26th National Space Symposium Events Will Focus on “New Generation” Space Professionals

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Mar. 10, 2010) — Building upon an initiative started at the 25th National Space Symposium, the Space Foundation is offering a robust program this year targeted specifically to younger space professionals who are attending the 26th National Space Symposium. The premier gathering of the global space community will be held April 12-15 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Part of the Space Foundation’s New Generation Leadership Initiative, the activities include a leadership exchange and an opening reception on April 12, workshops on April 13 and April 14, and a working lunch with space journalist Miles O’Brien on April 15. All events are geared toward Symposium attendees, ages 35 and younger, who are in the early stages of their careers or are completing their educations.
 
To further extend the program, which builds on several smaller initiatives offered last year, the Symposium features new generation speakers on the main agenda, and will close with a Thursday-night reception that celebrates the New Generation initiatives, co-sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, the Space Generation Advisory Council, and Astrium North America, for all attendees.

There are no additional fees for eligible attendees to participate in the targeted events, but registration is required. New Generation participants are encouraged to participate in dialog about the upcoming activities at the 26th National Space Symposium and future New Generation Leadership Initiative activities through Twitter, #NewGenSpace.

Attendance is already confirmed for representatives from many of the Space Foundation’s Corporate Member companies, the military, the Space Generation Advisory Council, George Washington University, and International Space University.

About the Leadership Exchange
The New Generation Leadership Exchange will provide attendees with an exclusive opportunity to get career advice from distinguished and experienced industry leaders in a dynamic environment. Using a “speed mentoring” format, the participants will meet briefly in small groups with the executives, rotating through multiple mentoring sessions during the event. The confirmed executives are:

• Graham J. Gibbs, counsellor space affairs, Canadian Space Agency
• Paul Graziani, president and co-founder, AGI
• Lon Levin, president, SkySevenVentures
• Joanne Maguire, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
• Clayton Mowry, president, Arianespace, Inc.
• Patti Grace Smith, principal, Patti Grace Smith Consulting
• Kay Sears, president, Intelsat General, and co-chair, President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC)
• Dave Taylor, president and chief executive officer, Ball Aerospace
• Deborah Westphal, managing partner, Toffler Associates

The Leadership Exchange, which will be held Monday afternoon, April 12, will be followed by a reception exclusively for New Generation attendees.

About the Workshops
The New Generation Leadership Initiative at the 26th National Space Symposium includes two mid-day workshops.

On April 13, attendees will explore What is Next for Me? as they hear tactical advice from “mid-stride” space professionals to help them advance in the short-term, complimenting the long-term perspective they will get at the Monday Leadership Exchange.

On April 14, the Social Networking Applications for Advancing Space workshop will give participants a chance to see how Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites are being used to build awareness, understanding, and excitement about space exploration and space careers.
 
About the Working Luncheon with Miles O’Brien
On April 15, New Generation attendees will get a special treat: an intimate working luncheon with space journalist Miles O’Brien.

A 26-year broadcast news veteran, O’Brien partners with SpaceFlightNow.com, streaming live webcasts of the Space Shuttle launches, and producing a weekly video podcast of space news called This Week in Space. He spent nearly 17 years as CNN’s science, aerospace, technology and environment correspondent, where one of his primary assignments was covering the U.S. space program. O’Brien led CNN’s acclaimed coverage of the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia; he co-anchored, with broadcast veteran Walter Cronkite, CNN’s coverage of John Glenn’s return to space; and he produced, shot, and wrote a one-hour documentary on readying a Space Shuttle for flight, Terminal Count: What it Takes to Make the Space Shuttle Fly. O’Brien serves as chairman of the Education and Public Outreach Committee of the NASA Advisory Council. An active pilot, airplane owner, and a lover of all things that fly, O’Brien was slated to be the first journalist to fly on the Space Shuttle before the Columbia accident ended that dream. He blogs regularly at http://milesobrien.com.
 
In addition to hosting the luncheon, O’Brien is also moderating a panel on the 26th National Space Symposium agenda called Why We Fly – Common Experience, Uncommon Perspectives.

About the Main Agenda
New Generation space professionals also have a role on the main agenda for the 26th National Space Symposium.  Joshua Harris, principal with Toffler Associates, will serve as Cyber 1.0  master moderator, Ariane Cornell, executive director of the Space Generation Advisory Council will serve as Tuesday’s master moderator, and Jaisha J. Wray, foreign affairs officer for the U.S. Department of State, will be Thursday’s master moderator. In addition, Agnieszka Lukaszczyk, co-chairperson of the (and space policy consultant for the Secure World Foundation) served on the judging panel that selected the 2010 Space Technology Hall of Fame® inductees. O’Brien also served on that panel.

About the Reception in Celebration of New Generation Initiatives
To ensure that the entire 26th National Space Symposium audience is aware of the program, everyone who attends the Symposium is invited to a closing reception, co-sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, the Space Generation Advisory Council, and Astrium North America, in celebration of New Generation Initiatives on April 15 after the Space Technology Hall of Fame® Dinner. Attendees do not have to register specifically to attend this event.

About the 26th National Space Symposium
The 26th National Space Symposium offers workshops, forums, panels, and presentations covering all aspects of space. It combines serious discussion with high-level networking and extraordinary events, including the Opening Ceremony featuring Barrage, the General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award Luncheon honoring former NASA astronaut John Young, and the final evening’s Space Technology Hall of Fame® Dinner featuring actor and Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award Recipient Leonard Nimoy.

Online registration and more information, including agenda, speakers, and exhibitors, are available at www.NationalSpaceSymposium.org.

26th National Space Symposium Sponsors
Sponsors of the 26th National Space Symposium include AGI, AMERICOM Government Services (AGS), ARES Corporation, Astrium North America, Astrotech Space Operations, ATK, AVIATION WEEK, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, CEAVCO, Cisco Systems, Inc., Cobham, CSC, Defense Systems, General Dynamics, GMV, IBM, Intelsat General Corporation, International Space University, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Orbital, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Raytheon, SAIC, Space Generation Advisory Council, Space News, Space Systems/Loral, SpaceX, Stellar Solutions, and United Space Alliance.

Additional sponsorship opportunities are available; interested companies should contact [email protected]. To be put on the waiting list for exhibit space, contact [email protected].

About the Space Foundation
The Space Foundation is an international, nonprofit organization and the foremost advocate for all sectors of the space industry – civil, commercial, military and intelligence. Founded in 1983, the Space Foundation is a leader in space awareness activities, educational programs that bring space into the classroom, and major industry events, all in support of its mission “to advance space-related endeavors to inspire, enable, and propel humanity.” An expert in all aspects of the global space industry, the Space Foundation publishes The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity and provides three indices that track daily performance of the space industry. Through its Space Certification and Space Technology Hall of Fame®  programs, the Space Foundation recognizes space-based technologies and innovations that have been adapted to improve life on Earth. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, the Space Foundation conducts research and analysis and government affairs activities from its Washington, D.C., office and has field representatives in Houston, Texas, and Cape Canaveral, Fla. For more information, visit www.SpaceFoundation.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and read about the latest space news and Space Foundation activities in Space Watch.

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