People Category: Speaker

Dr. Olivia Pinon Fischer is a Senior Research Engineer within the School of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she leads the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL)’s Digital Engineering Division. In her current position, Dr. Pinon Fischer leads and manages multi-disciplinary research teams in the fields of digital engineering, digital twins & ecosystems, model-based systems engineering, and ML/AI. Dr. Pinon Fischer is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a member of AIAA’s Digital Engineering Integration Committee, Design Engineering Technical Committee, and Air Transportation System Technical Committee. She is also a member of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) Programme Committee and a member of NAFEMS’ Engineering Data Science Working Group. Dr. Pinon Fischer holds M.Sc. degrees in a variety of engineering fields and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Vanessa E. Wyche is the director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, home to America’s astronaut corps, Mission Control Center, International Space Station, Orion and Gateway programs and its more than 10,000 civil service and contractor employees. She is responsible for overseeing a broad range of human spaceflight activities, including development and operation of human spacecraft, commercialization of low-Earth orbit and Johnson’s role in landing the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon.

Wyche was most recently deputy director at Johnson, a position she held since 2018. Other key leadership positions Wyche has held at NASA include: assistant and acting deputy director of Johnson; director of the Exploration Integration and Science Directorate, flight manager of several missions of the retired Space Shuttle Program, executive officer in the Office of the NASA Administrator, and led additional center-level technical and program organizations. Before joining NASA in 1989, Wyche worked for the Food and Drug Administration in Washington D.C.

Wyche has received many prestigious awards including two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, two NASA Achievement Medals, and is a “Women at NASA” awardee. She’s been recognized as a national “Women Worth Watching” honoree by Profiles in Diversity Journal, and “Inspiring Woman from South Carolina” by Coastal Carolina University. She is a current fellow of the International Women’s Forum.

Wyche is a native of South Carolina and earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Master of Science in Bioengineering from Clemson University. In recognition of her contributions to the engineering profession she was inducted into the Thomas Green Clemson Academy of Engineers and Scientists at Clemson University in 2019.

A strong supporter of innovation and inclusion (I&I), she serves as a member of JSC’s I&I Council and advocates for mentorship at all levels. She is also a passionate promoter of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) serving on the Houston Exponential board of directors, is a member of the University of Houston’s C. T. Bauer College of Business Advisory Panel and is a past chair of the Space Center Houston board of directors. Wyche is active in multiple organizations in her community sharing her passion for STEM and future leader development.

Wyche is married to George Wyche Jr. Esq, and has one son, George Wyche III.

Official Bio

Col. (USAF, ret) Pam Melroy was sworn in as the NASA Deputy Administrator on June 21.

As Deputy Administrator, Melroy performs the duties and exercises the powers delegated by the Administrator, assists the Administrator in making final agency decisions, and acts for the Administrator in his absence by performing all necessary functions to govern NASA operations. Melroy is also responsible for laying the agency’s vision and representing NASA to the Executive Office of the President, Congress, heads of federal and other appropriate government agencies, international organizations, and external organizations and communities.

Melroy was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in 1983. As a co-pilot, aircraft commander, instructor pilot, and test pilot, Melroy logged more than 6,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft before retiring from the Air Force in 2007. She is a veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Operation Just Cause, with more than 200 combat and combat support hours.

Melroy was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in December 1994. Initially assigned to astronaut support duties for launch and landing, she also worked advanced projects for the Astronaut Office. She also performed Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) duties in mission control. In addition, she served on the Columbia Reconstruction Team as the lead for the crew module and served as Deputy Project Manager for the Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Team. In her final position, she served as Branch Chief for the Orion branch of the Astronaut Office.

One of only two women to command a space shuttle, Melroy logged more than 38 days (924 hours) in space. She served as pilot on two flights, STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002, and was the mission commander on STS-120 in 2007. All three of her missions were assembly missions to build the International Space Station.

After serving more than two decades in the Air Force and as a NASA astronaut, Melroy took on a number of leadership roles, including at Lockheed Martin, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Nova Systems Pty, Australia, and as an advisor to the Australian Space Agency. She also served as an independent consultant and a member of the National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group.

Melroy holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and astronomy from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Official Bio