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Better Satellite World Podcast: The New Public Private Partnership - The Triple Helix - How Government, Academia and the Private Sector Create a New DNA for Economic Development

In this podcast, we continue the discussion of public/private partnerships, focusing on collaboration among three important strands of society: government, academia and the private sector. Is the commercial space industry shaping a new DNA for economic development? Does it need to, given its unique features and needs? SSPI Director of Development and Innovation Lou Zacharilla asks these questions and more as he speaks with Erin Siltman, Business Development Engineer at Space Florida; Dr. David Alexander, Director of Rice Space Institute at Rice University and Chair of the Aerospace and Aviation Committee at Greater Houston Partnership; and Susan Davenport, Senior Vice President & Chief Economic Development Officer at Greater Houston Partnership.

Erin Siltman is a Business Development Engineer in Space Florida's Spaceports Business Unit, a position she has held for two years. She received her Aerospace Engineering degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Erin previously worked at the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation for three years, where she guided aerospace companies in preparing launch license and safety approval applications in accordance with federal regulations.

Dr. David Alexander is the Director of Rice Space Institute at Rice University and Chair of the Aerospace and Aviation Committee at Greater Houston Partnership. He serves as a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, where his primary area of research is solar astrophysics. As RSI Director, Professor Alexander is responsible for the mission and direction required to develop and achieve the goals and objectives of the institute. He has established a strong Rice presence in the Houston space community and strengthened the institutional ties with the NASA Johnson Space Center, developed partnerships with local aerospace industries and created a strong rapport with local, regional and federal government leaders. Professor Alexander is a member of the Rice Faculty Senate and author of “The Sun” part of the Greenwood Press “Guide to the Universe” Series. He received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2004 and was appointed a Kavli Frontiers Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences in 2006. Professor Alexander joined the faculty at Rice in 2003 from the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, California where he was a Staff Physicist working on the development of advanced space missions for solar physics. In 2018, Professor Alexander became an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). This OBE was awarded to Dr. Alexander “for his services to UK/US links in the space industry and higher education.”

Susan Davenport serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Economic Development Officer at the Greater Houston Partnership. The Partnership is an approximately 900-member business partnership encompassing a 12-county greater Houston region. In this role, Susan leads the organization’s dometic and international economic development efforts and provides assistance to companies considering expanding, relocating or investing in the greater Houston region. Prior to her work in Houston, Susan served as the President/CEO of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, a five-star accredited Chamber with approximately 1,300 member companies and organizations. Prior to her role as President/CEO she served for two years as the Chamber’s Vice President of Economic Development. From 2013 through 2018, the Gainesville Chamber announced the creation of more than 1,100 new jobs and more than $400 million in new capital investment.

 

      

 

This podcast series is sponsored by

 

SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners


 November 01, 2021