Colin Ake
Executive Director of Incubation and Commercialization, Kennesaw State University
Ake plays a leadership role in innovation and entrepreneurship at KSU and oversees HatchBridge Incubator. He brings deep roots in the space industry, having served as Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Masten Space Systems, where he led NASA and JPL contract work focused on maturing precision landing technology and developing commercial lunar landers. His work spans early-stage company formation, deep-technology commercialization, and university-to-industry translation across the Southeast. He holds a BS and MBA from Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business.
Major General Jim Armor, USAF (Retired)Major General Jim Armor, USAF (Retired)
Founder and CEO, The Armor Group LLC
Armor served 34 years in the U.S. Air Force in a variety of space-related positions including Director of the GPS Program, Director of Signals Intelligence at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and as a trained Space Shuttle payload specialist. Armor then spent 12 years in industry developing small satellites, robotic on-orbit servicing spacecraft and heavy launch systems. He served on several boards including the NASA Advisory Council (NAC), and retired from Northrop Grumman as a Director of Government Relations in Washington, DC. A Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Armor earned his Masters in Electro-Optics/Lasers from the AF Institute of Technology (AFIT).
Stephanie R. Bednarek
Vice President of Commercial Sales, SpaceX
Stephanie Bednarek is the Director of Commercial Sales at SpaceX. She previously served as Government Affairs Manager overseeing civil space policy and strategy. Before joining SpaceX, she held roles with organizations including George Washington University Space Policy Institute, Space Foundation, and Orbital Sciences Corporation. She has also served in leadership and volunteer roles across major aerospace organizations and holds degrees in aerospace engineering and science and technology policy from the University of Virginia and George Washington University.
Steve Braverman
Managing Partner, Creations VC
Steve Braverman is Co-Chairman and co-founder of Pathstone and a leader at Creations VC, where he supports investments in deep tech, defense, and space technologies shaping the future industrial economy. With more than 30 years of experience advising ultra-high-net-worth families and family offices, he is widely recognized for his leadership in wealth management, governance, and multi-generational investing. Braverman is also actively involved in philanthropy and innovation initiatives, including supporting dual-value space technology programs and emerging space economy ventures.
Stef Crum
Co-Founder and CEO, Reditus Space
Stef Crum is the Co-Founder and CEO of Reditus Space, a company building the world's first reusable satellites. He has led multiple teams developing satellite missions and continues to redefine satellite operations. He holds a PhD from Georgia Tech in aerospace engineering, and a BSc from the Technical University Delft.
Stephen Fleming
Founder, Boostphase
Stephen Fleming is the founder of Boostphase, a Tucson-based consulting firm focused on technology commercialization, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and innovation management. A Georgia Tech alumnus and former Georgia Tech executive, he has led university economic development, technology ventures, and early-stage startup support. He is also active in the space sector as an investor, founding member of the Space Angels Network, and founder and chair of the Arizona Space Business Roundtable.
Robyn Gatens
NASA’s Director, International Space Station and Commercial Spaceflight Divisions (Retired)
Robyn Gatens is the retired Director of the International Space Station and Commercial Spaceflight Divisions at NASA, where she led strategy and stakeholder engagement for the ISS, commercial crew, and low Earth orbit programs supporting Artemis and future commercial space development. Over her 39-year NASA career, she managed life support and habitation systems for human spaceflight and held multiple leadership roles at NASA Marshall Space Flight Centerbefore moving to NASA Headquarters in 2012. Gatens is a recipient of NASA’s Outstanding Leadership and Exceptional Achievement Medals and earned a chemical engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Josh Ingersoll
Senior Manager, Government Lasercom Products, Amazon Leo
Ingersoll is Senior Manager of Government Lasercom Products at Amazon Leo. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and SSPI Promise Award recipient, he serves as Executive Director of the Matthew Isakowitz Commercial Space Scholarship and sits on the ITU Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Board. He holds a BS and MS in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech and graduate degrees in business and international space policy from George Washington University.
Shane Kimbrough
Vice President of Strategic Operations, Quanta Services
Shane Kimbrough currently serves as Vice President of Strategic Operations at Quanta Services, a leading provider of comprehensive solutions across the energy infrastructure industry. Prior to joining Quanta Services, he served the United States as both an Army officer and a NASA astronaut. Over the course of his aerospace career, he completed three spaceflights to the International Space Station, accumulating 388 days in space. He commanded the ISS during Expeditions 49 and 50 and most recently served as Mission Commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission. He holds a Master of Science in Operations Research from the Georgia Institute of Technology and brings a proven record of leadership, operational rigor, and mission-driven execution across complex, high-risk environments.
Sandra Magnus
Principal, AstroPlanetview, LLC
Sandra Magnus is Principal at AstroPlanetview, LLC and a Professor of the Practice at Georgia Institute of Technology. A former NASA astronaut and Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, she flew on multiple Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions, including the final shuttle flight, STS-135. Magnus has also served as Executive Director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and as the Department of Defense’s Deputy Director of Engineering.
Bill McArthur
Consultant, ISS12 Consulting, Astrion
William S. McArthur Jr. is a retired NASA astronaut and U.S. Army officer who flew on four space missions, including serving as Commander of International Space Station Expedition 12. During his NASA career, he conducted multiple spacewalks and played key roles in spacecraft and mission operations. McArthur holds engineering degrees from United States Military Academy and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Charlie McGillis
CEO and Founder, 2 Polaris & Beyond, LLC
Colonel, USAF (Retired)
Charlie McGillis is the Founder & CEO of 2 Polaris & Beyond, LLC. She works with clients and partners worldwide on strategy, business development, and engagement across the public and private sectors, with emphasis on the national security space mission area. She is a Partner at Elara Nova Consultancy, a Mentor for the Creative Destruction Lab Space Sector, and serves as a board member, advisor, and STEM advocate. Charlie holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduate degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School, the School of Advanced Military Studies, and the Air War College.
Jeffrey H. Perry
Partner, Nelson Mullins
Jeff Perry is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, where he chairs the firm's Aerospace, Defense, and National Security Practice and leads a private markets practice focused on complex M&A, fund formation, and high-value transactions across the defense and aerospace sectors. He serves as outside general counsel to leading private companies and holds independent director positions at two privately held companies in the Southeast. His practice sits at the intersection of capital formation and national security, advising founders, investors, and operating companies on transactions, governance, and regulatory matters in the defense industrial base. Jeff is based in Atlanta.
Christopher S. Reynolds
Distinguished University Professor, Dept. of Astronomy; Director, Joint Space Science Institute (JSI), University of Maryland
Principal Investigator, Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS)
Christopher Reynolds is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Maryland, Director of the Joint Space Science Institute (JSI), and Principal Investigator for the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS). His research focuses on black holes, high-energy astrophysics, and X-ray astronomy, with leadership roles in several major space science initiatives. Reynolds is internationally recognized for his contributions to understanding the physics of black holes and accretion processes.
Griffith B. Russell
Vice President, Varda Space Industries
Griff is currently Vice President of W-Series Reentry Vehicles at Varda Space Industries. He is a 25+ year space industry veteran with satellite and launch vehicle experience holding leadership roles with Northrop Grumman, Orbital Sciences, SpaceX, Millennium Space Systems and with his own company Gryphon Effect. At SpaceX he served as the first Falcon 9 vehicle manager for 5+ years establishing the foundation for what we see today with F9 launch vehicle reusability and its operational cadence. He holds an MSME from Georgia Tech and a BS with honors in physics-engineering from Washington and Lee.
Will Sherman
CTO, Co-Founder, Reditus Space Inc.
Will Sherman is the Co-founder and CTO of Reditus Space, where he leads the development of reusable reentry vehicles and scalable infrastructure for in-space manufacturing and low Earth orbit operations. Previously, he conducted aerospace research at Georgia Tech, focusing on hypersonics, satellite systems, and cislunar mission design. Sherman holds a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech and has experience leading CubeSat guidance, navigation, and control system development.
Theo Williams III
General Partner, Creations VC
Theo Williams III is a General Partner at Creations VC, where he leads investments in data, energy, infrastructure, defense, and space technologies across the U.S., U.K., and Israel. Previously, he led portfolio development at Salesforce Ventures, managing value-creation initiatives for a global portfolio of more than 550 enterprise software companies. Williams is also an active board leader and advisor focused on innovation, governance, and expanding educational and economic opportunities.
Fen Zhao
AlphaEdison, Director of Data Science & Research
Fen Zhao is AlphaEdison’s Director of Data Science & Research, where she leads data-driven research to identify market opportunities and areas of unmet need. She previously served as a program officer at the National Science Foundation, supporting data science, cybersecurity, and academic research commercialization. She also worked on national security science policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and held a role in McKinsey’s Risk Management practice. Zhao earned a PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford and bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Mathematics with Computer Science from MIT.