As associate administrator, Mike Kincaid oversees strategic direction and leadership of NASA’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) engagement function, which attracts and supports the involvement of students in the realization of NASA’s unique missions. Kincaid’s office engages America’s educators, students and institutions in these unique missions, contributing to NASA’s mission success, as well as the nation’s overall STEM education ecosystem.
Kincaid chairs NASA’s STEM Engagement Council, which integrates, oversees and assesses NASA’s STEM engagement functions and activities agencywide. Kincaid is also co-chair of Federal Coordination in STEM Education (FC-STEM), a multiagency committee focused on coordinating and enhancing STEM education efforts across the federal government.
In addition, Kincaid is NASA’s representative on the International Space Education Board (ISEB) and serves as the 2019 ISEB chair. He leads global collaboration in space education between 10 countries. ISEB shares best practices and unites efforts to foster interest in space, science and technology among students worldwide.
Kincaid has served NASA for more than 30 years. He first joined NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, as an intern in 1987, and has led JSC organizations in various capacities including Director of Education, Deputy Director of Human Resources, and Deputy Chief Financial Officer. Prior to taking his current position, Kincaid was the Director of External Relations at JSC, where his office interacted with several stakeholders from across the country.
Kincaid has a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M, an MBA from University of Houston, Clear Lake, and is happily married with three wonderful children. He is passionate about the impact of STEM engagement and his role in leading the agency’s efforts to engage the nation in NASA’s missions.
Official Bio
Abe Eshkenazi is chief executive officer of the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), the largest organization for supply chain and the global pacesetter of organizational transformation, talent development and supply chain innovation. During his tenure, ASCM has significantly expanded its services to corporations, individuals, and communities. Its revenue has more than doubled, and the association successfully completed three mergers in response to both heightened industry awareness and the vast and ongoing global impact driven by supply chains. Previously, Eshkenazi was the managing director of the Operations Consulting Group of American Express Tax and Business Services. He may be contacted at [email protected].
As Chief Sustainability Officer and Managing Director, Global Environmental Affairs at United Airlines, Lauren Riley is responsible for leading United’s environmental sustainability strategy, including progressing its climate commitments, scaling sustainable aviation fuel, evaluating decarbonization technologies, and achieving environmental compliance. This portfolio supports United’s commitment to achieve 100% green by zeroing out carbon emissions by 2050 without relying on traditional carbon offsets, and by 2035, reducing carbon intensity 50% compared to 2019.
Lauren is recognized as Business Insider’s 100 People Transforming Business and 2021 Environment+Energy Leader 100. Focusing on the relationship between innovation and environmental sustainability, Lauren has led a variety of initiatives addressing business and digital transformation, strategic planning, and change management that yield environmental and operational benefit.
Lauren earned her MBA from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental science from Bucknell University. She is a certified Change Management Advanced Practitioner through Georgetown University and PMP Certified.
Brian Connolly is the Vice President and Chief Engineer for Product Security at the Boeing Company. He works across Boeing’s commercial, defense and services businesses to develop and mature our product security strategy, lead enterprise engineering efforts to ensure cyber security and resiliency across our products, and champion innovation.
Brian, who has over 20 years of senior management and leadership experience, joined Boeing from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center, where he led an integrated team of engineers and computer scientists as the director of IT and Cyber Security. He also was the Technical Director of NAVAIR’s Digital Office, responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive technical roadmap to digitally integrate warfighting capabilities, data sources and models in support of naval aviation.
Prior to NAVAIR, Brian worked as a senior consultant for the U.S. government in the areas of systems engineering, enterprise architecture, software design and development, change management, project management, financial analysis, risk management and enterprise-wide systems training. He also was a captain in the U.S. Army.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he also holds a master’s degree in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
Mike Sinnett serves as vice president and general manager of Product Development for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. In this role he leads the team responsible for developing future production systems, products and services an assignment that ranges from individual technologies to derivative airplane offerings to future programs.
Prior to this role, Sinnett led Boeing’s New Mid-Market Airplane (NMA) program and the Product Strategy & Future Airplane Development team. Earlier Sinnett served as vice president and chief project engineer for the 787 program. He led the effort for 787-8 and 787-9 airplane delivery including flight test, technical configuration of the airplane, product integrity and safety. He also served as the senior chief engineer of Airplane Systems for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Sinnett joined Boeing in 1991 and held progressively more responsible positions in engineering, including 747 and 767 avionics and flight deck design, and avionics design responsibilities during the 777 and the Next-Generation 737 development programs. Sinnett began his aerospace career at the McDonnell Aircraft Company in 1982 in the engineering cooperative education program.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Missouri – Rolla and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering as a National Science Foundation Creativity in Engineering Fellow at the University of Missouri – Rolla. Sinnett was named a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in March 2011, and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in January 2012. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2016.
Official Bio
Steve Bradford is Chief Scientist for Architecture and NextGen Development, at the Office of NextGen – Federal Aviation Administration.
Steve Bradford is the Chairman of the Technical Review Board that monitors technical decisions related to investments and the Enterprise Architecture. He works with elements of the FAA to develop midterm plans and five-year budget requests to implement NextGen including UAS related automation. He is the FAA lead for the FAA/NASA Research Transition Team process that supports collaboration between the FAA and NAS on ATM related activities. A current focus of the RTT process is collaboration on both UAS-in-the-NAS supporting vehicles operating in ATM, and UAS Traffic Management supporting operation in uncontrolled airspace. Both RTT’s depend on direct partnership with the UAS industry and provide many opportunities to look at new technology options for both UAS and traditional manned aircraft operations.
He has a leading role in NextGen’s International Engagement. He was a member of the ICAO technical team that authored the latest Global Air Navigation Plan, the past US panel member and current advisor to the ICAO Air Traffic Management Requirements and Performance Panel, and is technical advisor to the development of GANP 2019. He leads the FAA participation in several activities with SESAR Joint Undertaking, and has led several co-operative international efforts with EUROCONTROL.
Ellen Ebner is Director for Sustainable Technologies supporting the Boeing Sustainability & Future Mobility team. Ellen and the team are focused on developing technologies that will enable Boeing and our industry’s pathway to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Previously, Ellen has served in leadership roles supporting Enterprise Technology Strategy, 787 Program Manufacturing Operations, and Materials & Manufacturing Technology. Her prior work experience includes renewable energy and environmental engineering design & consulting. Ellen holds master’s degrees in Business Administration and Systems Engineering from MIT (Leaders for Global Operations program) and a bachelor’s degree in Bioresource Engineering from McGill University. Ellen serves on the Board of the Sustainability Institute in Charleston, SC and is passionate about workforce development, nature, conservation and performing arts.
Laurence Wildgoose was appointed as the Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs, and Environment at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in January 2021.
In this role, he is responsible for leading the FAA’s policy efforts to improve the safety and capacity of the global aerospace system in an environmentally sound manner. His focus is on assisting with the FAA’s reauthorization efforts, improving the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System, and advancing innovation-friendly policies related to the safe integration of new entrants, including unmanned aircraft systems. In addition, Laurence oversees the agency’s international activity, including advancing the FAA’s global leadership on safety and environmental initiatives.
Prior to joining the FAA, Laurence served as a professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation, where he handled aviation safety and security issues related to the FAA, the Transportation Security Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board. He most recently served under the leadership of Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), after joining the committee under then-Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL).
Laurence earned an M.B.A. from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and a B.A. from Florida State University.
Dan Freeman is vice president of the Safety Management System. In this role, Dan is responsible for converting the SMS roadmap and horizon plan to IPT action plans that achieve enterprise SMS objectives; leading common actions for tools, processes and metrics across SMS to assess safety performance; and implementing a system for hazard identification, analysis and risk management across the business. Dan is also Engineering Leader for Boeing’s Confident Travel Initiative to help the aviation industry safely resume global air travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Previously, Freeman was Director of Payloads and Customer Engineering for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, responsible for integrating the functional requirements and aesthetics within the cabin and cargo compartments, ensuring functional excellence,
and leading the Flammability Compliance System. He was also responsible for the configuration and technical interface with commercial, government and other customers through sales campaigns, airplane delivery, and for fleet modifications. Prior to these roles, Freeman was Chief Engineer for 737 Interiors and Chief Engineer for the Seat Integration Team.
Freeman began his Boeing career in 1987 working in Manufacturing Research and Development, where he supported the Interiors Manufacturing operation. His Boeing career has included leadership roles working with a variety of products
throughout Interiors.
Freeman has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington, a Masters in Business Administration from Seattle University and a certificate from the Advanced Management Program at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT). He is married and has three children.
