People Category: Moderator

Al Tadros is the Chief Technology Officer of Redwire. In this role, he is focused on making strategic investments that support Redwire’s customers, advancing technology development and commercialization, and maintaining a nimble and collaborative technical culture. With nearly three decades of experience as an aerospace executive, Al is a thought leader in in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing with a proven track record in maturing satellite and space systems programs for exploration, national security, and commercial innovation.

Previously, Al was Chief Growth Officer and Executive Vice President of Space Infrastructure at Redwire. In this role, he oversaw the company’s long-term growth strategy and business development activities, and was responsible for advancing development, increasing adoption, and building momentum for Redwire’s mission-enabling capabilities within the civil, defense, and commercial space sectors.

Prior to Redwire, he served as Vice President of Space Infrastructure and Civil Space at Maxar Technologies, where he led significant innovation in next-generation spacecraft design and space infrastructure, integrating robotics and in-space satellite manufacturing, servicing, and assembly capabilities. Over the course of his career at Maxar, Al contributed to 13 missions and launch campaigns, many of which deployed cutting-edge communications and remote sensing systems. Al has worked with both commercial enterprises and government agencies to develop space systems for communications, satellite servicing, remote sensing, and exploration.

An authority in in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing, Al holds patents in the field of attitude control systems and was responsible for early telerobotics research for the International Space Station.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lt. Gen. Larry James, USAF (Ret.) was appointed as Strategic Advisor for SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre in Adelaide Australia and Professor of Practice in Space Innovation at Monash University in Melbourne Australia in June 2024. In the SmartSat role he provides advocacy, technical advice and support for SmartSat’s R&D, innovation and educational activities. At Monash he makes significant international leadership contributions and fosters excellence in the teaching, research, industry engagement and professional activities of aerospace and related fields.

Prior to his work in Australia, he was the Deputy Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 2013 to 2024. There he oversaw the day-to-day management of JPL’s resources and activities. This included managing the Laboratory’s solar system exploration, Mars, astronomy, physics, Earth science, interplanetary network programs, and all business operations.

Prior to his retirement from the Air Force Lt. Gen. James was the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance at the Pentagon and had numerous space and intelligence leadership positions during his 35 year career.

Lt. Gen. James received his Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering (1978) from the US Air Force Academy (Distinguished Graduate) and his Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics (1983) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA. He was also a Draper Fellow at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge MA. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Professor Mary (Missy) Cummings received her BS in Mathematics from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1988, her MS in Space Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1994, and her PhD in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia in 2004.

A naval officer and military pilot from 1988-1999, she was one of the U.S. Navy’s first female fighter pilots. She is a professor in the George Mason University Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science departments. She is an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Fellow and recently served as the senior safety advisor to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Her research interests include the application of artificial intelligence in safety-critical systems, assured autonomy, human-systems engineering, and the ethical and social impact of technology.

Official Bio

Van N. Truskett has a track record of innovation, leadership and attainment of business results in nanoimprint lithography addressing its introduction and use in the semiconductor, hard disk drive and emerging market (bio, solar, LED, display) applications. She has technical, operations and strategic leadership experience related to semiconductor equipment manufacturing and inkjet printhead R&D and product release. Her work has taken jetting technology from scholarship to practice in the U.S. and Asia, enabling a novel path for lower production costs for the semiconductor industry.

Truskett played a critical role in a team that raised venture capital and developed a startup, Molecular Imprints, into a thriving enterprise that Canon acquired in 2014 to form Canon Nanotechnologies. Her accomplishments included developing dramatically higher resolution nanopatterning solutions at a lower cost of ownership compared to competitors. She was instrumental in the product release of over 10 nanoimprint lithography products and over six cutting-edge inkjet-printing products. She has over 50 patents (U.S. and international) constituting the core technology.

She served as Director of Jetting Technology for Canon Nanotechnologies. Her groundbreaking developments, scientific contributions and leadership of core technologies in semiconductor equipment manufacturing and inkjet printhead innovation were seminal to the company’s acquisition. Currently, Dr. Truskett is dually appointed at The University of Texas at Austin as the Executive Director of the Texas Innovation Center by the Cockrell School of Engineering and the Director of Technology Innovation Development by the Office of Innovation and Economic Impact. She brings her expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship to foster and enable the commercialization of university-based discoveries and young startup companies to succeed. She received her Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University and her B.S. from The University of Texas at Austin, both degrees in chemical engineering.

Truskett is a nationally recognized technology and business leader. She is the recipient of the 2014 Industrial Research & Development Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). This is a national chemical engineering award for innovation, creativity and impact of bringing new products to market. In 2016, she was awarded the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Technology Innovation from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas and also was selected as the Distinguished Engineering Graduate from the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin. The O’Donnell Award is the most prestigious state award recognizing Texas-based researchers for their pioneering work. The distinguished graduate award is the highest honor from the Cockrell School given to highly respected professionals, dedicated engineers and supporters of higher education. In 2017, Dr. Truskett was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Chemical Engineers in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at UT Austin. As of 2020, she became a board member of AIChE’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Excellence and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Yannis C. Yortsos is the Dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the Zohrab Kaprielian Chair in Engineering, a position he holds since 2005. Prior to that he served from 2001 to 2005 as Associate Dean and then as Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Yortsos served as chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering between 1991 and 1997 and in 1995 he was appointed to the Chester Dolley Professorship. He received a BS (Diploma) degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, and MS and PhD degrees from the California Institute of Technology, all in chemical engineering. His research area is in fluid flow, transport and reaction processes in porous media with specific application to the subsurface. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008, where he has also served as secretary, vice-chair and chair of Section 11. His election citation reads: “For fundamental advances in fluid flow, transport, and reactions in porous media applied to the recovery of subsurface resources.” Since July 2017, Yortsos serves as a member of the NAE Council. In 2011 he was awarded the distinction of honorary member of the AIME, in 2013 he was elected as Associate member of the Academy of Athens, in 2014 he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and since 2017 he holds an honorary degree from Tsinghua University.

He served on the NRC Committees for the 2017 report on a New Vision for Center-Based Engineering Research as well as the 2017 report on The Value of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences to National Priorities and completed a three-year term as member of the NSF Engineering Advisory Committee. As dean of engineering, he articulated in 2008 the concept of Engineering+, positioning engineering as the enabling discipline of our times, and has been actively engaged in the effort to “change the conversation about engineering”.

Along with colleagues at Duke University and Olin College, he co-founded in 2009 the Global Grand Challenges Scholars Program. He organized and hosted at USC in Fall 2010 the NAE Second Grand Challenges Summit, which spurred in 2013 the Global Grand Challenges Summits. These are bi-annual meetings of the NAE, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, on the organizing committees of which he has continuously served. In 2022, he and his colleagues received the Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, for the co-founding and growth of the GCSP.

Between 2012 and 2017, Yortsos was the chair of the Diversity Committee of the Engineering Deans Council, in which capacity he has spearheaded an engineering diversity initiative, now adopted by more than 230 engineering deans nationwide. In recognition of these initiatives, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering received in 2017 the ASEE President’s Award.

Yortsos was the PI of the NSF I-Corps Innovation Node Los Angeles (2014-2021), established as a partnership between USC, Caltech and UCLA, and also the PI of the NSF Gender Equity Initiative EDGE (2018-2021). Between 2011 and 2017 he served on the Executive Committee of the Engineering Deans Council (2011-2017) and on the Executive Committee of the Global Engineering Deans Council (2012-2016, 2021- present). Following the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic he led, since April 2020, the National Academy of Engineering Call to Action Against COVID. He is the PI of the NSF I-Corps Innovation Hub: West, a five-year partnership (2022-2027) between USC, the University of Colorado, UCLA, Caltech, Colorado School of Mines, the University of New Mexico, UC Riverside, and the University of Utah.