President
And One Technologies
Dr. Eric Anderson, President, And One TechnologiesEric 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.
Engineering Manager
Brian Barritt was a software engineer at Loon, a part of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Dr. Barritt is one of the architects of the Loon network and led the networking team
Dr. Barritt has more than 10 years of experience in advanced wireless networks. Prior to joining Google in 2014, he led engineering programs at Cisco and for NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program.
Brian earned an MBA in Management of Technology & Innovation from the University of Minnesota and BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Engineering from Case Western Reserve University
President and Founder
Northern Sky Research (NSR)
Chris Baugh, President and Founder , Northern Sky Research (NSR)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.
Senior Director of Innovation & Spacecraft Programs
SES Government Solutions
Dr. Bryan Benedict, Senior Director of Innovation & Spacecraft Programs, SES Government SolutionsDr. 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.
Founder and Managing Partner
Clarke Belt 2.0
Mark Brady, Founder and Managing Partner, Clarke Belt 2.0Entrepreneur and investor with decades of international executive experience with Satellite, PayTV, and Consumer Electronics industries. Successfully conducted business in dozens of countries.
Clients and project implementation for companies that included: Airspan, ARSAT, AT&T, GloboSat, Glowlink, Lucent, Motorola, NahuelSat, RuralWeb , SuperCanal , Tdh SA, Telesat , among others.
Currently
Founder and President – Advantage IT International Inc. International Telecom Consulting.
Founder and Managing Partner – Clarke Belt 2.0 an NGSO Communications Satellite Project.
International Advisor – nexTenna – A low cost electronically steerable flat panel antenna technology for cell phones to football sized antennas for Satellites.
Prior employment
VP at Oak Communications-TV/Com-Hyundai , assisted transition company from Analog Cable – Satellite /PayTV hardware vendor, to focus on a digital development of an industry 1st demonstrable 1-45Msps variable consumer Satellite modem and a 256 QAM cable modem. The development resulted in the industry’s 1st deployed Satellite DVB compliant systems in both the Americas and Europe. Total of 6 new DTH Projects launched, 5 in Americas and 1 in Europe.
VP Uniden USA, Ft Worth consumer electronics company, Regional, National Accounts and International sales, marketing and business development responsibilities. Within Satellite division launched 1st successful Analog Satellite PayTV network in Brasil ( became GloboSat). Launched 1st Satellite delivered PPV utilizing AT&T Satellite and ANI system (TVN).
Regional Sales Fla – Motorola C&E – Two way communications equipment sales.
Other Activity
Former Member of Board of Directors of (SBCA) Satellite Broadcasting & Communications Association
Speaker and panelist at numerous Industry trade events, and Governmental Regulatory bodies including ITU in Geneva.
Mr. Brady has earned Bachelors of Technology degree from University of North Florida and is based in Jacksonville Florida and a US Citizen.
Loves Family, Friends, Football, Flyfishing, and Florida.
President
Kratos Space, Training and Cybersecurity
Phil Carrai , President, Kratos Space, Training and CybersecurityPhil Carrai is President of the Space, Training and Cybersecurity division of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, Inc, where he is responsible for all aspects of business operations, sales, mergers and acquisitions. Kratos Defense is an approximately $650 million public company focusing in Aerospace and Defense products and services.
Chief Executive Officer
ManSat Group
Katherine Gizinski, Chief Executive Officer, ManSat GroupKatherine is the Chief Executive Officer for the ManSat Group. ManSat is the world’s largest commercial provider of satellite spectrum and offers bespoke consultancy services in spectrum regulatory matters. Before joining ManSat, Katherine worked with U.S. defense contractors to bring commercial satellite and terrestrial communication technologies to austere environments in support of military, diplomatic, first responder, and commercial initiatives.
Katherine serves as President of Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) and mentors entrepreneurs through Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator. Katherine is a graduate of the International Space University’s Executive Space program and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia.
General Manager of Aviation
Spire
Dr. Shay Har-Noy (Shy), General Manager of Aviation, SpireDr. Shay Har-Noy (Shy) is Spire’s General Manager of Aviation, responsible for leading the business that is making air travel and shipments safer, more cost effective, and more efficient. Shay most recently served as a leader on the Uber Maps product team and as Uber Boulder site lead. Previously, he was VP and GM of Maxar/DigitalGlobe’s Platform business — their high growth effort to get DigitalGlobe’s 15 year digital library in the cloud and available for processing.
Prior to joining DigitalGlobe, Shay was founder and CEO of Tomnod combining crowdsourcing and machine learning to create new applications for satellite imagery. Tomnod was acquired by DigitalGlobe in early 2013. Shay started his career at ViaSat where he worked on the deployment and market positioning of satellite communication systems around the globe for government, commercial aviation, and maritime customers. Dr. Har-Noy graduated summa cum laude from Rice University and received a Ph.D in Electrical Engineering with research in image processing from UC-San Diego.
Partner
Bessemer Venture Partners
Tess Hatch, Partner, Bessemer Venture PartnersTess invests in technology and people who believe as strongly as she does that frontier technology will develop solutions for societal problems. She is a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners fostering entrepreneurship of frontier technology, specifically the commercialization of space, drones, autonomous vehicles, and agriculture and food technology.
Tess currently serves as a board director for Phantom Auto, Spire Global, and Iris Automation, and as a board observer for Rocket Lab, DroneDeploy, Velo3D, Forever Oceans, and Crosschq. She was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Venture Capital. She speaks and is published regularly on Bloomberg, TechCrunch and other publications on space and frontier technology.
Tess earned a Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics engineering from Stanford. She went on to work for Boeing and then SpaceX where she worked with the government on integrating its payloads with the Falcon9 rocket. She remains close to her alma mater by co-teaching a class at Stanford, serving on the board of advisors for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, and founding the Stanford Aero/Astro Alumni Association.
Tess is passionate about space exploration and imagines a future where we all travel to space. She hopes to one day take a trip herself.
Director
Viasat - Real-Time Earth Ground Service
Aaron Hawkins, Director, Viasat - Real-Time Earth Ground ServiceAaron Hawkins serves as the Director for Viasat’s Real-Time Earth (RTE) Ground-Segment-as-a-Service (GSaaS) business area. He is charged with enabling the network’s global expansion, strategic business development, and creating innovative solutions to enhance the RTE customer experience. Aaron has also led business development efforts within Viasat’s Antenna Systems full-motion antenna business area.
Aaron brings over 17 years of defense and commercial aerospace experience. He started his professional career as a national security representative within the executive branch of the United States government where he led efforts domestically and internationally to confront transnational threats through engagement with allied partners, often utilizing geospatial tools.
Partner
Hogan Lovells
Steve Kaufman, Partner, Hogan LovellsA 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.
Affiliate Principal Advisor
Euroconsult
Adam Keith, Affiliate Principal Advisor, EuroconsultAdam is an Affiliate Principal Advisor at Euroconsult with specialization in Earth observation (EO) and disruptive technologies. In over 20 years in the industry, he has advised a wide range of clients including government organizations, investors and commercial actors along the value chain. Adam has managed over 100 consulting and market intelligence projects focusing on EO markets and industry, satellite imaging and operations, and government space programs. He Initiated Euroconsult’s research and consulting activity in the EO sector including the Satellite-Based Earth Observation: Market Prospects report; now in its 13th edition (2020), the first annual research report focused on evolutions within the EO sector. He has held various positions in the company, including director of the company’s Space Practice and Managing Director of Euroconsult North America from 2015 to 2017. Previous experience includes working for the European Space Agency (ESA-ESRIN) within the Directorate of Earth Observation, and the UK National Remote Sensing Center (now Airbus). He is a frequently invited speaker and moderator at international events focusing on evolution, market trends and dynamics within the space sector
Senior Corporate Counsel
BAE Systems
Janna Lewis, Senior Corporate Counsel , BAE SystemsJanna is a senior attorney and technology strategist focused on national defense, intelligence, and commercial space sectors. She has unique, cross-sector expertise in guiding programs and technology development for U.S. government and commercial initiatives, including engagements directed to launch services, satellite communications, unmanned vehicles, C5ISR sensors and network architectures, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
Prior to joining BAE Systems, Janna was with Northrop Grumman, where she facilitated innovation and strategic collaborations for their Missions Systems Sector to advance defense and intelligence capabilities. Prior to that, Janna worked for Facebook, where she supported Facebook’s mission to enable global internet connectivity. She helped to frame industry partnerships to catalyze delivery of space-based and high-altitude global connectivity solutions. Before Facebook, Janna was in private legal practice, where she served as legal counsel to U.S. and international clients in the aerospace and defense, commercial space, and telecommunications industries.
Janna is a volunteer with the Space Foundation, served on the Defense Innovation Board, Space Advisory Committee, and is a registered patent attorney. She frequently speaks about the rapidly evolving laws and policies affecting the defense, intelligence, and commercial space industries. Janna is committed to diversity in the space industry, and is a strong advocate for new space professionals.
Senior Project Lead
The Aerospace Corporation
Stephen Marley, Senior Project Lead , The Aerospace CorporationAs a Ground Enterprise Architect at The Aerospace Corporation, Steve is currently engaged with NOAA’s Office of Systems Architecture & Advance Planning within NOAA/NESDIS where he is supports efforts to define the future NESDIS Ground Enterprise and establish the long-term vision and implementation strategy to evolve its satellite ground capabilities towards multi-mission enterprise solutions leveraging commercial service offerings
Steve has been focused on complex/scientific data information systems in support of environmental observation science and ground system operations for over 30 years. During that time he has supported the design of satellite ground systems for the European Space Agency’s European Remote Sensing satellites, NASA’s Earth Observing System, USGS Landsat program, and most recently NOAA’s Geostationary, Polar, and Space Weather satellite programs.
As part of NASA’s Geosciences Interoperability Office (GIO), Steve promoted the use of open community-based standards for IT systems interoperability throughout NASA and between Federal partner agencies, facilitating the adoption of Earth science research results across Federal partner agency decision-support systems.
Steve is a graduate of the University of Leeds in the UK with a bachelor’s degree in Physics with Astrophysics, and a Ph.D. in Infrared Astronomy. He is a FEAC Certified Enterprise Architect and an alumnus of the International Space University.
JPL Lead for On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Rudranarayan (Rudra) Mukherjee, JPL Lead for On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing, NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCEO and Founder
Fleet Space Technologies
Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO and Founder, Fleet Space TechnologiesEducated in Italy and living in Adelaide, Tata is a co-founder and CEO of Fleet Space Technologies, an Adelaide-based space company focused on connecting the Internet of Things by deploying hundreds of low-cost nanosatellites around the world. Dubbed the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the ‘digital nervous system’ Fleet is creating will ultimately make it faster, simpler and less expensive to connect every device on Earth, transforming how businesses connect and gather vital information that can drive growth and change. Fleet’s nanosatellites have potential to revolutionise industries like agriculture, logistics and mining, and impact every aspect of life from measuring the effect of climate change in remote areas such as the Amazon to improving food production in Africa.
Partner
Milbank LLP
Dara A. Panahy, Partner , Milbank LLPAs 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.
Chief Technical Officer
Boeing
Rachelle Radpour, Chief Technical Officer, BoeingExecutive VP and General Manager of International Division
Hughes Network Systems
Ramesh Ramaswamy, Executive VP and General Manager of International Division, Hughes Network SystemsMr. Ramaswamy leads the International Division at Hughes, which provides satellite broadband equipment and services for network operators, enterprises and consumers outside the United States both directly and through subsidiaries in Europe, India and Brazil.
Mr. Ramaswamy started his career at Hughes as a software engineer and has held several positions in engineering, operations, marketing and sales. Prior to his current position, he was senior vice president of international sales and marketing.
Mr. Ramaswamy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Madras in India and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas, Arlington.
Consumers, businesses, governments and communities around the world benefit from the connected experiences enabled by Hughes technologies and services. To learn more, visit our website at www.hughes.com or follow us on Twitter @HughesConnects and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/HughesConnects
President - Commercial Division
Boeing Satellite Systems International
Ryan Reid, President - Commercial Division, Boeing Satellite Systems InternationalPartner
Hogan Lovells
Randy Segal, Partner, Hogan LovellsWith 20 years of in-house general counsel experience, Randy Segal brings an individual perspective to every matter she handles, both as your outside counsel and as someone who has walked in your shoes. With a focus on satellite, wireless, drone, and technology transactions, Randy provides commercially practical solutions in industries where technological change is ever-present. Randy’s practice often involves multi-level chess games, where every move needs to be considered from a multitude of angles to be successful.
As a result, Randy’s practice is reflected in three segments. First, as co-leader of the Space and Satellite practice, Randy has handled many types of transactions, from day-to-day matters to the most complex international transactions for industry operators, investors, and technology providers. She has been involved in taking companies public, advising on acquisitions, divestitures, and complex cross-border joint ventures, as well as large satellite system development, deployments and funding.
Second, as an advisor to technology investors and their portfolio companies, Randy has advised on transactions focused on big data analytics, IT, wireless systems, spectrum licenses, environmental analytics, wireless proximity analysis, drone technology, terrestrial positioning, and other innovative technologies.
Third, Randy provides “strand of pearls” advice to global clients, working seamlessly with our international offices to develop familiar, comfortable and “right-sized” solutions. Randy’s extensive cross-border experience has resulted in an extensive tool-kit of resolutions for the most complex of legal regimes. Randy’s transactional and advisory experience is both deep and broad, working throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and on the most complex of international programs and legal issues.
President of the Commercial Group
Comtech Satellite Network Technologies
Dr. Vagan Shakhgildian, President of the Commercial Group, Comtech Satellite Network TechnologiesVagan Shakhgildian was named President of the Commercial Group of Comtech Satellite Network Technologies in June 2021. He joined Comtech in March 2021, as part of the acquisition of Canada-based UHP Networks. As the CEO of UHP Networks, he led the company from a virtual start-up to a market leader in high-performance VSAT systems.
Prior to that Dr. Shakhgildian was the President and COO of Advantech Wireless, Head of Research at Adaptive Broadband and held senior R&D positions with Motorola and Signal Processors. Dr. Shakhgildian holds advanced degrees in mathematics and electronic engineering, as well as an MBA from the London Business School.
President and CEO
KSAT - KONGSBERG SATELLITE SERVICES
Rolf Skatteboe, President and CEO, KSAT - KONGSBERG SATELLITE SERVICESRolf Skatteboe is president and CEO of Kongsberg Satellite Services AS (KSAT).
Rolf was one of the founders of KSAT and has been CEO since the start 2002. He worked with at the Norwegian Space Agency for 10 years. He was responsible for the development of the Svalbard ground station
Rolf is MSc, Medical Physics and Biomedical engineering, Norwegian Institute of Technology, 1984 and MSc, GeoPhysics, University of Saskatchewan, Canada, 1994. He has management courses at Norwegian University of Business and Economics. He holds various board positions.
KSAT is a commercial Norwegian company, providing ground station and earth observation services primarily from polar orbiting satellites. KSAT is located with its headquarters in Tromsø, Norway. The company owns and operates ground stations located at 15 different locations world wide. KSAT is operating more than 200 antenna installations at 24 locations and is supporting approximately 150 different satellite systems more than 50 000 times pr month.
Head of Communications
KSAT - KONGSBERG SATELLITE SERVICES
Nina Soleng, Head of Communications, KSAT - KONGSBERG SATELLITE SERVICESNina 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.
Partner and Associate Director
Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
S. Sita Sonty, Partner and Associate Director, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)Sita Sonty is Partner and Associate Director in the Aerospace And Defense and Public Sector practices of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). She held senior roles as a former U.S. diplomat and aerospace executive.
Sita made history as the Head of Human Spaceflight Sales at SpaceX, where she executed the first private spaceflight sales on the Crew Dragon on a Flyer and to the International Space Station. Sita also guided global market strategy for Starlink’s expansion Lower Earth Orbit Free as the next generation telecommunications market offering.
As Vice President for International Business with the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), Sita directed Business Review Teams on international defense and space sales pursuits, including capture management, risk mitigation, legal, tax, finance, supply chain, engineering, and product design.
A Director for National Security, Sita led Raytheon’s corporate engagement with U.S. Executive Branch agencies and ensured the corporation’s compliance with legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks for multiple governments.
Sita amassed over seventeen years of service as a career U.S. diplomat. Sita led the International Security Advisory Board bringing A&D companies’ strategic recommendations to Secretary Kerry; she also served as Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs and Senior Advisor for Defense Sales to South and Central Asia. Her overseas posts include Croatia, Libya, Syria, Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq (2004), and Egypt.
She graduated with distinction from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; studied at Jussieu in Paris (1998) and the Centre des Etudes Maghrebienne en Tunisie (CEMAT) (2001); and graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College in Political Science and Economics. Her native tongue is Telugu; she also speaks Hindi, French, Arabic, Croatian, and Urdu. Sita serves as Executive Board Member for Women in Aerospace, The Johns Hopkins University President’s Alumni Council, and the Washington Leadership Program.
Founder & Chairman
Mansat
Chris Stott, Founder & Chairman, MansatChris Stott serves as the Executive Chairman of ManSat. Chris cofounded ManSat in 1998 with his father, Bryan, and over the following 20 years grew the company as its President and CEO to become the largest commercial provider of satellite spectrum in the global space industry. Chris also serves as the Chair of IceSat, ManSat’s subsidiary company in Iceland.
In 2000 Chris left his position as Director of International Commercialization and Sales with Lockheed Martin Space Operations to become ManSat’s President. Prior to his work with Lockheed Martin, Chris was an executive with the McDonnell Douglas and the Boeing Company working in International Business Development on the Delta Launch Vehicle program.
President
Stottler Henke Associates, Inc.
Richard H. Stottler, President, Stottler Henke Associates, Inc.Mr. Stottler founded Stottler Henke in 1988 and is a lead AI researcher there. He combines a very strong applied research record in artificial intelligence with practical experience in rapid and efficient knowledge engineering and AI system design and fielding. He was or is the Project Manager on many Stottler Henke’s space application scheduling systems, including satellite and ground resource scheduling and aerospace manufacturing scheduling. He also leads Stottler Henke’s automatic intelligent fault detection, diagnosis, reconfiguration, recovery, and replanning systems.
President
SIA - Satellite Industry Association
Tom Stroup, President, SIA - Satellite Industry AssociationAs 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.
CEO
Arrasar Partners
Dr. Paul Struhsaker, CEO, Arrasar PartnersExperienced 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.
Managing Partner
Detente Strategies
Miguel Valero, Managing Partner, Detente StrategiesSpecializing in satellite technology and space industries, Miguel has been working most recently with New Space companies in a variety of business propositions for both public and private companies in the US and internationally, he has identified and leveraged strengths, minimized risks, forecasted technological trends, and fostered insights to successfully help clients in achieving their goals. Miguel has a keen understanding and proven experience navigating the nuances of US domestic and international business strategic growth.
Miguel currently leads a strategy and financial advisory firm that focuses on technology associated with telecommunications, satellites, and space. With over 30 years of experience, Miguel is an accomplished C-suite level business strategist, bringing passion, expertise, insights, and refined skills to maximize value, realize ROI, and achieve growth targets.
Currently seats on the Board of Sidus Space (NASDAQ: SIDU) and has worked for Lockheed Martin, Boeing Satellite Systems (formerly Hughes Communications), and Motorola in various executive positions.
Miguel holds a BSEE in electronics and telecommunications. He also supports a mentoring programs for several US and international Universities providing guidance to graduate students wanting to join the space industry. He is an avid endurance ultrarunner and provides coaching to colleague runners training for marathons and ultramarathons. He brings energy, thoughtful and deliberate guidance and action, and a genuine passion to every endeavor to help others achieve their goals.
President and Chief Executive Officer
XipLink
Jack Waters, President and Chief Executive Officer, XipLinkMr. Waters joined XipLink in 2007 to help spin-off from the former parent company, Xiphos Technologies of Montreal, Quebec (Canada), and to establish XipLink as a significant market player for WAN optimization in satellite and wireless communications. Prior to XipLink, he was Senior Vice President of Global Sales at iDirect Technologies, Inc. from 2001 to 2007, where he was a key contributor to the senior management team that resurrected a struggling dot-com business to a leader in IP based satellite VSAT systems. iDirect was sold to Singapore Technologies in 2005 for $165M USD.
Prior to iDirect Mr. Waters was VP of Worldwide Sales for CoManage Corporation, a software developer of OSS Systems for ISP’s, CLEC’s and Alternative Telco’s. Other career accomplishments include FORE Systems as Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region for this leader in ATM switch technologies, where his team consistently obtained top-performing company awards. During his tenure at FORE, Mr. Waters led the company into the next generation Service Provider market by closing the first large-scale ATM networks at internetMCI, UUNET and America Online along with early wins in the ATM enterprise market at accounts such as Dupont, Comsat, Virginia Tech University, Lockheed-Martin and Johns Hopkins University. Prior to FORE Systems, Mr. Waters held regional sales positions at Network Systems Corporation from 1984 to 1994 and Wang Computer from 1980 to 1984. Mr. Waters attended Michigan State University, where he was named Captain of the MSU Ski Team in 1979 and graduated with a B.S. in Accounting in 1980.