People Category: Keynote

David W. Thompson

Thompson served as president and chief executive officer of Orbital ATK until 2018. Under his leadership, Orbital ATK carried out more than 1,000 rocket launches and satellite missions over a 36-year period. During that time, the company grew from a start-up to a NYSE-listed public company with an enterprise value of more than $9 billion.

In 1982, Thompson co-founded Orbital Sciences Corporation (one of Orbital ATK’s main predecessors), serving as chairman, president, and chief executive officer. Before co-founding Orbital, Thompson was special assistant to the president of Hughes Aircraft Company’s Missile Systems Group and was a project manager and engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. As a college student, he worked on the first Mars landing missions at California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech) Jet Propulsion Laboratory and on space shuttle projects at NASA’s Langley Research Center and Johnson Space Center.

Thompson was awarded the National Medal of Technology, was honored as Virginia’s Industrialist of the Year, and was named High-Technology Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine. Also, he received the National Air and Space Museum Trophy from the Smithsonian Institution and was honored with the von Karman International Wings Award by the Aerospace Historical Society. He was also selected as Satellite Executive of the Year, was recognized with the Arthur C. Clarke Lifetime Achievement Award, received a lifetime achievement award from Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine, and was presented with the World Technology Award for Space by The Economist magazine.

Thompson is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA); a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society and the Royal Aeronautical Society; and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the International Academy of Astronautics. He was AIAA’s president for 2009-2010. Thompson also serves as a member of the Boards of Trustees of Caltech, the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Hertz Foundation, as well as the Astronomy Advisory Council at Princeton University.

Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in aeronautics from Caltech, and a MBA from Harvard Business School.

Amanda Simpson

Amanda Simpson is the Vice President for Research and Technology at Airbus Americas and is responsible for coordinating technology development, research activities, and innovation for Airbus in the western hemisphere. She is also the Head of Sustainability efforts for Airbus in the Americas.

Previously Ms. Simpson was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy at the U.S. Department of Defense, responsible for developing the strategy for the utilization of energy for military operational forces worldwide and the senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense for all matters pertaining to energy in our military. Prior to accepting that responsibility, she was the Executive Director of the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives, an organization developing large scale renewable energy projects to bring energy security to Army installations leveraging private sector financing.  In addition, she has held senior government roles in the office of the Army Acquisition Executive and the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Prior to her government appointments, Ms. Simpson had distinguished program management career in the aerospace industry working for Raytheon, Hughes Aircraft, Douglas Aircraft, and Hughes Helicopters.

Ms. Simpson has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including the Tucson YWCA Woman on the Move, Arizona Human Rights Fund Individual Award, National Conference for College Women Student Leaders Women of Distinction Award, and was named an Outstanding Alumni of Harvey Mudd College. She is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the Department of Defense Pride Civilian Leadership Award. Her team received the DARPA Award for Significant Technical Achievement in 1999. Ms. Simpson earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Harvey Mudd College, a Master of Science in Engineering from California State University, and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Arizona. She is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics serving on the Systems Engineering Technical Committee, Executive Steering Committee, and Corporate Member Committee. She is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and serves on the board of the Washington DC Chapter. She serves on the boards of directors of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Thermal Batteries Inc., and chairs the board of directors of the Airbus Institute for Engineering Research.

Ms. Simpson holds both an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and a Certified Flight Instructor license, and has logged nearly 3,000 hours of flying in more than 60 different types of aircraft including floatplanes, flying boats, unmanned drones, and multi-engine jets.

Eileen Drake

Eileen P. Drake is chief executive officer and president of Aerojet Rocketdyne, responsible for defining the company’s vision, guiding the strategic business plan, and building relationships with customers and stakeholders.

Ms. Drake joined Aerojet Rocketdyne in March 2015 as chief operating officer. She previously was with United Technologies Corporation (UTC), where she served as president of Pratt & Whitney AeroPower’s auxiliary power unit and small turbojet propulsion business. She also served as the vice president of Operations and vice president of Quality, Environmental, Health & Safety, and Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) for UTC’s Carrier Corporation, as well as for Pratt & Whitney.

Prior to joining UTC, Ms. Drake managed production operations at both the Ford Motor Company and Visteon Corporation, where she was Ford’s product line manager for steering systems and plant manager of Visteon’s fuel system operation.

During her military career, Ms. Drake served on active duty for seven years as a U.S. Army aviator and airfield commander of Davison Army Airfield in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Ms. Drake is a distinguished military graduate of the U.S. Army Aviation Officer School. She received a Master of Business Administration from Butler University and a Bachelor of Arts from The College of New Rochelle. She also received an honorary doctorate degree in Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Ms. Drake holds commercial and private pilot’s licenses in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

In February 2017 Ms. Drake was appointed to the board of Woodward, Inc. and also serves on the Audit Committee of the board. Woodward, Inc. is an independent designer, manufacturer and service provider of control system solutions and components for the aerospace and industrial markets.

Ms. Drake serves on the Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). In November 2018 she was elected as a member of AIA’s Executive Committee. AIA helps shape the American aerospace and defense industries’ future by advocating for polices and responsible budgets that keep our country strong, bolster our capacity to innovate, and spur our economic growth.

In January 2020 Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) selected Ms. Drake to serve on their National Board of Directors. The 2.5 million member GSUSA is the nation’s preeminent leadership development organization for girls, with programs coast to coast and across the globe.

Ms. Drake also serves on the National Space Council’s Users’ Advisory Group (UAG). Chaired by Admiral James Ellis, Jr., USN, Retired, the UAG is a federal advisory committee that advises the National Space Council onU.S.nationalspacepolicyandapproachestostrengthenU.S.leadershipinspace. Ms.Drakestartedserving a two-year appointment in June 2020.

Richard Aboulafia

Richard is Vice President of Analysis at Teal Group. He manages consulting projects in the commercial and military aircraft field and analyzes broader defense and aerospace trends.  He has advised numerous aerospace companies, including most prime and many second- and third-tier contractors in the US, Europe and Asia. He also advises numerous financial institutions on aerospace market conditions.

Richard writes and edits Teal Group’s World Military and Civil Aircraft Briefing, a forecasting tool covering over 135 aircraft programs and markets. He also writes publicly about aviation and defense, with regular columns in Aviation Week and Space Technology and at Forbes.com. His articles have also appeared in Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, AIAA’s Aerospace America, the Financial Times, Professional Pilot, and other publications.

Frequently cited as an aviation industry authority by trade and news publications, Richard has appeared on numerous television news and radio programs including ABC, BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters, CBS, CNN, NBC, NPR and PBS. He has spoken at numerous conferences, and presents a yearly lecture to the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy Industry Study program.

Before he joined Teal Group in 1990, Richard analyzed the jet engine market at Jane’s Information Group. He has a Masters degree in War Studies from King’s College, University of London and a Bachelors degree from George Washington University.

 

Jim Bridenstine

James Frederick “Jim” Bridenstine was nominated by President Donald Trump, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and sworn in as NASA’s 13th administrator on April 23, 2018.

Bridenstine was elected in 2012 to represent Oklahoma’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served on the Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

Bridenstine’s career in federal service began in the U.S. Navy, flying the E-2C Hawkeye off the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. It was there that he flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and accrued most of his 1,900 flight hours and 333 carrier-arrested landings. He later moved to the F-18 Hornet and flew at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, the parent command to TOPGUN.

After transitioning from active duty to the U.S. Navy Reserve, Bridenstine returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be the Executive Director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium.

Bridenstine completed a triple major at Rice University, and earned his MBA at Cornell University. He has three children with his wife, Michelle.

Walt Odisho

Walt Odisho is vice president of Manufacturing, Safety and Quality for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and is responsible for ensuring the Commercial Airplanes global production system consistently operates in an aligned, integrated and effective manner. He also leads the Commercial Airplanes focus on employee safety. In July 2017, the Quality organization was combined with Manufacturing and Safety to strengthen Commercial Airplanes’ unified production system approach.

Prior to joining Boeing in 2014, Odisho was vice president of Manufacturing for Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing America, in Erlanger, Kentucky. In this role, he was responsible for the overall management of assembly production and logistics at Toyota’s largest manufacturing facility in North America.

Odisho joined Toyota in 1989 as an engineer in the company’s truck division. In 1991, he transitioned into a quality assurance role. From 1993 to 2010 he held various leadership positions in production, manufacturing, new model launches, plastics, body structure engineering, fabrication and assembly. In 2011, he was named as the general manager of Assembly at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Kentucky and two years later, he was named vice president of Manufacturing.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from California State University (CSU), Fresno and attended the Wharton Business School of Management. He has served on the CSU Eastbay and Cal-Poly advisory boards as well as the Governors Manufacturing advisory board for the State of Kentucky.

Grazia Vittadini

Grazia Vittadini has been appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Airbus and a member of the Airbus Executive Committee, effective 1 May 2018.

Furthermore, she serves as Director of the Airbus Foundation Board and as a member of the Inclusion and Diversity Steering Committee.

Previously, Vittadini was Executive Vice President Head of Engineering since January 2017 and member of Executive Committee of Airbus Defence and Space.

Prior to this position, she had been Senior Vice President Head of Corporate Audit & Forensic, responsible for Airbus Group audit activities worldwide.

Since January 2013 and for one year and a half, Grazia was Vice President Head of Airframe Design and Technical Authority for all Airbus aircraft.

Always leading transnational teams in multiple locations, she also served as Chief Engineer on the Wing High Lift Devices of the A380 in Bremen from First Flight to In-Service (2005-2009) and then contributed to securing First Flight and Type Certification of the A350 XWB aircraft as Head of Major Structural Tests in Hamburg. The Major Tests for A320 Extended Service Goal, A380 and A400M were also in her scope.

Vittadini began her professional career on the Italian side of the Eurofighter Consortium, before joining Airbus Operations in Germany in 2002 and setting on her path towards senior management positions.

Grazia Vittadini graduated in Aeronautical Engineering and she specialised in Aerodynamics from the Politecnico di Milano.

Michael Leahy

Dr. Michael Leahy joined DARPA as director of the agency’s Tactical Technology Office in May 2019, marking his return to the agency, where he previously led the DARPA/U.S. Air Force Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Program (X-45A) from conception through first flight.

Most recently, he was the chief product officer for Dreamhammer Corporation, a startup technology company focused on monetizing their DoD heritage technologies and expertise for commercial markets. Before that, Leahy held a series of senior director leadership positions within Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems from technology maturation in support of major program captures to design, development and support of ground control stations for all their UAVs.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman in 2007, Leahy had a distinguished 27-year U.S. Air Force career retiring as a colonel. Over that span, Leahy made significant contributions to the advancement of aerospace technology and advanced systems. In addition to leading the X-45A effort with DARPA, he was a professor at the Air Force Institute of Technology; served as director of the Air Vehicles Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory; and served as vice director of the 448th Combat Sustainment Wing.

Leahy earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico, a master’s degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Leahy received the AIAA 2010 Hap Arnold Award for sustained excellence in aeronautical program management and the Association for Unmanned Systems International Pioneer Award. He was the National Society of Professional Engineers, USAF Engineer of the Year, Air Force Institute of Technology Outstanding Professor of the Year; has authored 48 refereed, international, journal, and conference publications; and was the founding editor of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine.

Mary Lynne Dittmar

Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar is President and CEO of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, an industry trade group supporting human exploration, science, commerce, and American leadership in space. Under her leadership the Coalition has grown from 5 companies to more than 70 over the past four years and is a recognized source for policy, technical and business information in the aerospace and defense sector.

Earlier in her career Dr. Dittmar managed the mission operations group for
The Boeing Company on the International Space Station Program. Later,
she acted as a special advisor to the NASA Astronaut Office before her
appointment as Boeing Chief Scientist for Commercial Utilization of the
ISS. More recently she was Senior Policy Advisor to International Space
Station National Laboratory. She has also served as a senior advisor to
NASA, the DoD, and the FAA.

Mary Lynne is a Fellow of the National Research Society and an Associate
Fellow of the American Institute for Astronautics and Aeronautics. From 2012-2014 she served as a member of the National Research Council Committee on Human Spaceflight, and is beginning her third term as a member of the Executive Committee of the Space Studies Board of the National Academies. She is also a member of the Users’ Advisory Group of the National Space Council and of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee for the FAA. Dr. Dittmar resides in Washington, D.C.

Danielle Wood

Professor Danielle Wood serves as an Assistant Professor in Media Arts & Sciences and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Within the MIT Media Lab, Prof. Wood leads the Space Enabled Research Group which seeks to advance justice in Earth’s complex systems using designs enabled by space. Prof. Wood is a scholar of societal development with a background that includes satellite design, earth science applications, systems engineering, and technology policy. In her research, Prof. Wood applies these skills to design innovative systems that harness space technology to address development challenges around the world. Prior to serving as faculty at MIT, Professor Wood held positions at NASA Headquarters, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Aerospace Corporation, Johns Hopkins University, and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs. Prof. Wood studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned a PhD in engineering systems, SM in aeronautics and astronautics, SM in technology policy, and SB in aerospace engineering.