CDSE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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- Andrew Allen – Jacobs Space Operations Group
- Kyle M. Griffin – Lockheed Martin
- John Shannon – The Boeing Company
- Jim Maser – Aerojet Rocketdyne
- Wendy Williams – Northrop Grumman
Andrew Allen
Vice President and General Manager, Jacobs Space Operations Group (JSOG)
Andrew Allen is the CEO of Aerodyne Industries LLC, a service-disabled, veteran-owned, small business that is a top engineering and IT solutions company.
He also serves in a new capacity for Jacobs as Vice President, supporting the Senior Vice President of Advanced Engineering, Research and Operations. In this role Allen represents Jacobs in industry partnerships focused on NASA and space exploration and supports other Jacobs strategic activities and business pursuits. Previous to this assignment, he was the Vice President and General Manager of Jacobs Space Operations Group at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, FL.
Allen’s entire career has been dedicated to aerospace. Prior to joining Jacobs, he served in various space industry leadership positions including Vice President of Space Programs and Requirements for Honeywell, Vice President of International Military Aircraft for Honeywell and Associate Program Manager for Ground Operations with United Space Alliance. Selected by NASA in 1987, Allen became an astronaut in 1988 and is a veteran of three space flights – logging more than 900 hours in space as the pilot on STS-46 in 1992, STS-62 in 1994, and mission commander on STS-75 in 1996. He was the Director of Space Station Requirements at NASA Headquarters until 1997. A retired Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, he graduated from the Marine Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, Naval Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun), and U.S. Navy Test Pilot School prior to his selection to the astronaut program. He has flown over 6,000 hours in over 30 different aircraft.
Allen earned his MBA from the University of Florida (2004) and BS in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University (1977). He has received numerous awards and honors during his career including an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Daniel Webster College; Honorary Doctorate of Engineering Science from Villanova University; Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Bucks County Community College; as well as numerous medals and accolades in recognition of exemplary military and NASA service, such as the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Single Mission Air Medal, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and NASA Space Flight Medal.
Kyle M. Griffin
Commercial Civil Space VP/GM, Lockheed Martin Space Company
Kyle Griffin is the Vice President and General Manager of the Commercial Civil Space line of business at Lockheed Martin Space. In this role, he oversees an incredible team working on human and deep space exploration spacecraft like NASA’s Orion, weather and remote sensing spacecraft and other cutting-edge technology that will return humans to the Moon to stay and then take them onward – to Mars. He is also responsible for growing Lockheed Martin Space’s commercial footprint and expanding the company’s customer base beyond traditional markets in the space industry.
Kyle’s career with Lockheed Martin has spanned multiple leadership positions and areas of expertise. Prior to assuming his current role, Kyle was the Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at Lockheed Martin Space. In this role, Kyle was responsible for growing the Space business with a comprehensive strategy to develop new markets and keep programs sold. He also led strategic planning, advanced technology development and new business acquisition efforts.
Kyle also served as the Vice President of Advanced Programs Development, where he led teams across all Lockheed Martin Space lines of businesses to research and pursue new technologies, often looking five to thirty years into the future.
Past executive leadership roles also include Kyle’s term as the Deputy Vice President and General Manager for Lockheed Martin Space Special Programs, where he oversaw a broad portfolio of advanced programs and development contracts focused on delivering high performance systems and innovative concepts for critical national security space applications. He also served as the Director for Advanced Program Development within Special Programs and as the Bus and Program Director for Military Support Programs. In each of these roles, Kyle was responsible for cost, schedule, budget and performance.
Throughout his 37-year aerospace career, Kyle has worked in a broad set of areas including rocket, spacecraft and ground development. Major programs include Peacekeeper, Titan, Stardust and Genesis. He has held various leadership positions within Lockheed Martin, where his responsibilities included spacecraft bus systems development, manufacturing, modeling and real-time simulation for spacecraft and electrical components, and the development of ground processing and simulation for key government programs.
John Shannon
Vice President, Boeing Exploration Systems, Boeing
John Shannon is the vice president of Boeing Exploration Systems, which is responsible for the company’s human space exploration programs, including the Space Launch System (SLS), the International Space Station (ISS), the CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, commercial low-Earth orbit initiatives and lunar pursuits. Prior to this position, Shannon was the vice president and program manager of Boeing’s SLS team, which designed, developed, tested, produced and successfully flew the core stage, upper stages and avionics for NASA’s new heavy-lift rocket on Artemis I in 2022. Shannon previously led the ISS program for Boeing in its key integration role for NASA.
Before joining Boeing, Shannon served as NASA’s deputy associate administrator for Exploration Planning in the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. In this role, Shannon was responsible for working with NASA and the international partners to define future human exploration activities for NASA Headquarters. While at NASA, he also served as the program manager of the agency’s Space Shuttle Program where he managed the program’s final 14 missions. Prior to this role, Shannon served as the deputy manager and the manager of Flight Operations and Integration for the Space Shuttle Program.
Shannon’s academic achievements include a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University and completion of Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and is the Boeing executive focal for Texas A&M University.
Jim Maser
Vice President, Advanced Space and Launch Business Unit Aerojet Rocketdyne
Senior Vice President of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Space Business Unit since August 2018, Jim Maser has more than 32 years of global aerospace experience and leadership, spanning entrepreneurial space launch, human spaceflight, as well as commercial and military jet engines. Prior to joining Aerojet Rocketdyne, he served as president of James G. Advisors, LLC, a strategy, leadership and technical execution consulting firm. He also held a number of roles within Pratt & Whitney between 2006 and 2017, including vice president of the F135 engine program and president of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, where he was responsible for the design, manufacture and performance of power and propulsion systems across numerous platforms.
Maser graduated magna cum laude from the University of Akron with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering. He later received a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2000, the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) honored him with its George M. Low Space Transportation Award. Additionally, he serves on the board of trustees and is the immediate past president of AIAA. Maser also serves as an Advisory Board Member for Firefly Aerospace Inc. He previously served on the board of directors of the Space Foundation as well as the California Chamber of Commerce.
Wendy Williams
Vice President, Propulsion Systems, Northrop Grumman Space Systems
Wendy Williams is the vice president of Propulsion Systems for Northrop Grumman’s Launch and Missile Defense Systems Division. She is responsible for key programs including the solid rocket booster for NASA’s Space Launch System, Trident II (D5) and Minuteman III strategic missile product lines, the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program and commercial rocket motors and products.
Previously, Wendy was the vice president of Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Structures business unit with responsibility for commercial, military and strategic aerospace structures, as well as composite structures for launch programs.
Wendy joined the company in 1990, and her background includes more than 30 years of management and executive management experience in aerospace enterprises. She served as the vice president of Strategy and Integration for Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group where she led group-level strategy, its deployment process and she was the capture lead of major strategic pursuits, collaborating with Business Development on customer outreach. She was also responsible for integration efforts across all divisions including operations, supply chain management, safety board, integration and risk management activities and facility and land management.
Wendys’ prior positions include vice president of Business Integration for legacy ATK’s Aerospace Group, where she had responsibility for business transformation, operations, supply chain, information systems processes and tools integration. She was also deputy general manager for Space Components Division and Mission Research and Technical Services.
Wendy served as the vice president of Membership for Women in Aerospace and currently serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of Salt Lake City.
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