Aerojet’s Glenn Mahone and Northrop Grumman’s Lon Rains to steer the Coalition’s Public Affairs Team
The Coalition for Space Exploration (Coalition) today announced veteran aerospace communicators Glenn Mahone of Aerojet and Lon Rains of Northrop Grumman will lead the Coalition’s Public Affairs Team in 2011. Mahone and Rains will serve as the new chair and deputy chair, respectively. Each will serve a one-year term, effective January through December 2011.
The Coalition for Space Exploration is a group of space industry businesses and organizations collaborating to ensure that the United States remains the leader in space, science and technology. By reinforcing the value and benefits of space exploration with the public and the nation’s leaders, the Coalition intends to build lasting support for a long-term, sustainable strategic direction for space exploration. The Public Affairs Team conducts the Coalition’s marketing, communications and public outreach efforts.
This is the second consecutive year Mahone has served as the chair of the Coalition’s Public Affairs Team. His extensive government, business and communications career spans more than 30 years. As vice president of communications for Aerojet, he oversees strategic and corporate communications, as well as community outreach and crisis communications. Other noted career highlights include many prominent positions at NASA, including assistant administrator for public affairs, press secretary and acting chief of strategic communications. He also worked for the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Rains works as the sector director of strategic communications for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Manhattan Beach, Calif. He was a member of the founding staff of Space News and served as that publication’s editor for 15 years. He is a recognized space expert and has made appearances on noted television shows, including CNN Prime News, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News and C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. He was the 2009 recipient of the National Space Club’s Media Award.
“As the space shuttle nears retirement, building awareness and enthusiasm for our nation’s space program has never been more imperative,” said Mahone. “We’re experiencing a momentum shift that poses both a challenge and an opportunity for the Coalition. I am honored to lead that effort for another year. Along with Lon’s expertise, we will be able to enhance our messaging and outreach activities bringing attention to the pervasive impact space exploration has on our daily lives.”
The Coalition’s outreach efforts have focused on increasing public awareness of the value and benefits of space exploration and demonstrating the profound effect of that awareness on public support. Research shows that 88% of Americans value the U.S. space exploration program. The Coalition recently released a public service announcement kicking off its new outreach campaign, Think Outside the Circle, which encourages the public to recognize the broad relevance and inherent value of space exploration.