for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has its headquarters at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Arcand is an award-winning producer and director. She is a leading expert in studying the perception and comprehension of high-energy data visualization across the novice-expert spectrum. As a science data storyteller, she combines her background in molecular biology and computer science with her current work in the fields of astronomy and physics. Dr. Arcand has been a pioneer in astronomy data visualization, 3D printing and virtual reality. She presented her TEDx talk entitled “How to Hold a Dead Star in Your Hands” in 2016 on 3D printing, the same year she was selected as a “Changemaker” for the White House State of the Women Summit. In 2019, she was featured in the Smithsonian's “How to be a Scientist” video series both for her work in 3D visualizations of astronomical objects and her work with under-represented groups in STEM. She led a team of researchers to launch the first-ever data-driven virtual reality application of a supernova remnant using NASA observational data.  She was selected as a speaker for the U.S. Department of State Speaker Program in 2019, and has appeared on TV shows such as episodes of BBC's “Universe” on BBC & PBS in 2021,  “A World Without NASA” on the Curiosity channel in 2020, and Roadtrip Nation on PBS in 2020.  Her recent work with SYSTEM Sounds on data sonifications for multiwavelength data and featured on NASA's SoundCloud, went viral, and has been covered in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, BBC, CNBC, NPR, and the Today Show among others. She is currently working on holograms and applications incorporating haptic technology for astrophysics.

In the second episode of this Making Leaders podcast series, we hear from Ronald van der Breggen, Chief Commercial Officer at Rivada Space Networks. Ronald joins SSPI's Robert Bell to discuss his career path and what experiences he brought from his advisory and entrepreneurial background to the new space sector. Ronald van der Breggen is Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Rivada Space Networks, a position he has held for just over 1 year. As CCO at Rivada, he is responsible for setting and executing the commercial strategy for the company. In addition to serving at Rivada, Ronald is the CEO and owner of Route206 b.v., a consultancy business he founded nearly 10 years ago to help turn tech companies into business successes. He puts his consulting skills to use on multiple boards, serving as Advisory Board Member for both Via Satellite Magazine and Xenesis and also briefly served as the Advisor to the CEO of KebNi. Ronald's other past postions include Chief Commercial Officer at LeoSat Interprises, Inc., Vice President of Customer Account Managment for SES Satellites, Vice President of Business Development at KPNQwest and Senior Director of IP Network Development at KPN.

In this Better Satellite World podcast series, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk “the road less travelled,” the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call “The Truth.” This series will feature people you may have heard about but may not have yet had a chance to actually hear speak. In the second episode of The Road Less Travelled, Lou speaks with Colby Youngblood, President of Celestis, Inc. Celestis Memorial Spaceflights make the dream of spaceflight a reality by launching a symbolic portion of cremated remains into near-space, Earth orbit, to the lunar surface or even beyond. Colby is responsible for all Celestis operations with particular focus on staff management and fulfilling all significant financial goals of the company. Colby joined the United States Air Force at the age of 17 and served 20 years before he retired from active military service. He earned his bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and held leadership roles in aircraft maintenance operations, airfield operations, professional development, human resources, and strategic planning during his military career. After retiring from the Air Force, Colby earned his M.B.A. with a specialization in Executive Leadership from the University of Houston. Before joining Celestis, he was a successful business management consultant, acting as a Co-CEO to help small businesses become more efficient and profitable. Colby has a passion for leading teams and developing relationships. His expertise spans from professional development and leadership training to cross-functional team leadership and culture development. Colby enjoys negotiating as a hobby and was excited to attend Harvard University's flagship negotiation course: Negotiation and Leadership at Harvard Law's Program On Negotiation. Colby married his best friend, Myrna, in 2000, and they have two boys, Colby Jr. and Conner.

This summer, SSPI brings you a series of guest interviewers who will interview our latest space & satellite industry guests. For the second episode, we hear from Sharon Parker-Lines, Deputy Managing Directory and Operations Director at Astroscale Ltd. Sharon is interviewed by Jessica Ratty, Founder of HALO Marketing PR & Communications. Jessica Ratty is the Founder and leader of Halo PR and Comms; a communications agency that works with leaders in technology, deep tech, AI, Low Earth Orbit, deep space, fashion tech, out-of-home, fin tech, entertainment and social transformation industries globally and for the betterment of societies across the world. She founded HALO while working as a BBC Expert Woman contributor for the past 6.5 years. Before founding HALO, Jessica served as Managing Directory of the Cornwall Camper Company, Head of Public Relations at Crowdfunder and Communications Manager for Seachange, among other positions. Sharon Parker-Lines is Deputy Managing Director and Operations Director for Astroscale Ltd. (Astroscale UK), the UK subsidiary of Astroscale, a position she has held for nearly 3 years. She joined Astroscale with more than 20 years of experience in operations, specializing in human resources, finance, production, commercial and strategic planning. As Operations Director, she manages and oversees the support functions of the Astroscale UK business, including finance, human resources, IT, administration and procurement, as well as managing the resource resquirements of the wider engineering team. Before joining Astroscale, Sharon served as Centre Director for the Oxford Centre for Innovation and for nine years as Chief Operating Officer of Bonnier Books UK, a global publishing company.

This summer, SSPI brings you a series of special guest interviewers who will interview our latest space & satellite industry guests. For the first episode, we hear from Lee Chew Tan, President Commercial for ST Engineering iDirect. Lee Chew is interviewed by Jennifer Hoil, Director of Product Marketing at ST Engineering iDirect and an active member of SSPI-WISE (SSPI Women in Space Engagement). Jennifer Hoil is Director of Product Marketing at ST Engineering iDirect, a position she has held for nearly 1.5 years. Jennifer previously served as Senior Manager of Product Marketing at the company. Before joining ST Engineering iDirect, she worked as Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Isotropic Systems and Director of the Satellite Group at Sage Communications. Jennifer also served for 7 years as Account Executive for Longbottom Communications, a boutique communications firm specialized in space & satellite clients. She is an active member of SSPI-WISE and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Sustainment & Infrastructure Working Group. Lee Chew Tan is President Commercial for ST Engineering iDirect, a position she has held for nearly 2 years. She also currently serves as President for the Women in Tech Chapter of the Singapore Computer Society. Before joining ST Engineering iDirect, Lee Chew served as Managing Director for the Worldwide Public Sector, ASEAN at Amazon Web Services (AWS). She began her career at Hewlett Packard Asia Pacific, where she worked as Vice President of Sales, Asia Pacific for 2.5 years before moving on to become Vice President and General Manager, Servers Asia Pacific and finally Senior Vice President, Business Group, Global Sales for Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Lee Chew dedicates her time to the industry outside of working hours as well, having served as a mentor for the German Accelerator Southeast Asia from May 2019 to February 2021.

Talent attraction is a many-faceted challenge that is top of mind for our rapidly expanding industry. We have to fill the talent pipeline, from grade school through to institutions of higher learning. And we need to attract talented individuals already in the workforce to meet immediate talent needs. Outside In explores all the ways people are outside, and how to invite them in, inclusive of gender, ethnicity or “race,” nationality, other industries, other disciplines. How do we invite people in? How do we make our industry the most attractive and the most inviting? In this podcast, members of the 2022 “20 Under 35” cohort join SSPI's Tamara Bond-Williams to explore this concept of “Outside In.”

In this new Better Satellite World podcast series, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with people whose lives and work inspire us because they walk "the road less travelled," the one leading us to a wider view of space, satellites and our quest for the dwelling of light we call "The Truth." This series will feature people you may have heard about but may not have yet had a chance to actually hear speak. In the first episode of The Road Less Travelled, Lou speaks with Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, Director of the Vatican Observatory and co-author of multiple books, including Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? and Turn Left at Orion. Brother Guy holds degrees from MIT, Harvard University and the University of Arizona and has been a member of the Catholic Church's Jesuit Order since 1989. He has authored hundreds of scientific publications in addition to his books. Brother Guy even has his own asteroid - 4597 Consolmagno - and is a recipient of the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society.

In this Better Satellite World podcast, originally aired as part of the Making Space for New Space series, we hear from Alex Fielding, co-founder and CEO of Privateer. Alex joins SSPI's Lou Zacharilla to talk about Privateer's goals and strategies, particularly concerning the enormous and vital task of removing already existing space debris and preventing more. Space debris will be a major topic in the coming weeks as well, as we begin the Reducing the Risks of Space Campaign, so stay tuned!   Alex Fielding is the co-founder and CEO of Privateer. Privateer is a data and intelligence platform empowering the future of space sustainability. As CEO and chairman of Privateer, Alex is responsible for supporting the leadership, vision and execution of Privateer. With decades of experience in innovation and growth in the tech sector, he is poised to lead the team in its launch of the first highly accurate space traffic map that aggregates multi-source data on Earth orbiting space objects, as a means to power the new space economy and make space exploration safe and sustainable.   Alex started his career as an engineer at Cisco Systems and Apple, where he worked on multiple generations of MacOS, PowerBook, and network servers and was part of the first iMac team. After departing Apple, he joined Exodus Communications under the leadership of Ellen Hancock, a former Apple CTO who served as Exodus' CEO. Alex went on to co-found GPS company Wheels of Zeus with Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak in 2001 (sold in 2006), marking the beginning of a fruitful friendship and partnership that brings us Privateer today.   Alex has also worked as CTO at Power Assure and then Vice President at Vigilent before starting Ripcord while a contractor at NASA. Alex served as CEO at Ripcord from 2014-21 and remains on the Board of Directors. Alex is also on the Board of Directors of The Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME). He is on the mentor board of Orange Fab and is an adviser to Astra Space. He is an active contributor to the IETF. He is a founding member of Singularity University at NASA Ames Research Center and co-author on several patent applications.

In this Better Satellite World podcast, SSPI's Lou Zacharilla speaks with Marc Serres, CEO of the Luxembourg Space Agency. Mr. Serres joins Lou to speak about Luxembourg's remarkable space innovation and investment ecosystem, from how it came to be to where the nation sees its programs headed next. Part of this interview was originally aired during the March 2023 edition of the New York Space Business Roundtable. Marc Serres became a director on June 13, 2019. He is currently the CEO of the Luxembourg Space Agency. Previously, he served as Director of Space Affairs at the Ministry of the Economy and as coordinator of the relations with the European Space Agency at the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Prior to working for the Luxembourg Government, Mr. Serres held several engineering positions at Hitec SA. He is an electrical engineer and holds a PhD in optoelectronics from the Université Catholique de Louvain. Mr. Serres is also Vice-Chairman of the Council of the European Space Agency and a Member of the International Academy of Astronautics. Mr. Serres is a Luxembourg national. He is not an independent director because he represents an important shareholder.

On this episode of INCOGNITO the podcast, Michael interviews Jamie Price, the Executive Director of the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute (SSPI) and author of the new book, Spiritualizing Politics without Politicizing Religion: The Example of Sargent Shriver. In addition to his work with SSPI, Jamie holds several academic posts, including research professor and Founding Director of the Insight Conflict Resolution program in the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, and affiliate professor in the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies at the University of Malta. In this interview, Michael and Jamie discuss the deep place from which one must approach public service, the importance of seeking to understand how someone is using their mind as opposed to trying to change it, and the simple truth that we all as people have much more in common than not. Jamie shares what his study of and work with Sargent Shriver and the SSPI have taught him not only about conflict resolution and leadership, but also the need for spiritual realism and self-transcendence in today's divisive political climate. Key Takeaways: We are here because we are connected Nurture spontaneous interest in being compassionate and serving one another Encounter people on their own terms Ask: What do you need? How can I help? Spirit pulls us toward what is good and true How do you pay attention to that deep place? Reject the notion that we have to be polarized Jeff's Media Recommendations: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Audiobook) Rectify (TV Series) __ Find Jamie's work Jamie's Book: Spiritualizing Politics without Politicizing Religion: The Example of Sargent Shriver Sargent Shriver Peace Institute __ For more of Michael's work, visit our website www.incognitotheplay.com or follow us on Instagram @incognitotheplay __ Thanks to Ned Doheny for providing our podcast music! You can find him and his music on Spotify. Editing and co-production of this podcast by Nina Kissinger. Email info@incognitotheplay.com with questions or comments about the show!