Getting Younger
Every Year Where are They Now? Interviews with former Promise winners
Two Ears, One Mouth and a Better World The Orbiter
Join Us as the Future Leaders Dinner Heads West... plus more! Getting Younger Every Year
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CONTENTS
Getting Younger Every Year
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The Sound of Satellite
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Space Cadets - and Proud of It
Where are They Now? Paloma Hawn - 2014 Promise Winner
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Where are They Now? M. Ethan Lucarelli - 2015 Promise Winner
Where are They Now? Sarah Rose - 2013 Promise Winner
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The Dick Tauber Mentorship Fund
Nominate the Next Better Satellite World Award Winner
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Join Us as the Future Leaders Dinner Heads West
Where are They Now? Emma Hinds Lehnhardt - 2013 Promise Winner
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Two Ears, One Mouth and a Better World
Where are They Now? Brian Mengwasser - 2012 Promise Winner
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Where are They Now? Nicole Robinson - 2012 Promise Winner
Join Us for the First Ever Astropreneurship Awards
Where are They Now? Arnie Christianson - 2007 Promise Winner
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UKSEDS and SEDS Canada Teams Present Winning Designs Cover photo by wsilver, Flickr
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Getting Younger Every Year By Robert Bell, Executive Director I used to go to industry shows and notice that everyone in the room except me was getting a little older, a little greyer and a bit thicker around the middle each year. (That “everyone except me” illusion had a way of going out the window when I looked in the mirror.) And now? Not so much. Whether it is SATELLITE in Washington, SmallSat in Silicon Valley, CommunicAsia in Singapore or Global VSAT in London, the age of attendees seems to be declining. That is the sign of an industry that is doing the opposite of declining – one that is tackling big new challenges, breaking with established ways and welcoming new ways of thinking.
Leading the Disruption
The change is visible in SSPI’s leadership. Seven years ago, almost 90 percent of SSPI’s Board of Directors represented the long-time incumbents of our industry. This year, one-third of our Directors represent companies that are shaking up the old ways, from SpaceX and Kymeta to Planet and OneWeb. Others work for industry stalwarts, from ViaSat to SSL, that have become market disruptors in their own right. One day, we might even be considered hip. With the support of our Board, sponsors and members, SSPI is focused as never before on what’s next. On October 9, we will bring the Future Leaders Dinner to Silicon Valley at Satellite Innovation 2018, where we honor three over-achievers age 35 and under for remarkable individual contributions to their organizations and the industry. At the same time, we will publish our first list of the 20 Under 35 people in our industry whom you need to watch in coming years. The new location is no accident. The tech centers of the West Coast are to space and satellite innovation as lithium is to batteries.
It’s a Better World with Satellite
An industry pursuing massive innovation on multiple fronts needs high-quality leadership at every level. That starts with attracting innovative new talent to a technology industry that used to be considered yesterday’s news. SSPI conducts its Better Satellite World campaign to dramatize the huge impact that people working in space and satellite have on the world. The campaign is the The Orbiter Getting Younger Every Year
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Getting Younger Every Year
“Got Milk” of the space business, and it targets young people seeking a career that makes a difference, as well as speaking to today’s customers and policymakers. We stage research competitions for 3,000 students in the US, Canada and UK each year to open their eyes to the career opportunities in commercial space and satellite.
From Promise to Purpose
Our online interviews with executives from Gwynne Shotwell to Mark Dankberg explore the career paths they have taken and the leadership lessons they have gained along the way. The reports in the Making Leaders series offer essential education about the fundamentals of attracting and managing innovative people. In their pages, the most experienced talent managers in our business share best practices that companies of any size can pursue. All this essential activity comes at a cost. You can help cover it by sponsoring the Better Satellite World or Promise2Purpose campaigns – in return for valuable benefits delivered by events and programs. Companies supporting SSPI received more than half a million exposures for their brands last year. That’s good value, to justify your decision to give value in return.
T Minus 10 Seconds
One month after the Future Leaders Dinner, SSPI will be back in New York City with the Astropreneurship Awards. This new event on November 1, hosted in partnership with the advertising agency Ogilvy and the New York Space Alliance (NYSA), honors early stage companies for innovations poised to help make a better world. Talk about what’s new: these are companies just emerging from incubators that, in the view of NYSA, have what it takes to go the distance. Find out how you can get involved as a sponsor or attendee by emailing tbond-williams@sspi.org. Really, I think we might just advancing toward hipness. And it may come sooner than we ever imagined. 4
The Orbiter Getting Younger Every Year
Where are They Now? Nicole Robinson - 2012 Promise Winner Sometimes, when you’re working every day in the trenches, as it were, it’s hard to see what the end will be. What impact are we having, if any? On October 9, 2018, SSPI will celebrate its 13th Annual Future Leaders Dinner, and recognize three new Promise Award recipients and our 2018 Mentor of the Year. We have often expressed the hope that the award would benchmark leadership, encourage mentorship and encourage and empower the young talent that holds the future of our industry in their hands. I had the opportunity to interview some of our past Promise Award recipients, and I am so pleased to say – we are succeeding! The stories of these (still) young executives, and how their careers have progressed since winning the award is genuinely inspiring, and proof that, yes, it matters! This part of the work that we do here at SSPI, and that our members and sponsors support every year at the dinner makes a huge difference. Join me in celebrating Nicole, Brian, Arnie, Ethan, Emma, Sarah and Paloma’s achievements, and then hurry over to www.satfuture.com to meet the 2018 winners at this year’s event.
Nicole Robinson serves as Senior Vice President of Global Government for SES Networks. In this role, she stands as the senior executive responsible for the global portfolio of government and institutional business - the fastest growing business segment for SES, the world’s largest satellite operator. Ms Robinson leads a multifunctional global team to achieve annual revenue and cost budget. Based at SES headquarters in Luxembourg, she establishes the vision and strategic direction for the government business and guides the dedication of resources for the full life cycle of customer requirements, from identification to engineering, to service delivery, sales and execution. In addition, serves as the Managing Director of SES Techcom Services, Chairman of the Board for Redu Space Services in Belgium, and Board Director for LuxGovSat S.A.
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Where are They Now? Nicole Robinson - 2012 Promise Winner
Questions: 1. What impact did winning the Promise Award have on you, either personally or in your career? The Promise Award is a valuable platform to raise awareness of the multi-functional contributions being made from a variety of leaders throughout our industry. In the year I was a recipient, I was one of two individuals acknowledged for Government Affairs activities, citing important behind-the-scenes Congressional developments that ultimately have shaped a variety of procurement methodologies in the past several years to enable growth and change for our industry. It was an enlightening experience and one I’m quite thankful for as a reminder to always reach out into the organization, and across the industry to uncover hidden areas of potential, growth and innovation. SSPI should be quite proud of these efforts and the momentum they have created. 2. How have you grown in your career since winning the award? Since the award in 2012, I’ve had the opportunity to expand in my role and move from a subsidiary corporation in which I spent eight years supporting the U.S. Government, to a corporate SES headquarters role leading product and solutions development for all government and institutional customers globally. In this capacity it was a tremendous opportunity to appreciate the core applications driving need and requirements in the US market are quite common to other defense communities, civilian organizations and humanitarian groups globally. The timing was right for such an effort as the company began a shift from a regionally focused model, to a vertically driven approach to meeting customer demand. With this, I had the opportunity to lead the Global Government business segment formally created in 2017 and the pleasure of expanding the team and reach to cover the pre-sales, sales, engineering, service delivery and functional elements associated with this business. It’s been quite a busy and exciting couple of years and energizing to see the impact we’ve had on the top line business as one of the fastest growth segments in SES, but also the important service we’re able to deliver to our customers globally whom are many times charged with missions ultimately saving lives, connecting the unconnected and innovating new hosted capabilities from space. 3. Talk about the mentors who’ve helped you along the way. What impact have they had? I have had a variety of strong mentors over my career that have left immeasurable impressions. One in particular was a former boss who served as a consistent reminder (even still to this day as an advisor) that growth is about standing up and being counted, reaching outside of your comfort zone and most importantly not being afraid to take on new challenges. It’s quite easy to become hyper focused on the current task in front of you without a deliberate reminder to take a step back, ask yourself what might be missing, and where additional value could be created. This has been especially helpful guidance over the years in particular to have migrated from a variety of functions including strategic communications, Government Affairs, Business Development, Product Development. Sales and ultimately business segment leadership responsibility. Having diversification in skill
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Where are They Now? Nicole Robinson - 2012 Promise Winner
set and background to position for growth opportunities came It was an enlightening experience and from following this guidance, one I’m quite thankful for as a reminder to reaching out to challenge myself always reach out into the organization, and in new areas and apply a broader across the industry to uncover hidden areas set of experiences to each new of potential, growth and innovation. opportunity. With strong leaders around me, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue the new ideas and areas of interest which frankly is half the battle. This has been an important lesson for me as well in appreciating the importance of endorsing, supporting and creating growth opportunities for others in the organization who put forward clear interest, effort and potential. a. Have you had an opportunity to mentor others? Yes, in fact more recently have become engaged in the corporate mentorship program which allows for a more formal track of engaging with younger, high potential employees to help guide and motivate to reach their full potential. The young woman I’m working with now is as bright as she is capable and I couldn’t be more excited to see how she grows and performs in the years ahead. 4. Anything new happen in your personal life since you won the award, that you’d like to share? Since 2012 my husband Michael and I have certainly had some exciting developments and changes in our lives. We welcomed our first daughter Mackenzie in 2013, second daughter Skylar in 2014 and are incredibly blessed to be expecting our third in December this year. I couldn’t be more appreciative to have experienced these major life events while a female executive at SES, a place where work-life balance is a priority, and support to women in a way that enables the opportunity to continue an ambitious and aggressive career path while also nurturing a growing family. This sort of evolved thinking is what makes this company and industry the dynamic and exciting place it is today. In parallel to these personal events the past few years, our family relocated to Luxembourg early in 2018 to more closely engage with the members of the Global Government team and have the day-to-day engagement with our Betzdorf-based colleagues. The experience has been unparalleled for us all. From a professional perspective, the proximity to nearly 90 of our 125 colleagues in the Global Government team has been tremendously valuable, and in addition on the personal side, has enabled a culturally-enhancing opportunity for the entire family. If the past six years since the Promise Award has been any indication, we couldn’t be more excited about what the next six have to offer.
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The Sound of Satellite SSPI’s new podcast is now live! We release podcasts in two series: Making Leaders and Better Satellite World. You can listen to SSPI podcasts on our website, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Our Making Leaders interviews are part of SSPI’s Promise2Purpose program, in which SSPI partners with student organizations in multiple countries which offer a bridge between university study and future careers in commercial space & satellite. We also work to improve the industry’s ability to engage and manage talent and honor companies for commitment to the people whose talents make innovation happen. You can listen to the most recent Making Leaders podcast: Gwynne Shotwell (Part 2) below!
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Two Ears, One Mouth and a Better World By Louis Zacharilla, Director of Development My father, God rest his soul, used to tell me that I was born with two ears and only one mouth for a good reason: so that I could do twice as much listening as talking. He believed listening was how you learned, how you could read the real intention of another person (he was a negotiator for his union) and even how you could become useful in life. He strongly believed it enhanced one’s mind and intellectual muscle. I wish he would have added that it is also a good way to have fun. If he had, it wouldn’t have taken me most of my adult life to learn how to become a decent listener! It was industry Hall of Fame inductee Susan Irwin who pointed out to me that the most fun I have in my role at SSPI is moderating panel sessions at conferences around the globe. She was right. It is way more fun than giving presentations or even doing a Keynote. Moderating offers me the privilege of talking to the most interesting people you can imagine in front of live, very engaged audiences and asking questions that I do not have answer for! How good is that? While conferences don’t happen every week, conversations take place every day. Our mouths are always in orbit around the gravitational push and pull of someone’s listening! And if you listen, there is so much going on now that the stories and issues just need to be discussed more regularly. Our wildly successful Better Satellite World campaign www.bettersatelliteworld.com began a type of “conversation” that transformed the perception of our industry from one with an aged, rustbelt, Apollo-era gloss to one that made the world a better place in very real, tangible ways each day. Simply by telling stories about what satellites do blew people away. The Better Satellite World campaign could have been called, “OMG. Satellites Do That? Who Knew!?” As a result of the campaign, a lot more people know satellites do THAT. They know that as an industry Satellite rocks. We are an industry that is stable, collegial and packed tight with leaders from some of the finest universities, nations and organizations the world can offer. And our work is not about creating solipsistic wealth or producing the next tedious app for some frivolous endeavor. Our wealth is our mission, which enhances the most important human need: communication. And our endeavor, ultimately, is to ensure that the human species has the tools to reach out to the place where destiny awaits. The popularity of the campaign inspired me to see if SSPI could find sponsorship support for a podcast of its own. It didn’t take long. Korn Ferry, Globecomm, The SPACECONNECTION and Walton De-Ice stepped up. So have the 3,000+ members of SSPI, whose dues are vital to the production of our new podcast. The Orbiter Getting Younger Every Year
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Two Ears, One Mouth and a Better World
The new podcast is two separate “programs.” One is called “Making Leaders” where, as you read in this issue of the Orbiter, you will find terrific podcasts with people like SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell and ViaSat’s Mark Dankberg. The second is “The Better Satellite World” podcast. This one takes you into diverse areas and unexplored corridors that are of interest to me. Some will be a little off the beaten path; others more serious. But each relate to what you do each day to make the world better. And I promise you they will all be interesting. Last week we launched a four-part series on a subject of tremendous importance that touches millions of lives. We explore the role satellites play in disaster relief and take you into areas of DR that include the new Crisis Connectivity Charter, which may begin to solve the problem of finding resources in a timely way after chaos strikes. I hope that during the fall you will also step up and support the podcast. As Robert Bell points out in his article, we deliver good numbers and value. And if you are already a listener, please keep listening – with both ears! You can listen to the most recent Better Satellite World podcast: VSATs and Disaster Recovery below!
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Where are They Now? Brian Mengwasser - 2012 Promise Winner
data company.
In 2012, Brian Mengwasser’s title was Engineer, Innovation Projects, at SES. He was honored for his work managing the crisis facing SES when Galaxy 15 operated by Intelsat, stopped responding to commands – the spacecraft was passing by an SES satellite and Brian developed the software that enabled SES to estimate the impact the rogue satellite would have on SES customers and develop mitigating response. Today, Brian is founder of Aurora Insight – a start-up
Questions: 1. What impact did winning the Promise Award have on you, either personally or in your career? Winning the promise award was a great honor and it’s been a pleasure meeting and knowing other promise awardees, phenomenal colleagues, over the years. The award and that set of folks have set a high bar I’ve tried to measure up to. I actually distinctly recall the keynote speaker of the award ceremony, commander Marcinko, asking me off to the side after the event what project I was working on next - which has been a reminder to me to always set the next goal a bit higher. 2. How have you grown in your career since winning the award? I’ve been fortunate on a diversity of projects on the edge of innovation (from new ventures to new satellite design) and in a diversity of international cultures, from many years spent in Luxembourg to Silicon Valley. Most recently I co-founded a start-up company called Aurora Insight. We’re still in stealth-mode, but we’re a data company focused on understanding and advancing the frontier of global telecommunications, in which satellite clearly plays an integral part. The Orbiter Getting Younger Every Year
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Where are They Now? Brian Mengwasser - 2012 Promise Winner
3. Talk about the mentors who’ve helped you along the way. What impact have they had? Engaging with mentors and advisers is one of my favorite parts of the day - I keep in touch with many on different technical and business and personal topics. In addition to learning (my favorite thing) from a wealth of knowledge and experience, it’s always an exciting five minutes or hour kicking around new concepts or Most recently I co-founded a start-up the latest industry trends. And a company called Aurora Insight. We’re still couple of times when I’ve faced in stealth-mode, but we’re a data company difficult career choice, the dose focused on understanding and advancing of advice and courage from them the frontier of global telecommunications, in made all the difference. I hope to which satellite clearly plays an integral part. make such a positive impression, large or small, on mentees in the future. 4. Anything new happen in your personal life since you won the award, that you’d like to share? Just that it seems simultaneously a long time ago and yesterday. I think that means both a lot of learning and many fond memories. 5. Is there one big industry trend you’d like to be involved with in the near future? 5G. Although I prefer to call it “Next” G, since the “5” connotes a step up from “4G” and connotes only “cell phones.” I think it’s more transformational than evolutionary - leading to a converged telecom ecosystem where we’ll interact with 4 or 5 types of networks on a given day. We don’t really know what this converged ecosystem will look like yet, but it will (and does) include a greater diversity of connected things, advanced technologies, spectrum bands, and business models we’ve never seen before. It’s definitely an exciting chapter for telecoms and networking, racing to the “NG,” with some big questions for the satellite industry; but I for one, am excited to turn the page and find out what it holds.
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Join Us as the Future Leaders Dinner Heads West Join us as we celebrate the 13th Annual SSPI Future Leaders Dinner, a benefit event that supports our programs to attract and retain the next generation of the space and satellite industry. This year, the dinner will be held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California in conjunction with Satellite Innovation 2018 conference, produced by SatNews publishers.
This inspiring and entertaining event, held October 9, 2018, celebrates three employees or entrepreneurs who, before their 35th birthday, have made a substantial contribution to their companies and the future of the industry. To celebrate the role of mentorship in fostering talent such as theirs, we will also honor an industry veteran whose devotion to nurturing the talents of the next generation will be rewarded with SSPI’s coveted Mentor Award. Tickets are on sale now!
Click here to learn more and purchase your tickets.
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Where are They Now? Emma Hinds Lehnhardt - 2013 Promise Winner Emma Hinds Lehnhardt lives in Houston, TX and works for the NASA Johnson Space Center. She is the Programmatic Assessments and Integration Lead for NASA’s Gateway. Previously, she worked at NASA Headquarters in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, where she led the agency-wide processes of budget formulation and strategic reviews. She has also worked at the White House, the Space Policy Institute, and as a consultant for several government agencies and aerospace companies. Emma holds a BA in Politics (minor in Astronomy) from Mount Holyoke College, an MA in International Science and Technology Policy (concentration in Space Policy) from The George Washington University and attended the Space Studies Program of the International Space University.
Questions: 1. What impact did winning the Promise Award have on you, either personally or in your career? Winning the Promise Award was an absolute highlight for me. It was such an incredible recognition of hard work and expression of support for my future career. Most specifically, accepting the award and speaking at the event to say thank you is a treasured memory, because that was the turning point for me with public speaking anxiety; that was the first time I felt fully confident and collected in front of a microphone and audience. 2. How have you grown in your career since winning the award? After winning the Promise Award, I was at a crossroads for my career, having to choose between 14
The Orbiter Getting Younger Every Year
That was the turning point for me with public speaking anxiety; that was the first time I felt fully confident and collected in front of a microphone and audience.
Where are They Now? Emma Hinds Lenhardt - 2013 Promise Winner
staying in the private sector/satellite industry or the opportunity to join the federal government. I chose to work for NASA Headquarters, where I worked for four years on strategic planning, analysis, and budget formulation. I recently transferred to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, where I am the lead for programmatic analysis and integration for our Gateway outpost that will orbit the Moon. 3. Talk about the mentors who’ve helped you along the way. What impact have they had? I’ve been able to work with some truly great mentors and leaders who have had a direct impact on my career and the way I view the world. Examples include: i. Lisa Guerra, NASA Headquarters: Lisa was my formal mentor when I was at NASA Headquarters, and is the very definition of graceful, quiet leadership. ii. Carissa Christensen, Bryce Space and Technology: Carissa showed me what it takes to be “an analyst’s analyst”. iii. Dave Radzanowski, former CFO of NASA: Challenged me to always say yes and jump into new opportunities. iv. Jessica Southwell, formerly my supervisor at NASA and now at the Department of Labor: Demonstrated a passion for public service and the importance of taking care of your team. Whenever I’m in a tough spot I ask myself, “What would Jessica Southwell do?” a. Have you had an opportunity to mentor others? Yes! After witnessing for myself how powerful near-peer mentors can be (in addition to senior mentors), I’ve been happy to mentor several junior aerospace community members. This has taken place informally as well as through programs like the Matt Isakowitz Fellowship Program.
I am excited by the opportunities presented through the Gateway activity in cislunar space to enhance and utilize multiple emerging technologies and industry trends.
4. Anything new happen in your personal life since you won the award, that you’d like to share? I married my husband Kris in late 2013, and we recently moved from Washington, DC to Houston, TX. We have a chocolate lab named MECO. 5. What is one big industry trend you’d like to be involved with in the near future? I am excited by the opportunities presented through the Gateway activity in cislunar space to enhance and utilize multiple emerging technologies and industry trends.
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The Dick Tauber Mentorship Fund Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) is collaborating with the “Friends of Dick Tauber,” led by Rich Wolf, of the Switch (and former Mentor of the Year) and Mary Frost Distler (Hall of Fame inductee, 2009) to establish the Dick Tauber Mentorship Fund – an ongoing fundraising effort that contributes to the SSPI Educational Fund, specifically for initiatives that support the engagement of students with the space & satellite industry. Such activities include, but are not limited to: student competitions, stipends for student travel to industry events, internship stipends and scholarships. https://www.sspi.org/cpages/studentprograms Dick Tauber was a generous mentor to many in the industry, as many on the SSPI tribute page (and in this issue) attest. SSPI is hoping to be able to honor his memory at the 2018 Future Leaders Dinner. Some sponsorship opportunities – especially around the 2018 Future Leaders Dinner, are earmarked specifically for donations to the fund, and individuals can also contribute to the fund by visiting: https://www.sspi.org/campaigns/dick-tauber-mentorship-fund.
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Nominate the Next Better Satellite World Award Winner SSPI is currently accepting nominations for the 2018 Better Satellite World Awards. The Better Satellite World Awards honor established companies and disruptive innovators for using satellite applications to make our world a more prosperous, healthier, better-educated, more sustainable and inclusive home for all humankind. The company or innovator you nominate could be one of our next winners! Nominations for the Better Satellite World Awards are due September 24. Click here to learn more about the awards and to submit a nomination.
The winners of the Better Satellite World Awards will be honored at the Better Satellite World Awards Dinner on December 3 in London. Join members and leaders of the Space & Satellite Professionals International in London for this celebration of the enormous contributions of the satellite industry to the economy, safety, security, governance, development and health of the planet. Tickets are on sale now! Click here to learn more and purchase your tickets.
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Where are They Now? M. Ethan Lucarelli - 2015 Promise Winner M. Ethan Lucarelli is Director of Regulatory & Public Policy at Inmarsat, where he develops and implements company policy positions and advocacy efforts in domestic and international fora, focusing on emerging technologies, intergovernmental organizations, and sustainable development. He also advises Inmarsat on legal and compliance efforts related to communications regulatory obligations in the United States and Canada. Mr. Lucarelli also is an adjunct professor at the George Washington University Law School, where he teaches courses in Telecommunications Law and Scholarly Writing, and coaches teams competing in the National Telecommunications and Technology Moot Court
Competition. Previously, Mr. Lucarelli was an attorney in the Telecommunications, Media, and Technology group at Washington, DC law firm Wiley Rein LLP. Mr. Lucarelli earned his J.D. with highest honors from George Washington University Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Illinois.
Questions: 1. What impact did winning the Promise Award have on you, either personally or in your career? Winning the Promise Award helped me to feel more a part of the satellite professional community. It gave me exposure to a wide range of professionals in our industry, including peers and more senior colleagues. It also contributed to a sense of confidence that has served me well as I’ve expanded my external-facing activities and developed. 2. How have you grown in your career since winning the award? Not very long after winning the award, I took a job in the in-house regulatory team at Inmarsat, where I am now Director, Regulatory and Public Policy. This has been a terrific opportunity for me to get more involved in the daily regulatory challenges and longer-term policy priorities of one of the most important companies in our sector. As Inmarsat is a global company, this position has enabled me to greatly expand the geographic perspective of my work, allowing me to work closely with colleagues and regulators from around the world on important issues of international policy and regulation.
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Where are They Now? M. Ethan Lucarelli - 2015 Promise Winner
3. Talk about the mentors who’ve helped you along the way. What If we want to work in a great community impact have they had? with the talented and innovative people, I have benefited greatly from the I think it is essential that we take help of mentors along the way. responsibility for creating that community Attorneys at Wiley Rein, such as and for helping those people to thrive. Jennifer Hindin, David Gross, Scott Delacourt, Gregg Elias and others were instrumental in helping me be successful as a lawyer in the first several years of my career. They provided guidance when I needed it, but mostly acted as models of how to do this job the right way, and gave me the trust and opportunities necessary to grow and to distinguish myself. Another important mentor for me has been my current boss, Donna Bethea-Murphy, whom I’ve worked with for years, first as my client and now as my direct supervisor. Donna has incredible policy instincts and from her I’ve learned skills -- both about how to run a global advocacy campaign, but also how to succeed within a large organization and how to be an effective manager -- that I’m sure will continue to serve me throughout my career. a. Have you had an opportunity to mentor others? I have found that I have a passion for teaching and mentoring. As well as working with junior attorneys when I was at Wiley Rein, for about the past six years I’ve taught and mentored students from my alma mater, the George Washington University Law School. I cherish the relationships I’ve formed with these young attorneys, and I’ve been so excited to see the success many of them have had in crafting their own careers. If we want to work in a great community with the talented and innovative people, I think it is essential that we take responsibility for creating that community and for helping those people to thrive. 4. Anything new happen in your personal life since you won the award, that you’d like to share? This summer I got married to my longtime partner, Victoria Correa, an incredible educator and mentor, who has been an inspiration and support for me for over 15 years, throughout my education and career. So that’s been pretty cool! 5. What is one big industry trend you’d like to be involved with in the near future? We already have communications platforms that cover basically everyone on Earth, with even more and better such systems coming online soon. The challenge now is figuring out how to leverage those systems to deliver solutions that are relevant, useful, and affordable to people, and can help improve their lives. That’s what I think about when we talk about concepts like “5G” and building “Smart Societies,” and I’m excited to be at a place like Inmarsat where people are focused everyday on answering this call.
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SATELLITE
INNOVATION SYMPOSIUM
THE SILICON VALLEYÂ
SATELLITE BUSINESS SHOW
October 8th - 11th, 2018
SILICON VALLEY 2018 NETWORK WITH INNOVATORS
STAY AHEAD OF THE MARKET
SATINNOVATION.COM The 2018 Satellite Innovation Symposium aims to pinpoint key imminent market changes that will become obvious in years to come. While infrastructure and capital status have dominated for decades, key innovations will continue to cause major disruptions to the established marketplace. What innovations will define the satellite communications industry going forward? The full itinerary of sessions, breakfast, lunch, refreshments and a cocktail reception are included with admission to the event. Optional workshops and a wine tasting tour with invited speakers and other satellite professionals are also available the day prior to the event. JOIN A DYNAMIC GROUP OF EXECUTIVES FROM ORGANIZATIONS ADDRESSING EXCITING INNOVATIONS AND THE MARKET FORCES THAT WILL FRAME THEIR DEVELOPMENT
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Where are They Now? Sarah Rose - 2013 Promise Winner When Tamara first contacted me about this interview, I [Sarah Rose] was in the middle of a month-long stint at Sigonella, the Naval Air Station on Sicily. The NATO ground station is on the Italian side of the base, and I’ve been a Systems Engineer on the Northrop Grumman NATO AGS program for about a year and a half. My main responsibilities involve the system integration of the ground segment, the communication links (SATCOM, Line-ofSight) with the air vehicle, and data analysis. I’m responsible for the exploitation of the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data products collected and I also do any troubleshooting and investigation into the Wireshark or 1553 data that is recorded during flights.
Questions: 1. Tell us about this picture. This picture was taken a few months ago when I was testing the NATO Common Data Link (CDL) on a Cessna 206. The CDL is a Line-of-Sight data link with the air vehicle to stream SAR imagery to the ground stations. 2. What impact did winning the Promise Award have on you, either personally or in your career? Winning the Promise award I’ve gotten to know my two mentees very made me think about areas well and I’m glad I did. It’s been fun working and applications beyond what I with them, supporting their efforts, and had been currently focused on sharing knowledge that I take for granted. up until then. I was working in the aerospace field, but I didn’t appreciate just how broad that field was. At the conference, I met a variety of people involved in widely different applications, and I found those possibilities exciting.
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Where are They Now? Sarah Rose - 2013 Promise Winner
Several months after accepting the Promise Award, I was offered an Electronics Engineer 3 position in the Comms group at Northrop Grumman, which I accepted. This was my introduction to the intersection of aerospace and SATCOM. 3. How have you grown in your career since winning the award? After about two and half years with the Comms team, I was offered a promotion to become a System Engineer 4 on the NATO AGS program. Working as a systems engineer forced me to learn how to investigate and solve system-level problems in the network of high-altitude air vehicles and ground stations. I’ve been on NATO for about a year and half and I was recently offered a promotion to join the Global Hawk program as an Electronics Engineer 5: the technical lead of the EO/IR sensor. This will involve the high-altitude data collection and dissemination over secure networks. 3. Talk about the mentors who’ve helped you along the way. What My coworkers have more impact on my impact have they had? work environment than a mentor, so I’ll always be grateful to the managers like I’ve been incredibly lucky at Northrop Grumman to have Toby who build the team. senior engineers and managers that look out for me and offered me opportunities even after I or they have moved to different programs. My connections across NG have proven to be invaluable for my career path. At NG, I’ve always had a friendly and supportive environment in which to work, and it’s under these circumstances that I can do my best and accomplish everything I want to. Toby Prettol was my first manager, and he hired me at Northrop into the Comms group. He’s been a great supportive figure for me, and as a hiring manager, he also brought in a lot of my peers. My coworkers have more impact on my work environment than a mentor, so I’ll always be grateful to the managers like Toby who build the team. In Comms, I had Brian Garone, a communications engineer who taught me a lot about RF comms, HAIPEs, comms architecture, and the emerging technologies for secure communication. On the NATO program, I have Forrest Tuttle, who has helped me develop my technical expertise into networks and troubleshooting network issues. As my technical lead, he allowed me full autonomy while also pointing me in the right direction. It’s wonderful to both figure things out on my own, and be able to go to someone for help. a. Have you had an opportunity to mentor others? Yes, this year I’m mentoring 2 junior engineers on the Systems Engineering team and it has actually been a lot of fun. I’ve gotten to know my two mentees very well and I’m glad I did. It’s been fun working with them, supporting their efforts, and 22
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Where are They Now? Sarah Rose - 2013 Promise Winner
sharing knowledge that I take for granted. I enjoy answering their questions, providing guidance, and having honest conversations about work, school, career, etc. Working with them has also made me a better coworker to the junior engineers in general because they remind me of what it was like to be new. 4. Anything new happen in your personal life since you won the award, that you’d like to share? My husband and I moved to San Diego so I could accept the NATO AGS position. I believe I thanked him in my acceptance speech 5 years ago, and I have to thank him again. His job is now 3 hours away, so he rents a room near his work and drives to San Diego on his weekends – all so I could have the job I wanted. 5. What is one big industry trend you’d like to be involved with in the near future? Right now I’m enjoying the overall industry transition to the Open Mission Systems architecture. I’d like to be involved in a future platform-independent mobile ad hoc network for wide band data links. Ideally, any vehicle or ground station involved in a mission should be able to have full and instantaneous situational awareness from all other participants, and this solution should have a small form factor that’s easily integrated onto any platform. I’m imagining the combined capabilities and advantages of a lot of the links we use now: Link 16, BACN, CDL, Ku SATCOM, SKYWAN, with a low-profile antenna and transceiver that uses spread spectrum and encrypted waveforms.
WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED? The Promise and Mentor Awards are part of SSPI’s Promise2Purpose campaign. The campaign offers education to sponsors and members on talent management, recognizes leaders in the industry as examples of innovation and leadership and forges partnerships with student-led organizations to attract talent to the industry. The Promise2Purpose campaign is made possible by our generous sponsors. Throughout the campaign, we honor them for investing in the development of a more innovative industry that makes a better world. Interested in branding opportunities at the Future Leaders Dinner? Contact Tamara BondWilliams for more information.
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Space Cadets - and Proud of It Over the summer, SSPI signed a memorandum of understanding with the Space Generation Advisory Council as the next step in growing our partnerships with student-led organizations. SGAC is a global, non-governmental, nonprofit organization of students and young space professionals age 18 to 35. It represents the “youth vote� for the United Nations Program on Space Applications. Headquartered in Vienna, SGAC has more than 13,000 members in 150 countries. SGAC hosts regional and local events to help its members expand their knowledge of international space policy issues, think creatively about the use of space and engage with industry leaders. They host the SGx forum at SATELLITE, the Fusion Forum in Colorado Springs, the Space Generation Congress rotating to different international locations, and much more.
Expanding the Network
The purpose of this partnership can be summed up in a single word. The network. We already reach 3,000 graduate and undergraduate students through partnership with chapters of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. SGAC expands that network by a factor of five. We look forward to feeding industry and SSPI news into that network, sharing Better Satellite World videos, and developing competitions and mentorship opportunities. We will bring more industry leaders to their events to inspire a new generation of leaders to enter the commercial industry. If you are interested in playing a personal part in attracting new talent to commercial space and satellite, consider becoming a Mentor in our Promise2Purpose campaign. As our reach increases, we have many more opportunities to contribute to the next generation while recharging your own sense of purpose and inspiration. Inquiries to rbell@sspi.org.
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Where are They Now? Paloma Hawn - 2014 Promise Winner When we met Paloma in 2014, she was Paloma Field, working in RF Engineering for GCI Communications Corporation. She was recognized for her work on the construction of a standalone VSAT site for a remote mining location – including managing licensing and regulatory approvals, IP routing and packet network design, link budget analysis and equipment selection and implementation. Today, Paloma is a Sales Engineer at GCI.
Questions: 1. What impact did winning the Promise Award have on you, either personally or in your career? Winning the Promise Award went a long way in boosting my own self-confidence in my knowledge and engineering skills. Getting that boost so early in my career was incredibly valuable - I felt that I had real evidence that I had found my path. Within my company I’m still considered the “go-to” person to ask about satellite opportunities and customers. Even today in my new role I enjoy learning about satellite technologies and offerings - I still think it’s just the coolest! 2. How have you grown in your career since winning the award? I’m still with GCI, however I’ve moved out of RF Engineering to Sales Engineering. My new role has me working with customers on various communication platforms and technologies, which has done a lot to broaden my horizons. I Getting that boost so early in my career have my Cisco CCNP Routing was incredibly valuable - I felt that I had real & Switching certification, and evidence that I had found my path. am working towards getting additional Cisco certifications as well as my Alaska Professional Engineering (PE) license.
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Where are They Now? Paloma Hawn - 2014 Promise Winner
3. Talk about the mentors who’ve helped you along the way. What impact have they had? I continue to have contact with all my mentors, they are really what motivates me to continue my education. We have some brilliant engineers at my company and Alaska as a whole. I feel incredibly privileged to have access to pick their brains. a. Have you had an opportunity to mentor others? I’ve been to IEEE and SWE events at the University of Alaska, Anchorage to discuss the telecommunications industry with students several times over the years. I’m also a presenter for the Satellite Communications lesson of the GCI Externship Program. The Externship Program is where GCI brings educators from around Alaska to learn about telecommunications and the potential careers they can help their students learn about and prepare for. We have some brilliant engineers at my company and Alaska as a whole. I feel incredibly privileged to have access to pick their brains.
4. Anything new happen in your personal life since you won the award, that you’d like to share? I got married in 2015, and had our son Jackson in December 2017.
5. What is one big industry trend you’d like to be involved with in the near future? I don’t think I can choose only one! I don’t plan on moving away from my home state so I try to focus on trends that I can apply to my customers. Non-Line of Sight technology is something I can see applications for in urban areas. I’ve also been keeping an eye on what OneWeb is doing with their constellation aiming to cover Alaska starting next year.
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Join Us for the First Ever Astropreneurship Awards
SSPI and the New York Space Alliance will present the first annual Astropreneurship Awards on November 1 at a reception in New York City, hosted by advertising agency Ogilvy, dedicated to creating a better world through space and satellite technologies. On this special evening, guests from the space, satellite, finance and tech fields will meet three entrepreneurs selected from among the start-ups in the New York Space Alliance’s boot camp and incubator programs. They will receive the first annual Astropreneurship Awards for applications expected to make a substantial contribution to the economy, society, and sustainability of planet Earth. The Astropreneurship Awards are part of SSPI’s global Better Satellite World campaign, which targets entrepreneurs and investors in the industry, as well as students and young professionals seeking a career in society. Click here to learn more.
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Where are They Now? Arnie Christianson - 2007 Promise Winner In 2007, Arnie Christianson was an Operations Manager at CNN Satellites & Transmissions. Arnie had a transformative impact on the way CNN gathers the news, developing a revolutionary digital newsgathering (DNG) system that has made possible both live and recorded video reporting at standard broadband speeds. While at CNN Satellites & Transmissions, Arnie rose to a Senior Manager position before moving to SES, where he is now VP of Aero Service Delivery.
Questions: 1. What impact did winning the Promise Award have on you, either personally or in your career? Winning the award impacted me in many ways - first and foremost, it introduced me to the robust and rewarding community within SSPI and triggered a deeper interest in wanting to donate my time and energy to serving in SSPI. The award also came at a time in my career when I was working in the trenches, turning wrenches and just trying to make things work, and the exposure and recognition gave me the additional confidence and courage to take a more active role in my career and try to really affect change and innovation. 2. How have you grown in your career All these people have one thing in since winning the award? common: the willingness to try new things My career path has definitely and give smart people a chance to succeed moved upward since winning the or fail on their own terms. Promise Award. I was elevated soon afterward to Sr. Manager in charge of CNN’s Satellite Desk and DNG group. A few years later the work I did in that position leveraged me for a position at SES, where I have since been promoted multiple times and now hold the title of VP, Aero Service Delivery. I was always an advocate of satellite data even before satellite data was cool (in fact, back when it was frowned upon and shown zero respect), so now that I’m actually involved in providing high speed data to mobility customers like airlines and vessels at sea, I feel vindicated. 3. Talk about the mentors who’ve helped you along the way. What impact have they had? I wouldn’t be where I am today without the mentorship and leadership of Dick Tauber. The
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Where are They Now? Arnie Christianson - 2007 Promise Winner
man touched so many people in this industry, and I’m proud to say that he is the one person who I can point to who affected and changed my career and my life. If I had not taken a sick day at a previous job to sit for an interview with DT back in 1995, my life would not be anywhere near the same. I would probably still be humping a television I was always an advocate of satellite data camera through the streets of even before satellite data was cool (in fact, Chicago (not that that’s a bad thing). back when it was frowned upon and shown Other mentors who may not know zero respect), so now that I’m actually they were mentors but who had a huge impact on my success and involved in providing high speed data to career were Frank Barnett and Libby mobility customers like airlines and vessels Barnett, both supervisors at CNN at sea, I feel vindicated. Satellites, as well as, in more recent years, Samantha McCloskey and Elias Zaccack at SES. All these people have one thing in common: the willingness to try new things and give smart people a chance to succeed or fail on their own terms. a. Have you had an opportunity to mentor others? I certainly have the opportunity and try to emulate the mentorship shown me. I like to think that I left a good legacy of young talent at CNN when I left, and that in my current role employees see me as a resource. I believe the best way to be a mentor is to be an example of the way things should be done. My approach has always been that it’s better to get fired for taking a calculated risk and doing something daring than to take no action and watch somebody else do it. A true mentor wouldn’t discourage you from taking risks. That’s the core of my philosophy and the philosophy of my mentors. 4. Anything new happen in your personal life since you won the award, that you’d like to share? I’ve moved to DC and raised a family. I’ve also become a happier, more active person. As you age you realize that work isn’t everything, that you have to take care of yourself first and the rest will follow. I ski, travel, hike, run - basically anything that is the polar opposite of technology. You have to step away sometimes. 5. What is one big industry trend you’d like to be involved with in the near future? You usually know a technology will work when you hear people talking about how it won’t work... I am increasingly interested in the new LEO and MEO constellations and the promise they hold for ubiquitous data. And of course, I’m right where I want to be now in the aero mobility market. It’s a young market and we’re just scratching the surface. Being in aero is like being a surfer in the pipeline - it’s scary and risky but it’s also an obvious sweet spot. The satellite industry will live or die with mobility services and being dead center in the middle of that is where I am and want to be. Or on a mission to Jupiter or something, but at some point even I need to be realistic :-)
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UKSEDS and SEDS Canada Teams Present Winning Designs SSPI stages research competitions with SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) to give students their first exposure to the demands and practices of commercial space and satellite, and help turn individual promise into career potential. These annual engineering and policy competitions are communicated to thousands of students and attract teams from leading universities to compete for cash prizes.
UKSEDS 2017-2018 Competition
Smallsats – The Next Generation We challenged student teams to develop a design for a small communications satellite capable of delivering 50 Mbps of data connectivity from LEO to small antennas on the ground without exceeding a weight limit of 150 kilograms, while handing off communications traffic to other satellites as they pass over the user, and maintaining their orbital station. The CranSEDS and University of Sheffield teams tied to win this year’s competiton! Click on the articles below to learn more about their projects:
CranSEDS Team Designs Global Polar Communication Services Constellation 30
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University of Sheffield Team Designs Project Talaris for Global Communications Services
UKSEDS and SEDS Canada Teams Present Winning Designs
SEDS Canada 2018 Competition
Satellites Around Mars - What Will It Take? The colonization of Mars has become a muchtalked-about topic, from Elon Musk’s stated desire to end his days on the red planet to the Mars One campaign to send astronauts on a one-way journey there. One of the first steps required for successful colonization will be to put communication relay satellites into orbit to support robot landers and ultimately human settlements. Satellites are a well-established technology – but the challenges of getting them to another planet and operating them there will be vast. The University of British Columbia team won this year’s competition with the University of Toronto team taking second place! Click on the articles below to learn more about their projects:
University of British Columbia Team Designs Advanced Communication Architecture Supporting Martian Habitation to Win 2018 Competition
University of Toronto Designs a Phase One Satellite Mars Constellation to Take Second Place in 2018 Competition
Click here to learn more about SSPI’s research competitions in partnership with SEDS USA, UKSEDS and SEDS Canada
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Upcoming Events SSPI ROCKY MOUNTAIN EVENT
2018 SSPI Golf Tournament, August 24, Castle Rock, CO, USA. Click here for more information. SSPI NIGERIA EVENT
SSPI Nigeria Youth Development Conference & Honorary Membership Awards, August 30, Lagos, Nigeria. Click here for more information. SSPI MID-ATLANTIC EVENT
2018 Farewell to Summer Happy Hour with SSPI Mid-Atlantic, August 30, Tysons, VA, USA. Click here for more information. SSPI ISLE OF MAN EVENT
Special Screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, September 7, Isle of Man. Click here for more information. SSPI ISLE OF MAN EVENT
Isle of Man Lunchtime Talk with Paulo Godinho of DigitalGlobe, September 7, Isle of Man. Click here for more information. HONORING TALENT UNDER 35
2018 Future Leaders Dinner, October 9, Mountain View, CA. Click here for more information. Learn more about upcoming events at www.SSPI.org
Advertising Opportunities are available! As you know, SSPI has transformed its news vehicle, The Orbiter, into a beautiful, page-turning digital magazine you can read from your desktop, tablet or phone, or as a handy print-out to carry with you on travel trips. The Orbiter brings SSPI news, coverage of the Better Satellite World campaign, and new research reports to more than 6,000 members and industry contacts. Advertise With Us We invite companies to advertise in the new Orbiter. Full-page and half-page ads are available Some SSPI sponsorships include one or more ads with the sponsorship – but now you can purchase an ad directly! Download the media kit or email Tamara Bond-Williams for more information.
Copyright 2018 by the Space & Satellite Professionals International
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