SpaceVision 26
SpaceVision Speakers
Jordan Charles
Senior Vice President, New Glenn
Blue Origin
Jordan Charles is the Senior Vice President of the New Glenn Heavy-Lift Orbital Launch Vehicle for Blue Origin. In this role, he’s responsible for the overall strategy, business plan, and execution of the New Glenn business unit, including both 7x2 and 9x4 vehicles.
Jordan previously was the Vice President and General Manager of the New Glenn Stage 1 reusable booster program. He led the team responsible for the design, development, manufacturing, and certification of one of the world’s largest reusable rocket stages.
Before joining Blue Origin, Jordan held leadership positions at Boeing and Lockheed Martin across engineering, supply chain, and program management.
Jordan is an engineer and inventor at heart. He has authored several international peer-reviewed journal publications and patented several aerospace design and manufacturing concepts that have subsequently served as key product architecture enablers.
Jordan holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University, a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master’s in Business Administration from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Jordan also serves on the Board of FIRST WA Robotics and has a strong passion for STEM, with a goal of making STEM careers more accessible to underserved communities.
Andy Aldrin
CEO and President
Aldrin Family Foundation
Dr. Andrew Aldrin is the CEO and President of the Aldrin Family Foundation, a nonprofit that uses the inspiration of space to support STEAM education, and the Executive Director for Space Programs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He previously served as President of Moon Express and held business development and advanced programs roles at United Launch Alliance and in Boeing's NASA Systems and Launch Services units. Dr. Aldrin holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from UCLA, an MBA from TRIUM, and master's degrees from George Washington University and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Jacki Cortese
Vice President, Civil Space
Blue Origin
Jacqueline (Jacki) Cortese is Vice President of Civil Space at Blue Origin, where she leads the company's engagement and business development efforts with NASA and global civil agencies. She joined Blue Origin in January 2017 and previously led lunar sales and civil space government relations. As Director of Lunar Sales, Jacki led capture for the company's successful NASA Human Landing System bid valued at $3.4 billion.
Prior to Blue Origin, Jacki was a Federal Strategy and Operations Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting in Washington, DC. At Deloitte, she worked with clients across the Department of Homeland Security, leading two multi-million-dollar analytics and technology transformation projects. Prior to Deloitte, she worked on space policy issues at the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
Jacki holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management as well as undergraduate degrees in History, International Relations, and Politics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her academic research on the creation and policy impact of the 1980s Congressional Space Caucus was selected for publication by the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.