Speakers

Mr. Abutaleb is a seasoned executive who has been involved in various segments of the telecommunications and aerospace industries since the late ’70s. During these years, he has participated in the definition, development, and implementation of a multitude of satellite and wireless communications technologies, products, and services. In addition, he has held senior management positions with leaders in the satellite communications and aerospace industries. Mr. Abutaleb is currently CEO of Speedcast Government (formerly UltiSat), where he was co-founder and managed the progressive growth of this self-financed start-up business in 2003 through its current position as a recognized leader in the USG and G2 markets and through its sale in late 2017 to Speedcast International, an ASX listed company. He also co-founded Innovative Communications Technologies, Inc. (ICTI) in 1989 through the sale of that business to a publicly-traded company in 1999. Mr. Abutaleb holds an MSEE degree with an emphasis in telecommunications and microelectronics.

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

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

Mike Antonovich joined Eutelsat Americas as CEO in April 2017. He has over 30 years of experience in the satellite and telecommunications industry executive. He began his career at ESPN as a broadcast engineer and held a number of sales and marketing functions during a lengthy career at PanAmSat, including leading PanAmSat’s global sales team. He has more recently been CEO of Genesis Networks, Senior Vice President for the Americas for ATEME and Senior Vice President Global Sales for Global Media Links in Japan.

Mr. Baugh serves as the President and Founder of Northern Sky Research (NSR), which he created in 2000 to provide independent, actionable market research and consulting services to the satellite industry. Mr. Baugh directs all NSR multi-client research reports and single-client consulting projects and manages a global team of analysts that stand at the forefront of satellite industry expertise.

Before forming NSR, Mr. Baugh served as Senior Analyst for Pioneer Consulting where he covered all aspects of the satellite market. Prior to Pioneer, Mr. Baugh was an International Trade Specialist and Economist for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC. While at the Department of Commerce, Mr. Baugh was a recipient of the Charles F. Meissner Memorial Award for his work on trade negotiations in the International Trade Administration.

Mr. Baugh also has extensive legislative and analytical experience from his work for the Committee on International Relations and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, both in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Baugh holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Westminster College and a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University.

Dr. Bryan Benedict serves as Senior Director of Innovation & Spacecraft Programs at SES Government Solutions. During his career he has worked extensively within both the DoD and US Civil Agencies to socialize the advantages of hosting imaging payloads on commercial spacecraft.  Additionally, Dr. Benedict has been a key advocate in the commercial industry for the use of space robotics for both recovery and life extension of geosynchronous satellites.

Prior to his current position Dr. Benedict served as the Product Line Manager for Commercial and Civil Hosted Payloads at Intelsat General Corporation, Director of Hosted Payloads at Intelsat, Director of Engineering for Satellite Bus & Launch Service Acquisitions at PanAmSat and was a System Engineering Manager at Hughes for the BSS601HP product line.

Dr. Benedict started his career as a chemical engineer in the petroleum industry – inventing and patenting several catalysts still used for stabilization of jet fuels.  Dr. Benedict earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1986, where he conducted research on the stabilization of high energy materials within crystalline lattices.

Dr. Benedict has been awarded a number of patents throughout his career – the latest for delivery of microsatellites to orbit piggybacking on the nadir deck of geosynchronous communication satellites.

William Jefferson Black is the publisher of SatelliteFinance, which provides extensive global coverage of complex transactions in the private and public equity and debt capital markets, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate strategy considerations.  He also serves as the publisher of TelecomFinance and the M&A journal, Transaction Advisors.  These unique financial publications are provided by Finance Information Group, which provides valuation databases, books on corporate development, industry research, and M&A conferences.

Phil Bracken is the director of engineering at Spaceflight Inc. where he oversees a diverse team of engineers and technicians who support all of Spaceflight’s rideshare and dedicated rideshare missions.

Before joining Spaceflight, Philip was a principal manager and liquid propulsion engineer at Blue Origin, responsible for liquid engine and upper stage design and development activities. Prior to that, he worked at Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovative Solutions) supporting multiple launch vehicle and satellite development programs.

Philip received his Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is currently pursuing advanced studies with Purdue University.

Josh leads Relativity Space’s Business Development and Government Affairs teams.  Prior to joining Relativity, Josh spent 9 years at SpaceX where he was the Senior Director of Government Business development in charge of all new US Government Business.  Earlier is his career Josh also worked as a Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and as an Aerospace Engineer at Boeing.  Josh earned a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Arizona State University and The University of Washington respectively and a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School

Justin Cadman is a partner with Quilty Analytics, an integrated strategic and financial services boutique focused on companies in the Satellite & Space ecosystem. He has more than 18 years of investment banking and capital markets experience, having successfully completed nearly 100 capital raising and advisory transactions for both private and public company clients. He has strong domain expertise in technology and communications, with a dedicated focus on clients in the satellite & space and the related geospatial and IoT/M2M sectors.

Previously, Mr. Cadman was a Senior Vice President with Raymond James, a large multinational financial services firm, where he co-led the formation of its Satellite practice and completed numerous M&A and capital raising transactions across the industry.  Mr. Cadman began his career in software equity research, covering companies in the enterprise applications and infrastructure software segments, and also held positions in financial planning & analysis.

Rob is Director Business Development in the Satellite Management Services division of SSC Space US, Inc. Prior to joining SSC, Rob was one of the earliest employees at Pumpkin (2008), where he evangelized the elevation of CubeSats from kits to turnkey spacecraft for sophisticated government customers.

He is versed in spacecraft design, manufacture, launch and operations, as well as ground station services. Rob managed Pumpkin’s programs for the government, as well as Pumpkin’s 6U SUPERNOVA-Beta mission, which was launched in 2015.

Rob began his career at Bain & Company in Palo Alto, Boston and Moscow offices. While in the former Soviet Union, Rob developed large, highly profitable consumer products businesses.

He brought his pioneering energy to space, challenging convention and business models. His interest in space, his interest in Russia, and in international cooperation all stem from one event: Apollo-Soyuz.

A graduate of Stanford University, he completed dual majors in Economics and Russian Literature. He later earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Rob is driven by units which are measured in dollars rather than in milliamps or micro-radians and believes that human capital, not technology, is what makes the world better.

He holds a current amateur radio license and SCUBA certificates as well as expired sky-diving credentials. He speaks fluent Russian and is a fan of Mariinskiy ballet. Rob and his wife lives in the Bay Area and enjoy frequent travel to friends around the world.

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

Kratos Technology and Training provides products for satellite signal processing, testing, communications, cybersecurity, in addition to training and simulation products and services. Phil led the acquisitions of DEI (2010), Integral Systems (2011), SecureInfo (2011), BSC (2014) and the integration that followed which transformed the group to be a major provider of specialized products and related services to global commercial and government customers. Previously, he was the CEO of Ai Metrix, a telecommunications software company focused in the defense and commercial markets, which was sold to Kratos Defense in 2006.

He is a former Managing Director for the Morino Group and Special Advisor to General Atlantic, Inc. During that period, he served as the Executive Chairman for US mobile media leader Ztango until its sale to Widerthan.com (now part of Real Networks), and an active board member for Internosis, a commercial and federal services provider, until its sale to EMC.

Phil also was the CEO of McCabe and Associates, a testing and analysis software company, growing revenues during his tenure, and remained with the company as Chairman until its sale to a private equity firm. Between 1989 and 1996, Phil held a number of executive positions at Legent, including Vice President and General Manager of its $200 million Resource Management business unit, where he managed or was directly involved in numerous product launches, channel and international expansions, new product development, and mergers and acquisitions, including the merger with Computer Associates. Phil began his career as a systems analyst/programmer for Alcoa.

Phil currently serves as a board member for Network Alliance and is the President of the Alumni Board for Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

He graduated from IUP in 1983 majoring in Information Science and Accounting, where he is a University Distinguished Alumni and a member of the Eberly Business Hall of Distinction, and received his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University in 1989.

Dan cofounded LeoLabs to accelerate the new commercial economy in LEO, protect satellite assets, and preserve the space environment. LeoLabs is the first commercial data source for tracking satellites and mapping LEO. Prior to co-founding LeoLabs Dan was a Program Director at SRI International where he supervised the Allen Telescope Array and developed advanced radar imaging technologies. Dan holds a Ph. D. from U. C. Berkeley in electrical engineering.

Space Talos is developing a practical active shielding device that protects satellite electronics from space radiation. This technology can reduce total ionisation dosage and allow more applications to use commercial off the shelf electronics and sensors in radiation-heavy environments; a current limitation of the industry.

Marshall is a software engineer and technology entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience ranging from web to bare metal. His career has focused on commercializing open source software in industries as diverse as enterprise web, mobile, and NewSpace. Marshall’s software can be found everywhere from cloud data centers, mobile devices, to most recently, small satellites in low earth orbit.

Mark Dankberg co-founded ViaSat Inc. in 1986, and has held the position of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since inception. Under his leadership, ViaSat has consistently been recognized as one of America’s fastest growing technology companies.

Mark is an acknowledged industry expert in communications technology, satellite, aerospace and defense, and is the leading visionary for a new generation of high-capacity satellite systems that are poised to deliver worldwide broadband coverage by 2021. He has co-authored several military standards on satellite networking, and holds a number of patents in communications and satellite networking technologies. He has participated on Department of Defense advisory panels and has testified before a Congressional committee on high technology growth companies and IPOs as well as before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications regarding communications technologies for rural broadband

Mr. Daughtridge has been with Kratos-Integral Systems since 1999, and in the satellite and aerospace industry since 1986. Prior to his current role, he held several senior management positions, including SVP & GM of the Integral Systems Products Group, SVP & GM of the Integral Systems Commercial Group, as well as Program Manager of several major commercial programs. Before joining the Company, Mr. Daughtridge held various management and engineering positions with Orion Satellite Corporation, Intelsat, and Spacecom. Mr. Daughtridge holds a Bachelor of Science from Lafayette College.

Nathan de Ruiter is the Managing Director at Euroconsult Canada. Since joining Euroconsult in 2011, he has advised a wide range of international clients including satellite operators, manufacturers, equipment providers and financial institutions. Nathan’s key interests revolve around high throughput satellites, NGSO constellations and satellite broadband services. In his position as Managing Director, Nathan plays an integral role in contributing to the successful execution of client engagements through the development of project management, quality assurance and professional consulting and research methodologies.

Over the last eight years, Nathan has managed and contributed to more than 50 consulting missions for satellite operators, ground network providers, satellite manufacturers and financial institutions. His specialty lies in commercial due diligence, market analysis, financial forecasting and strategic planning.

Missions under his leadership include:

• Project manager and lead consultant in support of financial transactions (debt or equity) for financial institutions (Private equity, ECAs, banks)
• Project manager and lead advisor of strategic planning studies for established and emerging satellite operators
• Lead consultant on satellite communications market studies in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia

Nathan is also the Editor of Euroconsult’s research reports on satellite communications such as Satellite Communications & Broadcasting Markets Survey, FSS Operators Profiles and High Throughput Satellites report. In addition, he leads executive workshops in the satellite communication domain.

Prior to Euroconsult, Nathan was Senior Manager at S.M. International Financial Advisory, a boutique advisory firm dedicated to the infrastructure sector. Nathan also worked at seed capital firm Neotech Capital, which invests in new media and telecom start-ups. In this management role, Nathan assessed business plans and developed commercialization strategies for multiple technology start-ups. Nathan holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, The Netherlands with a dual major in Strategic Management and Innovation Management.

Chris, HawkEye 360’s co-founder and CTO, came up with the idea for HawkEye while serving within the United States government, where he was responsible for space-based intelligence technology development projects and programs. He spent fourteen years in various leadership positions with the U.S. Federal Government, and was the proud recipient of the NRO Gold Medal of Distinguished Performance and the Frank Beamer Award for Exceptional Service. Chris holds an MS in Systems Engineering and a BS in Business Information Technology, both from Virginia Tech. He is a fan of third-wave coffee, traveling, and graphic design, and fondly remembers his stint as lead singer of his college rock band. Chris lives in Chantilly with his wife and two children.

Derek Edinger is Chief Strategy Officer and Co-founder of Ursa.  In this role, he focuses on product strategy, business development, strategic partnerships, and satellite data procurement. Derek has 20+ years of experience in the satellite and remote sensing industry.  Prior to co-founding Ursa, Derek held senior management and engineering positions at SSL, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon.

Ursa was founded in 2014 to connect people to information-rich data derived from satellite-based synthetic aperture radar.  Ursa’s vision is to create a living mosaic of the earth, providing truth to businesses, industries, and individuals about what is really happening worldwide through satellite data analytics.

Matti is a passionate business and sales developer with previous experience in high tech medical solutions such as patient-specific 3D-printable medical implants and algorithmic analysis of osteoarthritis. For ICEYE, Matti has worked in total for nearly 3 years focusing on running information services product development and sales. ICEYE aims to launch and operate a constellation of micro-SAR satellites providing access to timely and reliable Earth observation data. ICEYE is the first company that has successfully miniaturized a SAR satellite, creating a unit that is 100x more cost-effective than traditional counterparts.

Matti’s educational background is in medical physics and he also has an airline transport pilot’s license. Matti has had a lifelong interest in space, which got him a NASA diploma already by the age of 17.

Negar Feher is the VP of Product and Business Development at Momentus — a pioneering newspace company providing shuttle service for small satellites. Feher holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Stanford University and has over a decade of experience in the space industry, having been instrumental in establishing services that support both newspace startups and legacy players. Momentus has recently announced supporting services for NanoRacks as well as orbital repositioning aboard the first SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare.

A satellite and telecoms industry veteran with over $2 billion in new revenue creation directly attributed to his leadership, John Finney pioneered significant success for start-ups Huawei (founded Huawei in Europe) and O3b (founding employee and Chief Commercial Officer) along with other major leadership roles such as global business unit leader for Alcatel-Lucent. John has been identified as a Top 40 Executive by Global Telecoms Business three years in succession.

Yoel Gat is a well-known satellite communications expert, a visionary entrepreneur making an impact on multiple industries. Yoel Gat is a well-known satellite communications expert, a visionary entrepreneur making an impact on multiple industries. Yoel has 35 years of experience in the satellite industry.

Main Achievements

1. Founder of Gilat Satellite Networks and taking it public on NASDAQ in 1993

2. Leading Gilat to over $500M in sales with over 2,500 employees and market cap of $4.5B.

3. Created StarBand – first Consumer Satellite Broadband service launched in 2000.

4. Leading the Low-Profile satellite steering antennas making RaySat a prominent name.

5. Published 3 books about the companies he built.

Mr. Gelerman is a visionary engineer, innovator and businessman with over 40 years of experience.  In 1988, Mr. Gelerman founded Advantech Wireless Inc., serving as President and CEO for the last 30 years.  Steering the company from start-up to becoming a dominant global player in the satellite ground communication business, both in radio frequency and networking.  Through organic growth and acquisition, the company became one of the largest exporters in Quebec.

In 2018, after the acquisition of the radio frequency business by Baylin, Mr. Gelerman carries on forward with the Satellite Networking business, keeping in tradition and with continued strengths as a best-in-class industry leader, leading the pace of innovation with one of the most advanced VSAT satellite network platforms.

Prior to founding the company, Mr. Gelerman held various management and design engineering positions at Nortel Networks, in the Transmission Networks Division, where he led teams that developed several multibillion dollar microwave terrestrial radio systems.

Mr. Gelerman holds a Master’s of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE), specializing in Wireless Communications and Broadcasting.

Tony Gingiss is an Executive, Program Manager and Systems Engineer with over 25 years of experience in the satellite and telecom industries. Tony is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OneWeb Satellites, appointed in Sept 2017. OneWeb Satellites is a joint venture (JV) between Airbus and OneWeb created to design the satellites for OneWeb’s low earth orbit constellation and manufacture over 900 of them at a production rate of 10+ satellites per week. In addition to enabling OneWeb, the JV’s mission is to provide low cost and high-quality satellites to the market to revolutionize the economics of space. Prior to leading the JV, Tony served as OneWeb’s Vice President, Space Segment, responsible for satellite and launch vehicle procurement.

Prior to joining OneWeb, Tony was the Director of Strategic Integration for Boeing’s Satellite Systems in El Segundo, CA. He was responsible for overall innovation and integrating business strategy, across Government and Commercial markets and all organization functions. Prior to this, he was the Program Director of National Space Communications Programs (NSCP) and Advanced Systems Programs (ASP), portfolios of classified communications related programs with a combined scope of over $2B. During his 2011-2016 tenure in NSCP/ASP, Tony served as the Deputy Director and in program management roles for evolution studies, new business activities & campaigns, and a major development program.

From 2007-2011, Tony led the Systems Engineering organization for Boeing’s GPS (Global Positioning System) IIF. GPS IIF is the current generation GPS satellite system for the U.S. Air Force and included 12 new satellites and an updated ground segment, now fully deployed and operational. His organization included Space Vehicle System & Subsystems Engineering, Space and Ground Segment Integration, Flight Products, and Mission Operations Support. He led this organization through the first two launches in May 2010 and July 2011.

Tony started at Hughes Space and Communications (now Boeing Network & Space Systems) in 1992 as a Mission Analyst. He was the lead mission analyst for the first three DirecTV satellites and served in analysis and operations roles for more than 15 domestic and international commercial satellite programs. Tony worked his way up from a Mission Analyst into Ground Systems Engineering and Management and, ultimately, into Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, working Commercial, NASA, and DoD programs during all phases including concept/business development, design, I&T, delivery, and on-orbit support.

During the dot-com boom from 2000 to 2003 Tony was the Director of Product Development for a small media and entertainment technology and telecommunications company. There he gained valuable technical and management experience in integrated hardware, software and networking product development and unique insight into the adoption of non-aerospace commercial practices and technologies to the aerospace industry. He rejoined Hughes/Boeing in 2003 as part of Boeing’s systems engineering team on the DoD TSAT RRSD Program.

Tony received his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue in 1990. He was awarded a Charles Stark Draper Laboratories Fellowship at MIT and received his Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT in 1992.

Dr. Gopal is responsible for resilient/protected communications, LEO, HTS, AI/ML and cyber-related programs within Hughes DISD. He was involved in the design of the OneWeb LEO broadband system that completed its first two-way data transfer in 2019 summer. He earlier served as Network System Engineering lead for Transformational Satellite (TSAT) space segment and was on the SPACEWAY® 3 (with onboard Layer 2 packet processing) architecture and Mobile Satellite systems (Thuraya, ICO, LEO Teledesic), development teams. He was the chief architect and software manager for the SPACEWAY, a $1.8B development, Network Operations Control Center (NOCC).

Dr. Gopal serves on the editorial board of Wiley’s International Journal of Satellite Communications and Networking (IJSCN) and is a member of IEEE 5G World Forum and AIAA ICSSC technical program committees. As a member of the US President’s NSTAC Satellite Task Force 2009, he co-authored the report on commercial satellite communications and cybersecurity.

He received a BE (Hons.) in Electrical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani, India and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Vanderbilt University; has published more than 40 technical papers on topics ranging from satellites, software, AI, machine learning, network management, and life science applications; and holds 8 patents on satellite systems.

Mr. Grady has been involved in the Satellite Communications industry since 2005, joining NSR in 2010. He is NSR’s Energy market subject matter expert, and a core member of NSR’s mobility research practice for both civil and government markets. He regularly provides his insights and analysis to NSR’s single-client consulting practice and is also a regular contributor to leading industry publications and forums.

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

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

James Grossman is a Principal Engineer in the Advanced Satellite Programs group at OneWeb and is responsible for developing the satellite architecture that will be used in the next-gen systems under development today. Mr. Grossman worked on the original satellite design and was responsible for the overall mechanical layout and budgets on the current generation of satellites. Prior to joining OneWeb Mr. Grossman worked for Google and Space Systems/Loral on various telecom satellite projects.

Stella Guillen is a VP of Sales & Marketing for Arianespace, Inc. (AEI) responsible for all aspects of Arianespace’s launch services sales and marketing activities for US and Canadian clients. She is also responsible for working with companies developing LEO constellations and small satellites providing global satellite communication services, remote sensing, and earth observation services, and science and technology.

Ms. Guillen’s background spans the satellite industry, from telecommunications to launch services. She has led global sales efforts for SpaceX, Spaceflight and some of the largest satellite fleet operators, such as SES and Intelsat.

Ms. Guillen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University and has a Master’s of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. She was born in Peru, is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and is learning French at the moment.

Ward Hanson analyzes the economics and marketing of new technology.    Other areas of interest include the role of competition, policy issues involving the evolving role of interactivity, optimal product line pricing, and the emergence of the commercial space industry.  As a pioneer in studying the commercialization and impact of the Internet, he has published research articles, a leading text, and created online courses on Internet marketing. He has served as an expert witness in areas of patent validity, e-commerce, Internet advertising, and industry analysis. He has recently published a number of articles on the economics of new space and serves on the editorial board of the New Space journal.

Dr. Hanson has taught at Stanford since 1995, first at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, then at the Department of Economics and the Public Policy program as part of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). Previous faculty positions include Purdue University and the University of Chicago.  He has a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University.

Tess is an investor at Bessemer Venture Partners primarily focused on frontier tech, specifically commercial space, drones, and autonomous vehicles. She currently serves as board director for Phantom Auto and board observer for Impossible Aerospace, Iris Automation, Rocket Lab, Spire, Velo3D, and others. Previously, she was a mission manager at SpaceX where she worked with the government on integrating its payloads with the Falcon9 rocket. Tess earned a Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics engineering from Stanford. She is passionate about space exploration and imagines a future where we all travel to space. She hopes to make the trip herself soon.

Mr. Shayn Hawthorne works in the AWS Region Services Division as the Colorado Lead, Space Technical Lead, and General Manager of the AWS Ground Station service. In this role, Shayn works backward with commercial and Government space customers around the world. Shayn is focused on developing services and features that disrupt how space and intelligence operations are conducted and enabling space customers to share, fuse and leverage space data to improve their missions and products.

Prior to AWS, Shayn worked at the MITRE Corporation. In his last role, Shayn served as the Technical Director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), responsible for directing the engineering activities of MITRE engineers in support of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Program, Command and Control Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) System, the Ballistic Missile Defense Overhead Persistent Infrared Architecture (BOA) and the Midcourse Tracking System (MTS) and many other programs.

Previously, Shayn led the MDA Space Knowledge Center as the Technical Director, which performed independent technical assessments and evaluated experiments related to MDA space programs. In previous MITRE work efforts, Shayn has led Advanced Development efforts for Air Force space situational awareness, missile warning, and missile defense sensors, as well as the Command and Control (C2) systems and correlator/tracker systems responsible for detecting and tracking air, space and missile threats to the United States and Canada.

Additional MITRE efforts include developing the Satellite as a Sensor concept and leading the start-up of the Rapid Attack Identification Detection Reporting System. Shayn was personally requested to support DoD Space System Vulnerability analyses that led to the National Security Space Protection Policy. He also played a critical role in starting the Space Radar program, focusing on theater tasking and Ground Moving Target Indicator data.

As a member of the Air Force Reserve, Shayn volunteered to mobilize in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) and fielded a satellite protection system while leading the Defensive Counter-space Testbed (DTB). Shayn supported the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and Electronic Security Command (ESC) as an Active Duty Air Force Officer.

Shayn received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Mechanics from the United States Air Force Academy and Master of Science Degree in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Bruno Huttner is the Director of Strategic Quantum Initiatives and a Quantum Key Distribution Expert at ID Quantique. He is also the co-chairman of the Quantum-Safe Security Working Group (QSS WG) organized by the Cloud Security Alliance. The QSS WG has been formed to address key generation and transmission methods and to help the industry understand quantum‐safe methods for protecting their networks and their data.

Bruno joined ID Quantique in 2014, participating in business development and product management in the Quantum Security division, which develops next-generation encryption, and especially quantum key distribution systems. These systems are designed to be safe against the power of quantum computers, which threaten conventional encryption methods. He then started the space programs, aiming at developing quantum key distribution globally, using satellites.

Susan Irwin is Senior Principal Advisor at Euroconsult. She has been researching and analyzing satellite industry trends for more than 35 years. Ms. Irwin began her career as a telecommunications policy analyst for NTIA, where she implemented some of the earliest satellite distance learning activities in the US and emerging markets. Since 1985, when she founded Irwin Communications, she has provided strategic consulting services to satellite service providers, manufacturers, broadcasters, government agencies, and investors worldwide. In 2010, she started the US subsidiary of Euroconsult and was President of Euroconsult USA until 2014.

Ms. Irwin serves on the Advisory Board of Kymeta Corporation, is on the Board of Directors of the American Astronautical Society, Director Emeritus of the Society of Satellite and Space Professionals International and of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, and served on the Board of Governors of the Pacific Telecommunications Council for 12 years. In 2013 Ms. Irwin was inducted into the SSPI Satellite Hall of Fame. She holds a Masters of Arts degree from San Francisco State University.

Beckett Jackson is an investing director specializing in early-stage investments in space and connectivity companies for an organization that is shaping the future for Boeing and the aerospace industry. Boeing HorizonX explores opportunities emerging aerospace applications, leveraging nontraditional partnerships and a venture fund that invests in startups focused on aerospace and industrial innovations.

Jackson manages the portfolio of investments and leads transactions for a team focused on identifying early-stage companies that are developing revolutionary concepts around the world. He brings to the role a wealth of experience in market strategy, corporate innovation, new product development, and sales. Throughout his career at Boeing, he has led enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, and engaged international customers to develop advanced prototype solutions in the areas of autonomous systems and mission systems. His prior experience includes aerospace and defense consulting and foreign military sales for the U.S. Government.

Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree in national security from Georgetown University.

Michael Johnson is Chief Technologist of the Engineering and Technology Directorate (ETD) at NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). He engages persons within and beyond GSFC to envision futures with visionary, challenging, and compelling spaceflight missions and measurements and then leads or influences teams to expand the possibility to make these visions a reality. 

Before assuming the ETD Chief Technologist position, Mr. Johnson was the Assistant Chief for Technology in Goddard’s Electrical Engineering Division.  In this role, he facilitated the development of mission-enabling and -enhancing electrical engineering-related technologies.

Michael’s background in developing numerous spaceflight subsystems, from concept definition, through flight operations, prepared him for these technology management positions.  His roles at GSFC—first as a Principal Engineer at Hughes/STX, then as a Lead Electrical Engineer in Goddard’s Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics and in the Microelectronics and Signal Processing Branch—led to the successful space deployment of several science instruments, including Cassini/CAPS, and IMAGE/LENA.   

Before coming to Goddard, Mr. Johnson was employed as a Staff Engineer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory for nearly ten years, responsible for the design, development, and management of advanced ground- and space-based systems.

Michael received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, and Degree of Electrical Engineer from MIT.

Andre Jones is the Vice President of Business Development for the Antenna Systems Division of Communications & Power Industries (CPI). In this role, Mr. Jones is responsible for the division’s global business development and marketing efforts across satellite, radar, high frequency, data link, and telemetry products.

Andre has more than 25 years of experience in satellite communications; beginning his career as an R&D engineer at COMSAT Laboratories in Clarksburg, MD. Before joining CPI Antenna Systems Division, he served in several senior roles at leading industry firms, from managing the global sales team for ViaSat’s commercial ground systems business to serving as pre-sales director for General Dynamics Satcom business, and leading international deployment and integration teams for Globalstar.

Mr. Jones holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Florida Atlantic University and Georgia Tech, respectively; an MS/MBA in technology management from Mercer University; and air traffic control certifications from Transports Canada Training Institute.

Ian Jones is the founder, CEO and significant shareholder of Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd. He is a satellite communications engineer and entrepreneur with over 30 years’ experience in the industry with a background in digital satellite communications systems, RF design, earth station development and operations.

He graduated from Leeds University in 1985 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He developed new Digital Signal Processing satellite modems at BT Research Labs and Communication Systems Research Ltd (CSRL), leading the design of the Inmarsat Aero communication system. When CSRL was acquired by Ferranti International, Ian was promoted to Head of Satellite Engineering and subsequently Head of Business Development within the Ferranti Computer Systems Division.

In 1994 he co-founded Orbit Research Ltd where he was Managing Director and 50% shareholder.  Ian was responsible for a number of innovations and new product designs for satellite communication systems including remote control monitoring systems for satellite earth stations. He led the development of a new business providing mobile health care diagnostic services via satellite and he was also responsible for a number of innovations in Education Outreach which led to the creation of the Star Centre (Keighley) and the ESA ESERO network.

In 2008 he became aware of the impending closure of Goonhilly Earth Station and worked to create a new business opportunity for the site. He founded Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd and built a successful, profitable business leasing the antennas at Goonhilly from BT and bringing them back into service. In January 2014, Ian led the team completing the successful acquisition of Goonhilly.

Ian’s vision for a sustainable, profitable and diverse business at Goonhilly is rapidly taking shape with a growing client base covering all aspects of commercial satellite communications, space communication, radio astronomy, big data and data centre services, training, outreach, and business co-location. His entrepreneur skills are in demand across Africa where he is involved in assisting human capital development projects at other former telecommunication centres.  Goonhilly has now become an Enterprise Zone and the host of the Sat Apps Catapult South West Regional Centre of Excellence, of which Ian is the Chair.

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

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

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

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

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

Bryan Kerns joined AvL Technologies in 2010 as Director of Major Accounts, and he now serves as the company’s Director of Strategic Business Development and Information Technology. Prior to joining AvL, Bryan was an AvL customer at companies including GTSI, Verizon Business, LBiSat and Harris CapRock Communications. He began his career serving six years in the U.S. Air Force as a Communications Officer. With more than 23 years of experience in satellite communications (SATCOM), Bryan has authored numerous articles and spoken about the use of satellites to communications and disaster planners from agencies including Army, Air Force Space and Missile Defense Commands, Defense Information Systems Agency, White House Communications Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Bryan is a founding Key group member of the Asheville, North Carolina, chapter of Vistage International. He has a Bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University and a certificate in Disruptive Strategy from Harvard Business School.

Mr. Brad Kizzort has been designing and developing spacecraft monitoring and control systems for over 30 years. He has been a key ground system architect for some of the largest commercial and defense satellite fleets and constellations, including GPS, Iridium, and Telesat. Cybersecurity requirements play an increasing role in ground system development, especially with satellites in critical infrastructure and corporate asset roles satellites.

Brad is currently the Chief Technologist for Peraton’s OS/COMET software product and is responsible for ensuring that OS/COMET evolves to meet future requirements for spacecraft monitoring and control.

For the past 12 years, he has also served as chair of the Object Management Group’s Space Domain Task Force, soliciting, developing, and promoting space industry specifications for software interoperability. These specifications pave the way for lower-cost space systems that are rapidly developed, maintainable, and secure.

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

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

Bing has over 15 years of experience in communications technologies and a passion for building innovative products solving hard problems. Bing is a product manager at Facebook Connectivity, focused on connectivity solutions to connect the un(der)connected. Prior to joining Facebook, he led successful product development projects at Inmarsat, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Thales Communications. Bing holds an MS in Systems Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University and BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Max La Rosa is Director of Sales and Business Development for Thales Alenia Space in Arlington, VA.

As liaison office representative at Northrop Grumman, he supported the Ground Processing and Launch Campaign of the Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Modules built by Thales Alenia Space.

He worked for 7 years at Kennedy Space Center in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) to assist NASA and Boeing in the Ground Processing and Launch Campaign of the pressurized modules built by Thales Alenia Space for the International Space Station.

Previously, Max La Rosa worked as Product Assurance Engineer at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Torino- Italy to support the EEE Parts department in the design of scientific satellites.

Max holds a BS degree in Physics and an MS degree in Nuclear Physics.

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

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

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

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

James Loman is Senior Distinguished Engineer on SSL Flight Assurance, where he is responsible for flight assurance activities with a specialty of Reliability, Radiation Effects, Parts, Materials and Processes, and Failure Review Boards. SSL is the leading provider of geostationary commercial satellites, with experience building and integrating the world’s most powerful and complex satellites and spacecraft systems. SSL has a long history of delivering reliable satellites and spacecraft systems for commercial and government customers around the world and currently have more geostationary commercial capacity on orbit than any other manufacturer. SSL is currently building the World View Legion constellation and other LEO satellites.

Dr. Loman’s career has spanned 40 years, of which 15 have been at SSL. Previously at SSL, he was Executive Director for Engineering Technologies. Prior to this, he spent 23 years with GE in various roles. He was Engineering Leader at GE Energy for Solar Technology; responsible for R&D, New Product Introduction and Manufacturing support for solar cells, solar panels and grid-tie inverters. Prior to this, he headed the Advanced Photonics and Electronics Laboratory at the GE Global Research Center and was instrumental in developing innovative new products for Aerospace, Industrial, Medical, Power and Consumer Applications. Dr. Loman’s earlier career includes being Specialty Engineering Manager and Principle Engineer for the commercial space business in East Windsor NJ, responsible for EMI/EMC, Radiation Effects, Parts, Materials and Processes, Reliability and Safety. Dr. Loman’s career began in the Physics Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory within his educational specialty of Condensed Matter Physics.

Dr. Loman received his PhD. from the University of Delaware, his M.S. Degree from the University of Notre Dame, and his B.S. from Villanova University, all in Physics. He was certified as a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and also as a Certified Reliability Engineer.

Ron joined Astroscale as Managing Director in April 2019 to lead the company’s business operations in the United States.

Ron brings over 25 years of government and industry experience, encompassing systems engineering, program management, sales and marketing, technology/research and development management, and strategy formulation.

Ron started his career as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Air Force, serving as the focal point for Space Situational Awareness capability development at Air Force Space Command’s Space Control Division. He then joined Boeing and worked on various
programs as a Systems Engineering Manager within Boeing Research & Technology and Phantom Works and led business development activities for the Network & Space Systems division throughout the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining Astroscale, Ron led
the Defense & Space Asia Pacific sales team at Honeywell Aerospace, helping the company achieve significant sales growth and expansion into new markets.

Over half of Ron’s career has been spent working and living in Japan, and he is an active member of The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation’s U.S.-Japan Space Forum.

Ron earned a Bachelor of Science from The United States Air Force Academy in 1993.

Katharine Losoncy is a Mission Assurance Manager in Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Innovation Systems Sector. She is responsible for spacecraft product line mission assurance, specialty engineering, and additive manufacturing standards.
Losoncy has 20+ years of experience in systems engineering development, program management, and integration and test in space, launch, and automotive systems.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Losoncy held senior engineering and management positions at The Aerospace Corporation, SpaceX and Robert Bosch Corporation.

Losoncy holds a B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University. She is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) where she is a committee member for the ASME y14.46 Product Definition Practices for Additive Manufacturing.

Andrew Lucas is Senior Vice President, Satellite Operators and Mobility for Comtech EF Data. In this role, he leads the market development and direction of the Comtech EF Data product line for Satellite Operators and the Mobility market. By leveraging market insight, he directs long-term strategic initiatives and defines the required solution and feature sets for the Satellite Operator and Mobility Verticals.

 Lucas has over 20 years of experience leading the implementation of large scale operationally challenging solutions including end-to-end satellite and ground segment systems, deployment and support of complex telecommunications and satellite networks, business intelligence, and data center solutions in Mission Critical, Harsh & Remote applications in worldwide markets including Energy, Maritime and Cruise. Prior to joining Comtech EF Data, he held the positions of Connectivity Services Business Manager at Schlumberger, COO and CTO at Harris Caprock.

In January 2013, Stuart was appointed CEO of the Satellite Applications Catapult, one of a network of independent research and development centers established by Innovate UK to stimulate growth in the UK economy by accelerating the development and take-up of emerging technologies. His leadership of the Satellite Applications Catapult places the commercial exploitation of space right at the heart of the UK growth agenda, and the ambition established by the Space Innovation and Growth Strategy of 2010 to create 100,000 new jobs in the sector by 2030.

During his time at Logica, Stuart performed a range of engineering and management functions, mainly in the fields of satellite navigation and meteorological processing, before moving onto strategic business roles. More recently, Stuart held the position of Vice Chair of UKSpace, the UK trade association for space business, he was a member of Eurospace Council (the European equivalent), and chair of UK judges for the annual European Satellite Navigation Competition, also known as the Galileo Masters.

Stuart holds a BSc in Physics (first class) from Imperial College and, in 2013, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and the Institute of Physics.

Jeff is a specialist leader at Deloitte Consulting LLP with more than 18 years of private and public sector experience focused on finance, enterprise architecture transformation, technology commercialization, and market strategy. Currently, he is a leader in Deloitte’s Government & Public Sector Space Industry practice where he provides subject matter expertise on commercial space technology trends, industry strategies, and launch systems economics.

Before joining Deloitte, Jeff served as the director of venture strategy and research for the Space Frontier Foundation where he was also a board member. His previous experience as an advisor in $600M+ of venture capital raises for early stage technology companies, commercializing government technologies, and deep insight into the commercial space market allows him to bring a unique perspective to government and commercial clients. Jeff has contributed expertise and analysis on the space industry to Reuters, Forbes, NBC News, Discovery News, The Wharton School, the Open Group, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

President of the Mobile Satellite Users Association, Catherine spearheads the group’s mission to promote satellite mobility market development and innovation at conferences and events located around the world. MSUA has been in existence for over 25 years and represents 30 corporate and small business leaders in the satellite mobility marketplace. MSUA hosts an annual Mobility Innovation Awards program and luncheon during Satellite Week in Washington DC and disseminates Mobility News, a weekly culmination of mobility news to a community of over 1500 followers.

Catherine’s full-time position is with NetNumber as Director of Business Development for the Private LTE Group. Private LTE is a secure, scalable hybrid satellite/LTE mobility solution providing local telco-quality communications and control to a specific group of users or devices. Private LTE is ideal for industries and operations such as mining, energy, defense, emergency response, infrastructure management, maritime, public safety and more.

David Mitlyng is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at SpeQtral, a quantum communications startup offering ultra-secure communications based on the laws of quantum physics. David has 25 years of experience in the satellite industry, including Hughes Space and Communications, Orbital ATK, SSL, and BridgeSat. David has a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Cal Poly SLO, an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Ehson Mosleh is currently the Chief Scientist at Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems, Inc. and has over 15 years of experience in building high-performance small satellites for civil, defense, and commercial customers. He holds a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Computer Science from Montana State University. As a student at MSU, he was active in and eventually the leader of Space Science and Engineering Laboratory at MSU, which was a forerunner in the “CubeSat revolution,” transforming the once hobby industry into an arena where small satellites are now cost-effective and an integral part of the larger aerospace ecosystem. His responsibilities as Chief Scientist include overseeing the overall technical execution of a diverse set of missions, including Tyvak satellites currently in operation, in addition to formulating future mission architectures. Ehson’s technical areas of expertise are in Systems Engineering, EO/IR Payloads, and tailored Mission Assurance practices for fast-paced programs.

Alexander Mueller-Gastell joined ND SatCom in September 2017. His main focus at ND SatCom is to manage the success-oriented organization and define and implement the growth strategies for the three business units Government & Enterprise, Defence and Broadcast. Before joining ND SatCom, he was Presidentx&xCOO of Signalhorn, where he was responsible for managing the company´s daily operations and strategic direction including the growth strategy through acquisitions. Alexander started his career as a controller at Alcan and served in various companies as CFO.

Alexander Mueller-Gastell holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina, USA and the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany.

Sunil Nagaraj is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ubiquity Ventures, a seed-stage institutional venture capital firm that invests in “software beyond the screen” startups, primarily around smart hardware and machine intelligence applications.

He currently serves on the boards of Esper, Halter, Jargon, Levl, Parallel Domain, and other undisclosed investments.

Prior to founding Ubiquity Ventures, Sunil spent six years as an investor with Bessemer Venture Partners where his work included investments in Auth0, Defense.Net (acquired by F5 Networks), Rocket Lab, Spire, Tile, Twitch (acquired by Amazon), and Zapier. Before being an investor, Sunil was founder/CEO of Triangulate, a VC-backed online dating startup using machine learning and behavioral data to improve accuracy. He has also worked at Bain & Company, Cisco, and Microsoft.

Sunil holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He serves on several non-profit boards: NextGen Partners (a Bay Area VC networking organization), Computer History Museum NextGen Board, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and the Harvard Business School California Research Center. He is also an Alumni Advisor to the Harvard MS/MBA program. In his free time, he enjoys coding, piano, sailing, stargazing, and family time with his wife and 2-year old daughter.

Dan Nevius is a Co-Founder and CEO of Analytical Space, a Boston-based startup building a network of small satellites that use RF and optical communication to provide a data relay service for remote sensing satellites. Before starting Analytical Space, Dan was the Director of Special Projects at Planetary Resources, the asteroid mining company, where he worked on business development and strategy for the CERES constellation, a network of hyperspectral remote sensing satellites, and the company’s long term vision of asteroid prospecting. Dan also briefly worked at BCG in the London Office and the Space and Science Branch of the White House Office of Management and Budget. He graduated from Harvard Business School in 2017 and earned his MSc in Space Science and Engineering from UCL in London, an MPhil in Engineering from the University of Cambridge where he researched methods for 3D printing large structures on the moon using local materials, and a BS in Engineering and Astrophysics from Harvard University. Dan was selected for Forbes “30 under 30” in Science.

Mike Nichols is the Chief of the Commercial Satellite Communications (COMSATCOM) Solutions Branch, Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO), Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). He oversees a portfolio of commercial satellite acquisitions and services with a lifecycle value of 4.6 billion dollars. The COMSATCOM Solutions Branch facilitates the delivery of operationally responsive, customer-focused, and cost-effective commercial satellite communications to the Department of Defense (DoD) and other Government Agencies by providing focused acquisition and lifecycle support to complex customer acquisitions on established or tailored COMSATCOM contracts.

Mr. Nichols has managed DoD meshed network solutions, including terrestrial transport, data applications, and commercial satellite services as a Department of Defense government civilian for more than 32 years.

During the span of his career, Mr. Nichols has managed communication services for the United States Navy Europe/Central Region in Naples, Italy, was a project manager for European terrestrial transport initiatives based out of Stuttgart, Germany, and served as a senior advisor to the Afghan Ministry of Communications and Technology in Kabul, Afghanistan as part of the U.S. Department of Defense Telecommunications Advisory Team.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Nichols was the Deputy Chief for the DoDs Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS).

A U.S. Navy Veteran, Mr. Nichols is proud to serve the Department of Defense and provide critical C5ISR that enable warfighter capabilities.

Mr. O’Connell is a venture capitalist and consultant. He is a Managing Partner with Seraphim Global Space Fund.  Seraphim, based in London, was the first venture capital firm to focus exclusively on space (which they define to include satellites, drones, UAVs and supporting technology).

Mr. O’Connell founded GeoEye, a leading global provider of satellite and aerial imagery and digital mapping information, in 2006 by merging 2 satellite imaging companies, Orbimage and Space Imaging.  Under his leadership from the spring of 2003, GeoEye grew from 60 employees producing $9 million of revenue per year, with an equity value of zero and total enterprise value of $33 million, to 760 employees producing $360 million (2012), with a total enterprise value around $1.3 billion and an equity value of approximately $850 million. In January 2013, he concluded its sale to DigitalGlobe. GeoEye was publicly traded (GEOY).

Mr. O’Connell has been recognized as a thought leader in the satellite, digital mapping, and intelligence industries. He was elected to the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2007 and served as Chair of the Audit and Finance committee for several years. He has served on many Government and industry advisory panels.

From October 2015 to July 2016, Mr. O’Connell was CEO of OneWeb, a start-up focused on using low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites to provide broadband and telecom services around the world. During that time, he set up basic the company’s basic structure (financial, legal and governance systems, organization structure, and reporting systems, program management structure, etc.), created a Go To Market Plan and Business Model and set up the company’s Headquarters office. He restructured the company’s near-term financial obligations.

Mr. O’Connell has extensive experience in communications management and finance. He has participated in transactions representing billions of dollars of value, including IPOs, LBOs, restructurings, acquisitions, and financings. Prior to joining GeoEye, Mr. O’Connell held executive positions Crest Advisors, a New York-based venture capital firm focused on telecom infrastructure, Sony Worldwide Networks, and Cablevision Systems Corporation. He began his career as a mergers and acquisitions attorney on Wall Street.

During 2018, Mr. O’Connell was a member of the board of two satellite companies, Spaceflight Industries (Seattle, WA) and Globecomm Systems (Hauppauge, NY). 

Prior to his professional career, Mr. O’Connell worked for two years as a musician.  Mr. O’Connell holds an LLB from Univ. Of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. (Classics) from Trinity College, Hartford, CT, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

As leader of the firm’s Transportation and Space Group in Washington, D.C., Dara’s practice involves representation of satellite operators, aerospace manufacturers, launch services providers, communications companies, banks, private equity firms and hedge funds in debt and equity offerings, project, structured and vendor financings, mergers & acquisitions, financial restructurings and in negotiating commercial contracts. He also advises on regulatory, sanctions, anti-corruption, national security and export control matters.

PRIMARY FOCUS & EXPERIENCE

Mr. Panahy’s practice focuses on representing clients involved in the aerospace and communications industries. His experience includes representing satellite operators, aerospace manufacturers, launch services providers, communications companies, banks, private equity firms and hedge funds in numerous financings involving public offerings, high yield debt, investment grade bonds, project and vendor financings, mergers & acquisitions, financial restructuring and reorganizations and in negotiating project contracts. He also counsels clients on domestic and international regulatory and trade matters, including licensing of communications systems, economic sanctions, regulation of foreign direct investment, anti-bribery and corrupt practices, national security and export control laws and regulations and risk management.

Mr. Pigott joined Global Eagle Entertainment on January 31, 2013, upon the consummation of the public merger of Row 44, Inc. and Global Eagle Acquisition Corp, and has been Senior Vice President of Product and Portfolio since May 2018. Mr. Pigott was Vice President Connectivity Products and Solutions from September 2017 through April 2018, Vice President Commercial Operations from June 2015 through June 2017, and Vice President and Assistant General Counsel from February 2013 through May 2015. Prior to February 2013, Mr. Pigott served as General Counsel of Row 44, Inc. from April 2009 through January 2013. Earlier in his career, Mr. Pigott practiced law representing technologies companies in the areas of venture capital and related financing, intellectual property, government regulation and mergers and acquisition. Mr. Pigott holds a degree in Political Economy and Philosophy from Tulane University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Augustine Ponturiero (Augie) is an experienced space systems professional with proven experience and success in business and program management, systems engineering, and operations for both commercial and military satellite communications services. Ponturiero is currently the business development lead for TriSept Corporation, an innovator in leading-edge technical and system support, space and launch mission services for the Department of Defense, commercial and government customers.

Augie graduated from the US Naval Academy, received his Commission in the US Navy, and served in a wide variety of operational and technical leadership billets throughout his Navy career, including several operational deployments. His commercial business career includes responsibility for global satellite communications operations and services management – including near/far ground architecture and system interfaces, customer service and requirements development, and business and strategic leadership for space-based systems and services.

Key areas of expertise include end-to-end management of multi-vendor operational communications services; space-based services development and deployment; and disaster/military/contingency operations communications architecture development and delivery.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jason Rainbow is Group Editor-in-Chief of Finance Information Group, which provides perspective and information on M&A, financing, and corporate strategy through investment conferences, and unique financial publications including Transaction Advisors, SatelliteFinance, and Connectivity Business (formerly TelecomFinance).  Previously, Jason was Editor for SatelliteFinance, and has covered the UK, Ireland and Nordic regions for TelecomFinance. Before that he wrote financial news digests for Reuters, covering small-cap UK companies as well as wider macroeconomic issues.

John Ratigan, President of iDirect Government started the federal arm of iDirect Technologies in 2003.  The rapid growth of the federal group led to the establishment of iDirect Government as a wholly owned subsidiary in April 2007.

Mr. Ratigan is responsible for the overall direction of iDirect Government and under his leadership it has deployed thousands of terminals in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as many additional federal, state and local government networks.

Ratigan brings over 30 years of experience in the satellite communications arena.  Prior to joining iDirect Government, Ratigan ran the East Coast operations for both Fairchild Data and EFDATA. In addition to starting his own company, he held the position of Senior Vice President of North and South American sales for Broadlogic.

Ratigan began his career in the United States Senate working for Senator Bill Armstrong (R-Colorado) and eventually joined the legal sales team at the Xerox Corporation.  

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Maryland

Steve Richeson joined Mission Microwave in 2017 and is responsible for the company’s global sales and marketing. He has over 30 years of Satellite and Radio Frequency (RF) experience in engineering and executive roles across the wireless and satellite communications industry including positions at: Harris Corporation, EchoStar, Scientific-Atlanta, GTE Spacenet International, Radiation Systems SATCOM Technologies, and Schlumberger. As a Schlumberger Field Engineer Steve launched the LOGNET service in the Gulf of Mexico with a portable VSAT terminal on a semi-submersible drilling platform – in 1986. This was the first commercial mobile VSAT system. Steve is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Registered Professional Engineer. He earned his engineering degree at Georgia Tech and an MBA at Georgia State University.

Dr. Gordon Roesler recently completed a 4-year term as a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where he led the effort to provide robotic servicing to satellites already in orbit.  This was Roesler’s second term as a Program Manager with DARPA. During his previous term, 2002-2006, he originated the Spacecraft for the Universal Modification of Orbits (SUMO) and Front-End Robotics Enabling Near-term Demonstration (FREND) programs. These programs and the subsequent Phoenix program provided the technical basis for the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program, which Roesler initiated and led, and which will launch to space in 2021. Other professional assignments have included the U.S. Department of Energy, Booz Allen Hamilton, SAIC, the University of Southern California, and the University of New South Wales. Roesler’s research project and accomplishments other than space systems have included robotic naval vehicles, sensor systems, underwater acoustics, and electric power generation, storage and control. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from MIT and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. With Robots in Space LLC, Roesler intends to continue in an advocacy role for technologies and partnerships that promise to expand the space economy and contribute to the security of U.S. space assets.

In 2011, Mike Safyan joined the eight-person founding team at Planet (known as “Cosmogia” at the time) where the company was building the first iterations of its Dove smallsats in a Cupertino garage. Since then, Planet has expanded to a global organization leading the NewSpace industry, with 400 employees and the world’s largest fleet of Medium-resolution and High-resolution Earth Imaging satellites. Mike is responsible for Planet’s Launch strategy and has overseen the launch of over 300 Planet satellites across 20 launch attempts working with a variety of different launch providers and launch vehicles. Mike’s role at Planet has evolved over time; he was previously in charge of Planet’s Regulatory Licensing & Compliance, working with Export Control agencies, the FCC, the ITU and NOAA to obtain the required approvals and authorizations for commercial, remote sensing satellites, and for a time he also oversaw the regulatory licensing and contractual management of Planet’s global ground station network.

Mike received his B.S. of Aerospace Engineering at UCLA, and a M.Sc. of Space Studies at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. He started his career working on lunar rover designs for the Barcelona Moon Team competing for the Google Lunar X-Prize, and then joined the PhoneSat team at NASA Ames where he worked as a Systems Engineer developing ultra low-cost cubesats utilizing smartphone technologies. In 2018, Mike received the SSPI Promise Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by satellite industry professionals under the age of 35.

Alvaro Sanchez has led the sales at Integrasys for the past 5 years with strong international presence taking care of the current Integrasys customers and opening new markets and accounts and he manages the Integrasys Marketing Department. Currently, Alvaro is leading the new Integrasys USA office based in Herndon, Washington DC area, where the sales team is growing as the company is a stronger player every day in North America.

Alvaro represents Integrasys Innovation with the latest Innovation awards at Satcon NY and VSAT event for the famous Satmotion Pocket VSAT Commissioning System.

Previous to join Integrasys Alvaro was a Test & Measurements engineer at CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research specializing in timing and phase measurements for colliders synchronization. Alvaro was involved in a project where neutrinos where traveling at the speed of light from CERN (Switzerland) to Gran Sasso. The synchronization devices where Alvaro worked on were critical for ensuring that the neutrinos could not travel faster than the speed of light.

Alvaro holds Industrial Hardware Engineering Degree and Computer Software Engineering Degree by the European University with a Master Degree in Sales Direction by ESIC Business School.

Dr. Sandhoo is the Superintendent of the Spacecraft Engineering Department of the Naval Center of Space Technology (NCST) at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). As the Superintendent, he provides executive direction and technical leadership in the development of policies and objectives necessary in conducting research, design, and development in the areas of satellite and orbital transfer vehicle systems, with an emphasis on new and advanced space systems and technologies to improve the performance of the Navy mission.

The spacecraft engineering department is responsible for executing a $170M program, including the development of cutting edge space capabilities in satellite servicing, space robotics, and satellite operations.

After working at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, and in industry, Sandhoo began his career at NRL in 2005 as a senior aerospace engineer on the Operationally Responsive Space initiative. He progressed into broader roles at NRL, including time as the science advisor for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and as a member of Naval Warfare Integration Group (N00X) on the staff of Chief of Naval Operations.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland, a Master’s degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, Master’s from the U.S. Naval War College, a Master’s and a Doctorate in Aeronautics and Astronautics from George Washington University, and is an MIT Seminar XXI Fellow. Since 1986, he has served in uniform in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy. Currently, Sandhoo is a Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve as an Engineering Duty Officer. He is the recipient of numerous personal, unit, and campaign awards, which are all a tribute to the Sailors, Marines, and civilians he served alongside throughout his Navy, Marine and civilian career. Of them all, he most treasures his peer-awarded Battalion Marine of the Year Award.

Jacqueline (Jackie) Schmoll is senior director of strategy and growth for the Space Systems sector within L3Harris Technologies Space and Airborne Systems segment. Space and Airborne Systems includes space payloads, sensors and full-mission solutions; classified intelligence and cyber defense; avionics; and electronic warfare. Schmoll assumed this position in 2019, reporting to the vice president of strategy and business development in Space and Airborne Systems. In this role, Schmoll is responsible for new business revenue growth, driving the Space Systems strategic growth plan, as well as leading a team of more than 40 business development professionals representing end-to-end space mission capabilities.

Previously, she was general manager for Government GEOINT Systems within L3Harris’ Geospatial Solutions business unit. Her responsibilities included managing a multibillion dollar portfolio of competitive and sole source IDIQ vehicles with the National Geospatial Agency, multiple systems level applications for Combatant Commands, classified agencies and international governments for mapping, content management, and GEOINT search and retrieval.

Prior to her role managing a Profit & Loss business area, Schmoll served as senior program manager for L3Harris’ Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance business unit. She led a small satellite program for the United States Army after transitioning from her previous role as director of business development with L3Harris’ Environmental Solutions business unit, responsible for the business unit growth strategy and capture execution.

Before joining L3Harris, Schmoll was senior manager of Business Development and Capture Management for Lockheed Martin. She was responsible for winning new business accounts with strategic customers in the United States Department of Defense and International community. Previously, she worked for a.i. solutions as a mission analyst where she performed flight dynamics and orbital analysis for NASA and United States Air Force spacecraft missions. She moved into roles of increasing responsibility where she ultimately won and managed new domestic and international business accounts centered around the company’s software products.

Schmoll is a member of AIAA and supports the Modeling and Simulation Technical Committee. She received her master of business administration and bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland. She successfully completed a leadership development program from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019, Schmoll was awarded the Spacecoast Business 40 Under 40 Award.

Rob Schwarz is the Vice President of Product Management at Maxar Space Solutions. He has over 20 years in the space industry working in space systems engineering and product development. Rob is passionate about finding new problems and working with talented teams to create innovative solutions to those problems. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics/Astronautics from Rutgers University and MIT.

With 18 years of in-house general counsel experience, Randy Segal brings an individual perspective to every matter she handles, both as your outside counsel and as someone who has walked in your shoes. With a focus on satellite, wireless, drone, and technology transactions, Randy provides commercially practical solutions in industries where technological change is ever-present. Randy’s practice often involves multi-level chess games, where every move needs to be considered from a multitude of angles to be successful.

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

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

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

Todd Simon is an executive in residence with London investment firm DN Capital, and founder of Geospatial Alpha, to invest and stimulate innovation in geospatial intelligence. Todd also serves as advisor to the European Space Agency. He is a former senior technology investment banker with DLJ, Credit Suisse, and Oppenheimer, and has held executive and board positions with location technology companies including GroundTruth, the world’s largest mobile proximity intelligence company, and Gravy Analytics, the first geo-signals data cloud. Todd holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Brandeis University.

Mr. Simpson, a 38-year veteran in the aerospace industry, is the CEO for Saturn Satellite Networks Inc with the objective to provide economical space communications at the “Nation-Country” level.       Prior to joining Saturn, he was CEO for ABS Satellites, SVP-Strategy forAerojet Rocketdyne, and VP-Business Development and Strategy for Network and Space Systems at Boeing whereduring his 35-years also served as the President of Boeing Satellite Systems Int’l Inc..

James is a Co-Founder and CEO of SkyWatch, a fast growing startup on a mission to simplify access to satellite data. SkyWatch enables its customers, spread across dozens of industries, to programmatically integrate commercial satellite imagery into their software applications with a very simple-to-use Application Programming Interface (“API”). To achieve this, SkyWatch works closely with satellite imagery providers to automate their image processing and data distribution, all-the-while providing them with rapid access to new emerging markets and applications. SkyWatch’s vision is a world in which Earth Observation applications are as ubiquitous as GPS applications, influencing everyone’s lives, even if they don’t realize it.

Steven Soenens is an experienced professional in product marketing, product management and engineering of broadband and video solutions for broadcasters and cable, telco, satellite and mobile service providers.

At present, Steven is responsible for product marketing of DataMiner with Skyline Communications. DataMiner is the leading multi-vendor network management and OSS system deployed by more than 1000 customers globally, including many tier-1 media, satellite and service provider companies.

In his past career, Steven has taken responsibility for worldwide product strategy and product management for video, IP and satellite solutions with Newtec, Cisco Systems and Scientific-Atlanta.

 Steven´s key area´s of expertise include end-to-end management of multi-vendor media and transmission networks, including broadcast contribution and exchange, studio, production and playout, distribution over cable HFC (MPEG and IPTV over DOCSIS), satellite DTH and VSAT, telco DSL, FTTx, DTT and OTT.

Nina has more than 10 years of experience in the satellite industry, having held various positions while at KSAT. With a background from publishing and content marketing, she is currently responsible for the company´s communication across the business units.
Representing KSAT, Nina travels to countries around the world speaking on panels and seminars, engaging government and commercial stakeholders.

In her previous role as International Sales Manager, Nina’s main focus was Maritime Monitoring services based on SAR data (Synthetic Aperture Radar). KSAT provides oil spill monitoring and vessel detection services globally and has pioneered the industry with pushing the timelines for Near-Real-Time (NRT) delivery of actionable information- leveraging the global ground network, especially the unique Svalbard station.

Nina has had the opportunity to work with several of the most significant international oil companies (IOC´s), government authorities, coastguards and other stakeholders with key focus areas in Latin America, South America, and the Middle East.

Her portfolio also included the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), an Agency providing technical assistance and support to the European Commission and Member States on maritime safety, pollution by ships, and maritime security.

Nina is former Chairman of the Norwegian Oil Spill Control Association, (NOSCA), a non- profit association dedicated to promoting products and services within global oil spill preparedness and response, representing more than 30 Norwegian companies.

She lives in the Arctic Capital of Tromsø in Norway- an ideal place for Polar Ground Stations and cross-country skiing.

Stephen Spengler is a 34-year telecommunications and satellite industry veteran with experience in the media, broadband, government, and internet sectors. Mr. Spengler is chief executive officer of Intelsat, the world’s largest satellite services provider.

Mr. Spengler’s key accomplishments at Intelsat include the development of Intelsat’s next generation of managed service solutions for an array of network applications; a $2B investment in the groundbreaking Intelsat EpicNG high-throughput satellite network; a series of strategic equity investments to catalyze satellite innovations; and leading the establishment of the C-Band Alliance (CBA). The CBA, a consortium of major satellite operators, has proposed a unique market-based solution to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for the joint use of spectrum for innovative 5G wireless services of the future and critical satellite services for broadcasting and media content distribution.

Mr. Spengler is a member of the United Nations Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development and serves on the corporate boards of Intelsat SA and Kymeta Corporation. He has testified before the U. S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation regarding the future of the commercial satellite industry.

Mr. Spengler joined Intelsat in 2003, and has served in executive roles of increasing responsibility, including sales, marketing, strategy, and business development. These responsibilities leveraged Mr. Spengler’s global orientation and thought leadership. He has generated new business and forged strategic relationships across the world in developed and developing markets and has expertise in meeting the challenges and opportunities that exist in international markets and emerging technologies. Prior to assuming his current role in 2015, he was the president and chief commercial officer of Intelsat. He held senior management positions at ViaSat Satellite Networks, Scientific-Atlanta Europe, GTE Spacenet International, and GTE Corporation before joining Intelsat. Mr. Spengler earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dickinson College and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University.

Intelsat owns and operates a fully integrated network of over fifty commercial communications satellites that deliver broadband connectivity to businesses and communities in over 200 countries. It provides diversified communications services to the world’s leading media companies, fixed and wireless telecommunications operators, data networking service providers for enterprise and mobile applications, multinational corporations and ISPs. Intelsat is the leading provider of commercial satellite capacity to the U.S. government and other select military organizations and their contractors.

John Stack,  Managing Director, Head of Aerospace & Defense Investment Banking (US), has 25 years’ global strategy, business development and M&A experience focusing on publicly-held and private companies.

Mr. Stack previously was VP, Strategy & Business Development and a member of the Senior Leadership Team at Cessna Aircraft Company, where he led the Columbia Aircraft acquisition. Prior to that, he was Director, Strategy Development & International at Textron, where he helped reshape the company’s business portfolio and worked with company presidents on strategic plans, operational challenges and growth. During his career, he has led project, M&A and joint venture teams in more than 15 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and he lived in Switzerland for more than four years.

Mr. Stack holds a degree in Business Administration from Bryant University and an MBA from Fordham University. He is a commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings. He also is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and proficient in French.

Kevin Steen is president and chief executive officer of VT iDirect, a global leader in IP-based satellite communications. Steen joined VT iDirect in 2010 and has served as a key member of VT iDirect’s leadership team, where he has been responsible for charting the company’s strategic growth across sales, operations and business development. Steen has led a major effort across VT iDirect and its global partner base to advance the role of satellite technology in the end-to-end telecom network; identify new market opportunities for satellite communications, and collaborate with VT iDirect’s ecosystem to co-develop industry-leading technology.

Steen has more than 20 years of experience in technology business development and operating executive positions. Prior to joining VT iDirect, he was Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions at SAP Americas, where he participated in strategic M&A activities.

Steen holds an MBA from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Denver. He sits on several boards in a financial and operations advisory capacity.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail B. Tadjikov is the director of the Embedded & Specialized Computing Department at The Aerospace Corporation. Tadjikov’s day-to-day activities focus on advancing the state of the art in space through leveraging commercial technological advancements to bootstrap new capabilities. His primary areas of research are edge computing, distributed architectures, neural net accelerators, and LEO proliferation.

Mr. Tadjikov has over 12 years of experience in software and hardware implementations of software-defined radios, GPS, cryptography and other advanced payloads. Mr. Tadjikov has a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angles.

Heidi Thelander is VP of Business Development at Comtech Xicom Technology, addressing a wide range of opportunities for the premier high power amplifier supplier in the satcom industry. Heidi has over 25 years experience in the satcom industry including satellite payload and ground-system design, program management, and new business development roles. She joined Xicom from Wavestream Corporation where she was instrumental in developing and promoting their high power Ka-band SSPA product line.

Other past roles include product management and marketing for optical networking start-up Centerpoint, business development for Lockheed Martin’s Western Development Labs, and a full range of engineering, management and business development positions at TRW Space & Electronics Group (now part of Northrop Grumman). Heidi has her BSEE from Marquette University and MSEE in Communication Systems from University of Southern California.

Matt Trotter, managing director at Silicon Valley Bank San Francisco, works with high growth companies that create highly disruptive technologies in the businesses of transportation, industrials, aerospace, consumer electronics, and semiconductors, with a focus on the convergence of hardware, software, and data.

Matt is passionate about his customers’ success, and it shows in the capital, connections and strategic counsel he provides to support their growth in hardware and deep technology – some of the most competitive business environments in the world.

Matt is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, where he played varsity soccer. Matt’s active young daughter keeps him and his family busy but he still finds time to kick the ball around in a Sunday men’s league.

Thomas Van den Driessche holds a Master’s degree in electronics and marketing from the University of Ghent. Thomas started out as a Product Manager in the broadcast and AV market and was awarded several times by leading organizations such as NAB, Infocomm, and Vanguard.

Over the past 18 years, he has been active in the broadcast and satellite markets. Thomas Van den Driessche has been with Newtec for eleven years and has held various positions. His latest roles include Sales and Business Development Director Europe, VP Market Strategy and Chief Commercial Officer. Since January 2017 Thomas is the CEO of Newtec.

Richard (Ric) A. VanderMeulen is Vice President, Space & Satellite Broadband at Viasat the world’s largest operator of Satellite Communication Capacity. In this position since 2009, VanderMeulen is engaged in Viasat’s efforts serving government and commercial markets with broadband, fixed and mobile Satellite Communication Services, Satcom Ground Segment solutions, and Satcom Customer Premise Equipment solutions.

Bringing both engineering and business expertise during his more than 30 years in the Satellite Communications industry, Mr. VanderMeulen has held senior general manager and program manager positions at Viasat, The Boeing Company, and Rockwell Collins. Before the formation of Government Systems Division, VanderMeulen was Vice President General Manager Government Satcom. He was responsible for all Viasat’s government Satcom programs.

He joined Viasat in 2001. Previously, he served as Director, Business Development for Boeing’s Space and Communication Group new ventures. Mr. VanderMeulen began his business career with Rockwell Collins as a design engineer and eventually as a business leader responsible for design completion and transitioned to production of multiple Satcom Systems including Milstar, SMART-T, SCAMP, and others.

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

Tony Wilkey is Senior Vice President at AvL Technologies with responsibility for US Sales, Marketing and Customer Service. Tony has 30 years of experience in satellite communications in engineering, sales, program management, and general management roles. He began his career at Ford Aerospace in Palo Alto, California (1981-1983) before joining RSI SatCom Technologies (1983-1987, 1992-1995), Georgia Tech Research Institute (1987-1992), COMSAT RSI (1995-1998), and TriPoint Global (1998-2000). Most recently he served as Director of Antenna Systems Business Development for ViaSat (2000-2008), a $500MM US satellite ground systems equipment provider, before joining AvL Technologies in 2008. Tony earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in 1981 and his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 1983.

Louis A. Zacharilla is Director of Innovation & Development for the Space & Satellite Professionals Internationalwhere he serves as strategist and spokesperson for the Society and the industry. He oversees SSPI’s corporate development program and is responsible for developing new chapters and events worldwide.

With the SSPI team Lou created the www.bettersatelliteworld.com campaign and Awards Dinner in London, which promotes the role of satellites as anchors of human development.

Mr. Zacharilla has written hundreds of articles and blogs for trade and business publications, appears regularly in the media and as a speaker and moderator of satellite industry conferences. He developed the World Teleport Association’s Teleport Awards Luncheon, which is now in its 23 years at the Satellite Conference in Washington, DC. He is a co-author of three books, including, Brain Gain.

He gave a TEDx Talk in 2016 and spoke at the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.

He holds a Masters Degree from the University of Notre Dame (USA) and lives in New York.