SpaceVision 2024
Oct 3rd – 5th
Denver, CO
2024 Speakers A-D
Alires Almon is a multi-disciplinary innovation technology leader who has led the Innovation Technology Lab as the Director of Innovation at WellPower focusing on digital behavioral health. She was Partner Director at the Artificial Intelligence Institute at Iliff School of Theology. Alires served on several international initiatives, most notably the DARPA seed-funded 100-Year Starship project. She founded Deep Space Predictive Research Group to create innovative behavioral technologies. After chairing the Colorado Space Business Roundtable, she was named chair of the CSBR J.E.D.I. committee
Emily is an analog astronaut and specialist in human performance training and human factors consulting for astronaut training and analog missions. She leads the Stellar Training for Astronaut Readiness (STAR) programs, focusing on physical and mental readiness, team dynamics, and optimizing human factors for space missions. She also spearheaded the International Guidelines and Standards for Space Analogs (IGSA) and is the Director of Training and Crew Selection for the World’s Biggest Analog.
Brian Barnett, Founder and CEO, Solstar Space, is a serial entrepreneur with 36 years’ experience in civil and commercial space and the mobile satellite services industry. He began his career at NASA where he provided payload development and integration on the Space Shuttle, and he provided training to astronauts as an Astronaut Crew Interface Coordinator. After NASA, he helped lead and grow KPMG’s Commercial Space management consultancy. Solstar Space has flown its Space WiFi and Space Communicators to space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket multiple times, has earned several Space Force SBIR contracts for its space communications hardware, and the company is Brian’s third successful commercial satellite services start-up.
Keri Bean is currently a mech flight controller on the Dream Chaser flight operations team at Sierra Space. Previously she spent 10 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as the deputy lead Mars rover driver and robotic arm operator for the Curiosity rover, along with working on Ingenuity, Opportunity, Perseverance, Mars Sample Return, Dawn, NEAScout, Psyche, and Europa Clipper. She got her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University in meteorology and was actively involved in Texas A&M SEDS (including the SpaceVision 2008 committee) and was an officer in SEDS-USA.
Juanitta “AJ” Bekoe is a Systems Engineer at BAE Systems Inc. – Space and Mission Systems (FKA Ball Aerospace), specializing in systems traceability and supporting on-orbit spacecraft operations. A recent graduate of Syracuse University, AJ is an avid space enthusiast and STEM education advocate. She is an alumna of the award-winning Patti Grace Smith Fellowship and now serves on the program’s Executive Team.
For most of her career Meredith Beveridge enjoyed embedded programming in highly constrained environments, including flight software for spacecraft. In recent years she has been delighted to apply my problem-solving skills at the leadership level, guiding project managers and technical leads to produce quality results and get the most out of their teams.
Rius Billing is a key contributor to all the US Mars landers & rovers delivered in the last 30 years: Sojourner Rover (1997) Mars Exploration Rovers (2003) Mars Phoenix Lander (2008) Mars Science Laboratory Rover (2012) Mars Insight Lander (2018) Mars 2020 Rover (2020), and Chief Engineer on all the robotic arms & zoom cameras operating on Mars.
Robin Bruce FN, BSN, RN is a leading advocate for nurses in space and the urgency to address mental health in interstellar travel. Robin’s 39-plus year nursing career has been centered around respiratory and immunology medicine, aeromedical evacuation, infection control (for which she received a USAF Commendation Medal), communicable disease management and clinical research, including Recombinant DNA (the forerunner of stem cell research), drug resistant tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and the COVID-19 pandemic – all of which have marked space and behavioral health implications. Robin continues to make gains for the integration of space physiology into Nursing curriculum and the necessity of holistic preventative health care for successful off-planet habitation and interstellar travel.
Dr. Annette Cannon is a registered nurse and coroner. She has served in many different roles throughout her long healthcare career, including psychiatric nursing, forensics, death investigation, and recently space nursing. She continues her goal of advancing the fields of nursing, forensics, and space, through collaborating and providing education to others.
Dr. Monty Greer
Dr. Charleman started his healthcare career within the US Army serving as a combat medic and eventually as a surgical technologist from 1985 to 1993, using the GI bill he was able to continue his education simultaneously working within the healthcare industry and eventually moving to healthcare education. He currently is the Executive Dean of Health Sciences at Pikes Peak State College and serves as The Association of Surgical Technology National President representing 60,000 Surgical Technologists.
Bradley Cheetham is a lifelong space advocate, highly experienced engineer, a three-time entrepreneur and, seasoned graduate-level instructor. He is best known as the co-founder and CEO of Advanced Space where he leads company in its efforts to enable the sustainable exploration, development, and settlement of space by delivering solutions in flight dynamics, technology development, and rapid turn-key missions to clients across the space industry. Advanced Space is the owner and operator of the CAPSTONE spacecraft, which successfully arrived at the Moon in 2022 as a pathfinder for NASA’s Artemis program. Bradley serves as the PI for this mission which represents the first-ever commercial spacecraft to operate at the Moon.
Harper Cheyenne is one of the recipients of the Todd B. Hawley Award for Excellence for SEDS. She attended the following conferences: SpaceVision 2019, Satellite 2020, PTMSS 2021, Citrus Spaceport 2021, Satellite 2021. And spoke at: SpaceVision 2020, Owls in Space Symposium 2021, SESA 2021, (“Space Paint-Along Workshop” instructing artist), and SpaceVision 2021.
Vanessa has served in roles in spacecraft systems engineering, mission design, propulsion, and program management at Astrium (now) Airbus Defense and Space), DLR (The German Aerospace Centre) and Lockheed Martin. In 2017, Vanessa co-founded Atomos Space with the goal to remove the barriers to accessing and maneuvering in space that she experienced throughout her career. Outside of Atomos Space, Vanessa serves on the Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations (CONFERS) Board of Directors to contribute to a sustainable, safe, and diverse space economy.
Miekkal Clarkson has a strong background in space exploration, with experience as a Support Engineer at Advanced Space and previously serving as the Executive Director at SEDS. His role at ASU NewSpace Initiative involves coordinating partnerships between space industry professionals and academic researchers. Miekkal also has experience in research and outreach, including compiling settlement science research and assisting with educational events at Raytheon. With a Bachelor’s degree in Exploration Systems Design and a minor in Sustainability Studies, Miekkal brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the field of space exploration.
Damian Clogher is a young aerospace engineer at Boeing with a lifelong passion for space. Aside from his professional career, he serves as an Ambassador for the Planetary Sunshade Foundation, which seeks to advance the concept of space sunshades to help mitigate climate change.
John Conafay is a US Air Force Veteran and the CEO and Co-Founder of Integrate, building program management software for the world’s most ambitious machines. Previously he was an early employee at three space unicorns – Head of BD at ABL Space Systems, was one of the first ten employees at Astranis, and Interned at Spire Global early on. He also worked at the Office of the CFO NASA Headquarters while at BryceTech and was a Director of Business Development at Spaceflight.
Charlie Course has multi-level leadership skills with various organizations and experience operating the military and space industry’s most sophisticated technical systems while leading some of the most highly trained and talented people in the military. He has been fortunate to thrive in the private sector and develop programs across multiple celestial bodies. Charlie continues to use his analysis, program management, and business acumen to improve organizational capabilities and grow revenue.
Austin Cyrus leads the Advanced Programs division of Lunar Outpost, directing a variety of projects and programs from inception to initial mission. He also leads the Crew Systems Integrated Product Team for the Lunar Terrain Vehicle contract with NASA, providing the next generation of lunar mobility for NASA astronauts. His previous experience at the company includes leading the flight-testing team at Lunar Outpost for MAPP and working on Lunar Outpost’s flagship rover, MAPP. Austin has worked a variety of systems on MAPP ahead of its flights in 2025, 2026 and 2027, including mechanical, aerospace, and robotics engineering. Austin has further experience in autonomy and control systems at Lunar Outpost in the development of three prototype rovers from the MAPP family, as well as his time as a Flight Control Systems Engineer at Sunlight Aerospace.
Paul Deaderick is an analytical intelligence, space operations and engineering professional with 20+ years of diverse operations and technical knowledge across complex government and commercial aerospace, internet technologies, and communications infrastructure construction management. He is a transformational leader skilled in implementing organizational strategies that ensure efficient utilization of resources, improving productivity, reducing costs, aligning critical processes, and deploying technologies with strategic enterprise goals. Paul leverages project management tools to analyze requirements, develop budgets, schedules, resolve critical path issues, mitigate risks, and lead technical cross functional teams.
William S. Devereux is the Program Manager for Academics and an instructor for Johns Hopkins University’s Space Systems Engineering master’s degree program. He enjoyed a 42-year career with the Johns Hopkins/Applied Physics Lab’s Space Exploration Sector, initially leading the development of GPS tracking, navigation, and communications systems for missiles and spacecraft and then for 20+ years as a senior engineering manager during the development of the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury (MESSENGER), the first to fly past Pluto (New Horizons), and the first to touch the sun (Parker Solar Probe). Of the 75+ spacecraft APL has developed since the dawn of the space age, the most ambitious he supported is DragonFly, a car-sized, nuclear-powered octocopter that will explore the surface of a distant ocean world, Saturn’s moon Titan, seeking to change our understanding of life in the universe.
Kelsie Diaz is a higher education professional with nearly a decade of experience in enrollment management, recruiting, and student affairs. A first-generation college student, she holds a BS in Sociology and an MS in Political Science. Kelsie is passionate about enhancing the graduate student life cycle and is dedicated to creating supportive environments that empower students to thrive.
Burt Dicht is the Managing Director of Membership for the National Space Society, based at the Kennedy Space Center. He retired as Director of Student and Academic Programs for the IEEE, where he developed educational initiatives for engineering faculty and students. Burt’s aerospace career includes contributions to the YF-23A and F-18E/F at Northrop Grumman, as well as space shuttle payload integration at Rockwell. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Temple University and an M.A. in History from California State University, Northridge. Burt has authored numerous articles on aerospace and technology history and is a frequent guest speaker on aerospace topics.
Jennifer Dooley is a recognized principal systems engineer with over 25 years of leadership experience in spaceflight technology development, instrument system engineering, mission formulation and flight implementation at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She has had a diverse career since joining as an academic part time student, including roles on Spitzer Space Telescope, the CheMin instrument on the Curiosity Mars Rover, and Europa Lander Pre-Project. She has a BS in Applied Physics from Caltech and an MS & PhD from Carnegie Mellon University. Most recently Jennifer was the Project System Engineer for Europa Clipper, an outer planets flagship mission. She is currently serving as (acting) JPL Deputy Chief Engineer.
As a Research Professor and Associate Director of Engineering at the Center for Space Resources and Faculty in the Space Resources Program, Dr. Chris Dreyer has led research projects consisting of graduate students, undergraduate students, and other faculty members in research topics from instrument development, space resources, and energy systems. He is the co-creator of the CSM Space Resources Program, developing several cases including Space Resources Fundamentals, and Space Resources Project I and II. With a background is in mechanical engineering, Dr. Dreyer has primarily focused on experimental methods. His research includes thermal sciences, heat transfer, combustion devices, laser and optical spectroscopy instruments, mechanical systems, design, and space resource systems.
Juan graduated from Rice University with a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and a Certificate in Engineering Leadership. He was recognized with the Robert H. Parks Leadership Award for his leadership endeavors in and outside of Rice.
As student director of the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership in the midst of the COVID pandemic, Juan created an opportunity to provide students with a virtual career fair exhibiting companies who have never recruited at Rice before. As Projects Chair of SEDS, Juan helped design Rice University’s first 1U CubeSat for the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative. He also led SpaceVision 2021 National Conference at NASA Space Center Houston, welcoming over 500 students from around the nation to share their passion for space and to engage with and learn from astronauts, industry leaders, and recruiting companies.