(July 11, 2023 – New York City) – After an election by the membership, the Board of Directors of Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) welcomes four new Directors for three-year terms beginning July 1:

• Julie Baker, Chief Operating Officer & Co-founder, Ursa Space Systems
• Jessica Beahn, Vice President & Chief Engineer, Maxar Technologies
• Chris Kinman, Chief Commercial Officer, Momentus Space
• Jennifer Little, Vice President of Sales & Sales Operations, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

In addition, the election returned two Board members for a second term:

• Sharyn Nerenberg (SSPI Treasurer), Vice President, Corporate Communications, Hughes
• Mike Safyan, Vice President of Launch, Planet

“Our Chairwoman, Katherine Gizinski, and President, James Trevelyan, have made it a priority to drive the diversification of our Board to better represent the space and satellite industry,” said executive director Robert Bell. “Our new Board is made up of executives from satellite communications fleets, launch systems, spacecraft manufacturing, earth observation, ground segment technology and operations, IoT, data analytics and licensing. In an industry seen as male-dominated, nearly half of our Directors are women in senior positions within their organizations. We hope that raises expectations across the industry.”

Continuing in service on SSPI’s Board of Directors are:

• Julie Bettinger, Chief Marketing Officer, ST Engineering iDirect
• Josef Bogosian, Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing, Commercial Satellites, Boeing
• Jonathan Crawford, President Media & Broadcast, Roberts Communications Network
• Katherine Gizinski (SSPI Chair), Chief Executive Officer, ManSat
• James Hinds, Chief Executive Officer, Airbus OneWeb Satellites
• Aaron Lewis, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Government Relations, Arianespace, Inc.
• Marie-Pierre Pluvinage, Director, Business Development, Airbus US Space & Defense
• Christodoulos Protopapas, Chief Executive Officer, Hellas Sat
• Nicole Robinson, Chief Growth Officer, Comtech Telecommunications
• James Trevelyan (SSPI President), Executive Vice President of Sales, Speedcast
• Mark Witsaman, Vice President, Product Engineering, Globalstar
• Elias Zaccack, Executive Vice President, Global Sales, SES Networks

Elizabeth Evans of K&L Gates serves as General Council.

About SSPI
Founded in 1983, Space & Satellite Professionals International (www.sspi.org) is on a mission to make the space and satellite industry one of the world’s best at attracting and engaging the talent that powers innovation. The space and satellite business has never seen a time of greater experimentation and disruption than we see today. Investment is the fuel for transformation, but people are the engine. SSPI helps the industry attract, develop and retain the talented people it needs to keep the engine turning. People who connect through high-profile events and gain recognition from prestigious awards. People who rely on SSPI for a broader understanding of the industry as much as for individual networking and career mentoring. From young people seeking a career path to industry veterans with wisdom to share, SSPI connects them all.

Talent, investment and opportunity flow to industries that make a difference. SSPI is the only organization that also promotes the enormous value of space and satellite through dramatic stories of our technologies and companies making a better world. Those stories overturn misconceptions about the industry that hold it back. They inspire our people and attract new ones to the industry. They help justify investment and give new customers a reason to care about our services and products. Through the stories we tell and the people we serve, SSPI inspires the growth of the $1 trillion space economy of the future.

For More Information
Victoria Krisman
Communications Manager
Space & Satellite Professionals International
vkrisman@sspi.org