As International Space Station (ISS) Program Manager, Mr. Montalbano is responsible for the overall management, development, integration, and operation of the ISS. This nearly $3B per year, 15-nation program encompasses the design, manufacture, testing, and delivery of complex space flight hardware and software and its integration with modules from international partners (IP) into a fully-functional and operating ISS with a permanent human presence. In addition, he is responsible for policy development, IP negotiations, development of low Earth orbit (LEO) commercialization, on-board research and utilization, and the overall safety and health of the crew and on-orbit vehicle.

You may remember Bobak Ferdowsi from such things as: Battlebots, Cupcake Wars, and Sharknado 3, but by day he is the Behaviors & Fault Protection lead for the joint NASA-ISRO mission, an Earth-observing satellite launching in 2022 to evaluate global environmental change and hazards. His prior positions have included Europa Clipper flight system engineer, Integrated Launch and Cruise Engineer on Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity, and Science Planner on the Cassini mission. In addition he served as a Flight Director during Curiosity operations. Bobak earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2001 from the University of Washington and subsequently his Master of Science in the same area from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He’s always wanted to explore the universe, plays shortstop in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory softball league, batted 0.817 last year, and usually rides his bike to work. He’s passionate about making science & engineering accessible to all.

Angie Wise is the Director of Mission Assurance at Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC).  Her team supports all of the space exploration programs at SNC, including the Dream Chaser^®spaceplane program. Dream Chaser is a reusable space cargo vehicle which will be used by NASA to send critical science and cargo to the International Space Station.  Before coming to SNC, Angie worked for NASA on many missions, including the development of science missions that have flown on the space station, the development of a thermal protection material and repair method for the space shuttle following the Columbia disaster, and the development of the Space Launch System which will be used to take crew members back to the Moon.

Karina Perez is the Manager for Unmanned and Emerging Aviation Technologies at the Aerospace Industries Association. In this role, she works with AIA’s members regarding Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Urban Mobility, and Spectrum among other areas, and works to find industry consensus on complex issues facing the aviation industry.

Dr. Tanya Harrison has worked as a scientist and in mission operations on multiple NASA Mars missions over the past 12 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Western Ontario, a Masters in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University, and a B.Sc. in Astronomy and Physics from the University of Washington. Currently she is the Director of Science Strategy for the Federal arm of Planet Labs. Tanya is also an advocate for accessibility in STEM.

Obinna “Obi” Anyadiegwu is a Project Engineer at the legendary Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. Obi holds a B.E in Mechanical & Energy Engineering from The University of North Texas.

Ryan is a software engineer for the ATLAS Freedom Platform with experience developing technologies enabling Ground Station as a Service including scheduling, hardware automation, operational systems, and data backhaul. In addition to his technical contributions, Ryan is the post chairman of the ATLAS Space Explorers, a STEM organization focused on exposing students to career opportunities in the space industry through technical projects and entrepreneurship. Ryan holds a B.S. in computer engineering from Marquette University.

Remco Timmermans is a social media marketer specialized in the space industry. He runs his own social media agency ‘Seventy Media’, creating and running online campaigns for a wide variety of space customers around the world. Remco is also the CEO of the SpaceUp Foundation, an adjunct faculty member of the International Space University and one of the driving forces behind Spaceagenda.com. Recently Remco was announced as the leading #EUInfluencer for Space in 2020, an award for the most influential social media users in relation to different policy areas in the European Union.

Kathryn Robison Hasani is a Science Communications Consultant at Communicate Space Consulting working with STEM professionals and students. She is also a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Alabama in Political Science in the fields of American Politics and International Relations, with an outside minor in Communication. Kat also holds degrees in Anthropology, Near Eastern Studies, and American Studies from the University of Arizona and Youngstown State University. She has traveled the world for research and language studies, and is a poet and podcaster. Her research interests are in the fields of space policy and communication (both political and science) with a particular interest in the role communication plays in the formation and dissemination of national space policies. In addition to her scicomm work, she currently teaches Political Science at the University of Alabama and Wake Technical Community College. Kat is also a member of the International Astronautical Federations’s Space Education and Outreach and Workforce Development/Young Professionals Programme Committees and serves as the coordinator for the Next Generation Plenary Steering Committee.