People Category: Tuesday Sessions

Kathryn "Kathy" Lueders

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine selected Commercial Crew Program Manager Kathy Lueders to be the agency’s next associate administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate on June 12, 2020. Since 2014, Lueders has directed NASA’s efforts to send astronauts to space on private spacecraft, which culminated in the successful launch of Demo-2 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 30.

Lueders began her NASA career in 1992 at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, where she was the Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System and Reaction Control Systems Depot manager. She later moved to the International Space Station Program and served as transportation integration manager, where she led commercial cargo resupply services to the space station.

She also was responsible for NASA oversight of international partner spacecraft visiting the space station, including the European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s H-II Transfer Vehicle, and the Russian space agency Roscosmos’ Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. She went to Kennedy as acting Commercial Crew Program Manager in 2013 and was selected as the head of the office in 2014.

Lueders has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from New Mexico State University.

Kevin Antcliff

Kevin Antcliff is a conceptual designer and systems analyst who works with NASA researchers and industry partners to evaluate the benefit of various emerging technologies and envision the future of aviation.

Kevin believes that aviation should be a part of our everyday lives. For over ten years he has worked at NASA Langley Research Center to promote this belief by developing and analyzing regional air mobility (RAM), urban air mobility (UAM), and hybrid-electric commercial aircraft concepts.

Kevin currently serves as the Deputy Lead for Emerging Applications and Technologies and is an active member of the AIAA Transformational Flight Integration and Outreach Committee and AHS Transformative Vertical Flight Working Groups.

Kevin holds a Master and Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Charles (Chuck) J. Cross

Dr. Charles J. Cross is the Chief of the Turbine Engine Division, Aerospace Systems Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.  In this capacity, he leads a 250 person division in executing a $110,000,000 per year budget to plan, develop and transition advanced turbine engine technologies in order to sustain legacy systems, develop emerging systems, and enable future propulsion concepts.  To fulfill this mission, he is the Tri-service lead for the Advanced Turbine Technology for Affordable Mission Capability (ATTAM) program, ensuring USAF efforts are coordinated across DoD services.

Dr. Cross has been with the Air Force Research Laboratory and its predecessor organizations since 1989.  His multi-faceted technical activities have included serving as an in-house researcher, team leader, group leader, program manager, branch chief, consultant, mentor and technical leader for basic research in structural dynamics, life prediction and failure analysis of turbine engine components.  He is an internationally recognized expert in turbine engine dynamics, mechanics and durability and has led numerous national and international teams to investigate costly turbine engine fatigue and structural dynamics issues to resolve problems that impacted fielded engine systems for many years.  His publication record includes over 110 journal papers, technical reports and proceedings, and one patent.

Mary F. Wadel

Mary F. Wadel serves as the deputy director of Aeronautics at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. In this capacity, she assists in overseeing the center’s investments in research and development projects under the agency’s Advanced Air Vehicles, Integrated Aviation Systems, Airspace Operations and Safety, and Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Programs.

Immediately prior to her appointment, Wadel was the Formulation Co-lead for NASA’s proposed Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration Project, which will advance electrified aircraft propulsion technologies for commercial use. She will continue in this role concurrently until project formulation is complete.

Wadel began her NASA career in 1988 performing experimental research in rocket propulsion. She transitioned to working in aeronautics in 1999 as the project manager for aircraft icing. Since then, she has gone on to hold several project management positions, including stints with the Advanced Air Transport Technology Project, Cryogenic Fluid Management Project and Technology Investments in the Aeronautics Test Program. Wadel also spent eight years as the chief of NASA Glenn’s Aircraft Icing Branch.

The Ewa Beach, Hawaii native is the recipient of several individual and group awards, including the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and The Robert J. Collier Trophy as part of the Commercial Aviation Safety Team. She holds a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati and master’s in aerospace and mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Wadel and her family reside in Medina, Ohio.

Jason Crusan

As Vice President Technology, Jason Crusan is responsible for identifying, developing and maturing technologies that increase production, reduce costs, and enable Woodside’s people to work even more safely and efficiently.

Jason holds Bachelor degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics, and a Masters degree in Computing Information Systems. Jason has more than 20 years’ experience in leveraging industry, academia and government partnerships to accelerate technology advancements across multiple industries.

Before joining Woodside in 2019, Jason worked for the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration, primarily in human spaceflight. Jason most recently served as the Director of the agency’s Advanced Exploration Systems. In this role, Jason led many partnerships with commercial industry, including the first flights to the International Space Station of human-rated expandable habitats, additive manufacturing printers, and integrated 3D printers and recyclers.

Jason has also served as the Chief Technologist for space operations, and successfully directed various technical and strategic initiatives as program or project manager.

Jason was the founding Director of the Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, formed to advance the utilisation of open innovation methodologies across the U.S. Government.

Skyler Shuford

Skyler Shuford is the founder and Chief Operating Officer of Hermeus Corporation with primary effort devoted to hypersonic aircraft R&D, system analysis and test, company growth and strategy, internal process development, corporate communications and brand, and certification planning. Prior to Hermeus, Skyler was the Director of Avionics and Software at Generation Orbit, where he was responsible for design, analysis, manufacture, and test of the in-house developed flight and facility electronic systems and software and was the technical lead for the GN&C analysis, algorithms, and hardware for the X-60A, an Air Force X-Plane for hypersonic flight research. Skyler worked across the aerospace sector with time spent at SpaceX, Aerospace Corporation, Northrop Grumman, and Aerojet. Skyler holds a Master of Science degree with a minor in Computational Science from Penn State and a Bachelor of Science degree from Cal Poly, both in Aerospace Engineering.

Jason Bowers

Jason Bowers has 24+ years of experience in the technology sector including the telecommunications, general aviation and aerospace industries. He has designed and supported solutions related to aircraft engine controls, telecommunications switches, night vision systems, UUVs and life support systems. As a Staff Engineer with Collins Aerospace – ISRS, he has been a contributor to numerous space and sea programs. Most recently, he was the Design Lead for the power plant electrical system of an unmanned undersea naval vehicle as well as the Intelligent Systems Technical Lead for a deep space Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) demonstration. He is currently on a team tasked with building a fully functional lab based Air Revitalization System (ARS) for NASA and serves as the Technical Lead for a network distributed model of an advanced ECLSS.

Vernon McDonald

Dr. Vernon McDonald is currently Senior Vice President at KBR, leading their Strategic Solutions Group, a future-focused business unit helping execute long-term strategy and create breakthrough solutions. Strategic Solutions works across technical domains, engaging and connecting subject matter experts, cultivating and integrating technology-enabled capabilities, and executing R&D programs.

Dr. McDonald received his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. His career has focused on integrating science, technology and operations at all phases of the project lifecycle to deliver robust solutions in support of space exploration, defense modernization and human health and performance.

Makenzie Lystrup

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Dr. Makenzie Lystrup is vice president and general manager of the Civil Space strategic business unit. She is responsible for Ball’s portfolio of business in astrophysics, planetary science, heliophysics and space weather, Earth science and environmental monitoring, operational weather, and land imaging as well as advanced technology development for those markets.

Dr. Lystrup joined Ball in January 2013 in the company’s Strategic Operations organization where she led Ball’s space sciences activities in Washington, DC. She previously served as senior director, Civil Space Advanced Systems and Business Development, where she managed new business activities for NASA, NOAA and other civilian U.S. government agencies as well as for academia and nongovernmental organizations.

Previously, Dr. Lystrup worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Congressional Science & Technology Policy Fellow. During her time on the Hill, she managed an issue portfolio ranging from technology and privacy to national defense to nuclear energy and nonproliferation.

Dr. Lystrup holds a B.S. in Physics from Portland State University and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from University College London. She was a National Science Foundation Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Research Fellow spending time at the Laboratory for Atmospheric & Space Physics in Boulder, Colorado, and University of Liege in Belgium. As a planetary scientist and astronomer, Dr. Lystrup’ s scientific work has been in using ground- and space-based astronomical observatories to understand the interactions and dynamics of planetary atmospheres and magnetospheres – the relationships between planets and their surrounding space environments. Prior to graduate school, she was a full-time AmeriCorps volunteer focusing on STEM education.

Dr. Lystrup is actively engaged in the broader science and aerospace communities. She currently serves on boards and committees for Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), American Astronomical Society (AAS), CO-LABS, and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce.

In 2019, Dr. Lystrup was elected to the rank of Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her distinguished record in the fields of planetary science and infrared astronomy, science policy and advocacy, and aerospace leadership.