Dr. Sacharia Albin is the Academic Liaison of AMA-MSI Consortium for RSES. He has over 35 years of experience in teaching and research.   He received his BS and MS degrees from the University of Kerala, and Ph.D. from the University of Poona, India. He was awarded a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship by the Science and Engineering Research Council at the University of Liverpool, UK.  He was a faculty member at Old Dominion University and the chair of engineering at Norfolk State University. His research expertise is in the field of Diamond and Silicon electronic and photonic devices with over 100 peer-reviewed publications. He has advised 14 PhD and 20 MS students. His research was consistently supported by the US federal funding agencies such as NASA, DoE, and NSF, as well as industry. He was awarded five patents. He received numerous awards: Doctoral Mentor Award; Excellence in Teaching Award; Most Inspiring Faculty Award; Excellence in Research Award; and Certificate of Recognition for Research - NASA, 1994. He is a Senior Member of IEEE.

Dr. David E. Bowles, semi-retired and on the Eastern Shore, serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Virginia Institute for Spaceflight and Autonomy (VISA) at Old Dominion University (ODU), where he previously served as VISA’s first Executive Director starting in October of 2019. VISA is chartered to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystems for spaceflight and autonomy in the Commonwealth through industry, academic and governmental partnerships, leveraging the expanding space facilities and growing capability to support advances in satellites and autonomous systems, the sensors they carry and the data they produce. Recent activities include partnering on a Phase 1 Federal DOT grant for Drone Medical package Delivery. Prior to his appointment at Old Dominion, Dr. Bowles was at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia for 39 years, and served as Center Director from 2015 until his retirement in 2019. As Center Director, he focused on transforming the work, the workforce and the workplace with widespread use of emerging digital and autonomous technologies, including turning the 700-acre research campus into a test range for Class D autonomous research and operations. Dr. Bowles is active in the aerospace and local communities. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics, and currently serves on the Boards of the Eastern Shore Community College, the National Institute of Aerospace, and the Virginia Aerospace Business Association. He is also a steering committee member of the Virginia Advanced Air Mobility Alliance at the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at VIPC and is ODU’s member of the Virginia Governor’s Aerospace Advisory Council. Dr. Bowles earned his bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral degrees in engineering mechanics from Virginia Tech in 1978, 1980 and 1990, respectively. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive in 2017 as a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service, NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal in 2019, and NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal in both 2005 and 2015.

Amanda Cutright is a systems and mechanical engineer currently serving as an Assistant Branch Head (ABH) for the Engineering Integration Branch (EIB) in the NASA Langley Engineering Directorate (ED). During her over 20-year career at NASA, she has gained hands-on experience in a variety of NASA’s mission directorates on multiple successful project teams, along with having served on various branch, directorate, center, and agency level teams to provide technical or policy feedback. She is currently supporting a mass properties assessment for the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), serves as a review board member for projects, is supporting the Sky for All aeronautics project, and currently also leading the “Langley Digital Engineering Community Forum” to help facilitate interactions with transformation efforts across Langley in support of the Agency Digital Engineering Leadership Team (DELT). She previously served as the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Program Chief Engineer for the Game Changing Development (GCD) Program Office focused on spaceflight and technology development and prior to that she was the Deputy Systems Engineering and Integration Team (SEIT) Lead for the Orion Flight Test Management Office (FTMO) during the Ascent Abort 2 (AA-2) flight test of the Orion Launch Abort System (LAS) safety escape system. Earlier in her career, Mrs. Cutright also served as a Chief Engineer for multiple projects, a systems engineer for hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator reentry vehicles, the mass properties lead for Orion Pad Abort 1 (PA-1), was both a Projects Officer and Assistant Program Manager for the DEVELOP National Program, and a graduate of the NASA Foundations of Influence, Relationships, Success, and Teamwork (FIRST) leadership development program. She is currently also a Fellow in the Society of Allied Weight Engineers (SAWE) professional society for mass properties and leads the International Technical Committee as the Vice President Technical Director. Mrs. Cutright hold a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Masters in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering from Old Dominion University.

Walter (Walt) Engelund serves as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs in the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters and provides executive leadership and execution for a portfolio of 10 space technology programs with an annual investment value of over $1 billion. STMD invests in technologies for NASA and commercial space needs that span the full range of technology readiness levels (TRLs), from fundamental laboratory experiments to full scale space flight demonstrations. Prior to his appointment with STMD in 2019, Engelund spent 30 years at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, most recently as the Director of the Space Technology and Exploration Directorate, where he led an organization that was responsible for developing technologies for human spaceflight and robotic exploration. He also previously served as the Chief Engineer at NASA Langley and was responsible for technical oversight for Langley’s diverse research and development portfolio, spanning aeronautics, human and robotic space technologies, and Earth science and remote sensing systems. He is a recognized expert, reviewer, and consultant for hypersonic flight and planetary entry systems for NASA and other government agencies. He is a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the recipient of numerous NASA Achievement Awards including NASA’s Exceptional Engineering Achievement and the Exceptional Achievement Medals, and the Meritorious Presidential Executive Award.

Christopher Fannin is Vice President of Hampton Operations for AMA and serves as program manager for the Research, Science, and Engineering Services (RSES) contract at NASA Langley Research Center. Prior to joining AMA, Chris worked as a project manager and as a loads and dynamics specialist for Rolls Royce North America, providing support to the Advanced Hawkeye aircraft upgrade program. He also served as the loads specialist for the gearbox and clutch assemblies on the novel vertical propulsion LiftFan system developed for the Joint Strike Fighter “B” variant. After joining AMA in 2008, he provided direct support to NASA’s Orion Launch Abort System Office, participating in the LAS system verification and validation activities including the Pad Abort 1 test at White Sands Missile Range. Chris completed bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech, including research in intelligent structures and thermoacoustic instabilities in lean pre-mixed combustion. He also completed a Master of Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis.

Dr. Hongzhi Guo received his Ph.D. degree from the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York in 2017, and his MS degree from Columbia University in 2012, both in Electrical Engineering. Currently, he is an assistant professor in the School of Computing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He was with Norfolk State University and the University of Southern Maine. His broad research agenda is to develop the foundations for wireless networks, networked robotics, and extended reality for automating dangerous, dirty, and dull tasks in extreme environments, such as underground and underwater. He received the NSF CAREER award in 2022, the NSF CRII award in 2020, the Jeffress Trust Awards Program in Interdisciplinary Research in 2020, the NSF HBCU-UP RIA award in 2020, and the Best Demo Award in IEEE INFOCOM 2017. He is a senior member of IEEE and an editor of Wiley International Journal of Communication Systems and Elsevier Physical Communication. 

Dr. Khan Iftekharuddin obtained an M.S. and a Ph.D. both in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton in 1991 and 1995 respectively. He was a senior systems engineer at BDM Federal in Dayton, OH, 1994 - 1997. Dr. Iftekharuddin was a principal research engineer at Timken Research, Canton, OH before joining North Dakota State University (NDSU) as an assistant professor in 1998. He was faculty member at University of Memphis (UoM) before moving to Old Dominion University (ODU) in 2011. Dr. Iftekharuddin's research involves  novel theory and applications of AI/machine learning and computer vision in cyber-physical systems; biomedical imaging and signal analysis; and environmental and geoscience. He was the winner of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s (SCHEV) outstanding faculty award for the highest standards of teaching, scholarship and service in the State of VA, 2023. He has been cited among the top 2% researchers in the globe for both career long impact and single-year impact, 2020 - 2023. He obtained the best researcher award from three different academic institutions: ODU’s Batten College of Engineering and Technology Research Excellence Award for 2014; UoM’s Herff Outstanding Faculty Research Award in the college of Engineering and Technology for 2011; and NDSU’s Researcher of the Year Award in college of Engineering and Architecture for 2000, respectively. His Vision Lab has consistently ranked among top teams in Global Brain Tumor Segmentation and Patient Survivability Prediction Challenges co-organized by MICCIA and NCI since 2014. He is a fellow of AIMBE and SPIE.

Torry Johnson serves as the Deputy Associate Administrator for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Engagement Program in the Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). He provides strategic direction and executive oversight of NASA’s STEM Engagement Program and its programmatic portfolio of efforts devoted to creating unique learning opportunities for students and supporting educators and educational institutions. Torry serves on the executive leadership team and manages a $144 million portfolio of investments. Torry previously served as the Manager for the Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) within NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. Torry’s leadership in MUREP focused on developing strategic partnerships that led to research growth and institutional capacity building and competitiveness, and overall student success at Minority Serving Institutions. Prior to joining OSTEM in 2019, Torry worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for over 15 years as an Assistant Deputy Director within the Earth Science Division. His purview extended to multiple, research-based agreements and contracts, office space and technical facilities, STEM engagement and public outreach, and broad information technology efforts. Torry was appointed and served as an organizational Ombudsman to aide colleagues with conflict resolution, mediation and problem solving. Before joining the federal government, Torry worked for companies like Allstate, USA Today and the TriZetto Group. Torry received his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and his master’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Denna's work in ESIP is to advance research opportunities for innovators in emerging communities, including small businesses & new entrants. She supports the development of NASA funded research opportunities, outreach efforts, and resources for those seeking to engage in NASA's Technology Pipeline. She leads a team of senior staff who identify and implement pilots that help in lowering barrier to entry for proposers, foster community building across multiple research sectors, and cultivates a climate of inclusion and collective learning. In 2023, Denna was awarded the agency’s highest honor award for her leadership in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within STMD. In 2022, Denna was selected as an AstroAccess Ambassador and completed her first microgravity research flight in December 2022 and continues to research efforts for accessible space flight for people with disabilities and medical challenges. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Denna resides in Greenbelt, Maryland with her five year old son Kaleb and her retired guide dog Angie. Denna hopes to return to tandem cycling and complete her second RAGBRAI tour in Iowa.

Dr. Carolyn Mercer serves as the Chief Technologist for NASA's Science Mission Directorate as the focal point for the development of innovative new technologies that will enable exciting new capabilities for astrophysics, heliophysics, Earth and planetary science, and fundamental physics on the International Space Station. She champions technology needs among senior executives in NASA and advocates within SMD for technological innovation and new paradigms enabled by emerging technologies. Prior to joining the Science Mission Directorate's leadership team, she was the founding leader of the Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office and the Lead Program Executive for the SIMPLEx rideshare program for planetary science. Dr. Mercer has managed a broad portfolio of space-related technology development projects, including technologies to explore icy moons, advanced scientific instruments, flexible solar arrays, energy storage systems, and adaptive engine technologies. She began her career as a research engineer developing optical techniques to measure fluid properties in propulsion facilities at the Glenn Research Center and supervised a highly skilled group of scientists and engineers developing similar technologies. She holds two patents in optical instrumentation and has received numerous awards including the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement, NASA Glenn Outstanding Leadership Award, and NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal. Dr. Mercer earned her Ph.D. in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona, an MS in Physics from Cleveland State University, and a BS in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the Ohio State University.

David Mitchell is currently NASA’s Chief Program Management Officer. His career began in 1984 with the U.S. Navy, and he joined NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in 1987. Mitchell worked on launch vehicle systems, including Delta II, Scout, and Pegasus before moving to the GOES program as chair of the GOES-N series Source Evaluation Board in 1997. He also had assignments at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and as a NASA Congressional Fellow for Senator Bill Nelson in 2006. Mitchell led Goddard’s Earth Science Projects Division in late 2006 and concurrently served as the project manager for the MAVEN proposal effort. Upon MAVEN’s selection in 2008 for development, he served as project manager through the mission’s Mars Orbit Insertion in 2014. In 2015, he became director of Goddard’s Flight Projects Directorate and then director of the Engineering & Technology Directorate in 2021. He transferred to NASA Headquarters in 2022 and later returned to Goddard as Acting Center Director. Mitchell served as the senior champion for Goddard’s African American Advisory Committee, for which he was awarded NASA’s Equal Employment Opportunity Medal. He was also awarded NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal twice and the Presidential Rank Award twice. In recent years, Mitchell led or served on the following boards: Acquisition & Program/Project Management Tiger Team; Psyche Independent Review Board; Risk Management Tiger Team; Mars Sample Return IRB Response Team; and currently, the NASA 2040 Process Workstream. Mitchell holds a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from SUNY-Buffalo (1984) and a master’s in Engineering Administration from George Washington University (1989). He completed the Council for Excellence in Government program in 2002, Harvard’s Senior Executive Fellows program in 2004, and NASA’s Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program in 2006.

As the Manager for Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office (PESTO), Dr. Erica Montbach, crafts the technology investment strategy for future planetary science missions, manages all pre-mission planetary science technology development, coordinates with other technology development programs, and infuses technology into planetary science. She is the Program Officer for Concepts for Ocean worlds Life Detection Technology (COLDTech) and supports other PESTO program officers in their management of the PESTO portfolio. Erica’s experience has focused on research and development, entrepreneurship, small business innovation, industry trend analysis, public private partnerships, patent portfolio maturation, and grants management. She has led multi-disciplinary teams to develop solutions for a sustained presence on the Moon, as part of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) technologies. Her technical background includes designing advanced manufacturing environments, materials development, creating flexible electronics, and evolving display technologies for consumer products. Erica has co-authored a published book chapter, written over 35 technical papers, 22 patents, and presented on technical results along with technology direction and program management. Dr. Montbach has a B.A. in Physics from The College of Wooster, an M.S. in Physics from Colorado State University, and a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University.

Kevin Rivers leads the strategy and transformation of the center’s technical capabilities to ensure NASA’s future mission success. He is particularly focused on accelerating Langley’s internal and external collaborations as well as the infusion of digital technologies so the Center can thrive in an ever-more digitally enabled, hyper-connected, fast-paced, and globally competitive world. Prior to this assignment, Rivers served as Director of the Research Directorate (RD), the Deputy Director of RD at Langley, and Deputy Director for Flight Projects Directorate. He successfully led the Launch Abort System team to develop and demonstrate the system through the Pad Abort-1 flight test in May 2010 and through the Exploration Flight Test-1 in December 2014. He led the development of advanced structures technologies for future spacecraft, an on-orbit repair for the Space Shuttle wing-leading-edge, and the integrated vehicle design and analysis for the historic Ares 1-X flight test that flew in November 2009. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Mississippi State University and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering at Old Dominion University. Rivers has authored many technical articles and also holds numerous letters of patent.

Sara Sanford wants us to move from shared stories to shared data to eradicate workplace inequities.She is the founder of GEN and the architect behind the GEN Certification, the first gold standard for intersectional equity in U.S. businesses, which has expanded to certify businesses globally. She is also an assistant professor at the University of Washington’s School of Information, where she teaches on the intersection of equity, ethics, and information science, and she is the author of Inclusion Inc: How to Design Intersectional Equity into the Workplace Sara helps organizations embrace the idea that changing mechanics, rather than mindsets, can create lasting change at scale. Her data-driven tools provide business leaders with tangible solutions they can incorporate into their organization’s culture, starting right now. They go beyond ‘vanity metrics’ to identify the cultural levers that businesses can adjust to counter the impact of bias.Sara believes we now have the tools for all business to be equity-centered, if they choose to be. She is a popular TED Speaker  has been interviewed by the New York Times , and her book, Inclusion, Inc . , is available through major online outlets.

Rosemary Smith is a Partnership Agreements Specialist in the Strategic Partnerships Office at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. She plans and writes Space Act Agreements with other NASA Centers, Mission Directorates, industry, academia, and intergovernmental agencies to enhance NASA’s missions and expand capabilities through partnerships. Her role includes comprehensive business strategies, targets, and project management, and objectives to enable the execution and management of agreements that fulfill gaps, including the needs of the Center, Agency, diversity, equipment, and infrastructure to ensure effective project execution and resource allocation. She is passionate about engaging a diverse workforce, leveraging opportunities to expand skillsets, and enabling others to contribute in unique ways to solve unique challenges. Rosemary earned her bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics at Old Dominion University and her master’s degree at Regent University. She began her career at NASA Langley Research Center in 2014 in the Office of STEM Engagement, where her priorities at NASA included engaging youth with a passion for STEM, particularly the underserved, underrepresented population, and providing support for educators and the public across the region where she developed and expanded content focusing on NASA’s current objectives and missions to advance high-quality STEM education.

Smith earned a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and taught virtual and face-to-face professional development, including NASA-unique content and strategies for infusing STEM topics to expand excitement around NASA’s missions. She has been featured as a keynote speaker at multiple conferences and is committed to creating change in innovative and unique ways to leverage technology that supports the mission. Rosemary is passionate about reigniting the enthusiasm in her colleagues and future workforce by leveraging NASA and technological advances with opportunities to work alongside NASA to accomplish mutual goals.

Dr. Peter Taiwo received his Doctor of Engineering degree from Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD in December 2020. His dissertation was focused on the development of blind adaptive beamforming techniques for multi-user MIMO systems, and blind channel estimation techniques for millimeter-wave communications. His other research interests include the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence in future wireless communication systems, and adaptive signal source localization with inverse beamforming using non-linear array sensors. He is currently working on building a cloud-based multi-platform integrated workbench for computer vision, speech, natural language processing and AutoML services, while he teaches Signals and Systems, and an introductory course to Digital Logic Designs. Prior to this, he had worked as a core network engineer and systems analyst at Alcatel-Lucent in Lagos NG, and Exelon Corporation in Baltimore MD.

Dr. Aurelia Taylor Williams is a transformational leader dedicated to leveraging resources to expand access to higher education. With over two decades of service at Norfolk State University (NSU), she is a staunch advocate for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and effectively utilizes networking to impact multiple campuses significantly. As the Senior Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, Dr. Williams leads and oversees efforts related to faculty and staff activities in the Division of Academic Affairs. One of her earliest achievements in this position was leading a team to secure NSU’s first Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) grant. As a Professor of Computer Science and the Founding Executive Director of NSU’s Cybersecurity Complex, Dr. Williams is deeply committed to enhancing the learning experience for both undergraduate and graduate students. In her previous role as Computer Science Chair, she provided strong departmental leadership during a period of exponential growth. Dr. Williams has played an indispensable role in advancing NSU’s Cybersecurity initiative, securing an impressive sum exceeding $50 million in external funding. She consistently secures substantial research grants, awards, and contracts from federal, state, and private entities. Dr. Williams is a distinguished alumna, earning her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Norfolk State University, a master’s degree in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University, and a doctoral degree from Pace University.

Ms. Wusk is an accomplished, innovative, and highly respected Chief Engineer who has led NASA’s complex technology development projects on aircraft, suborbital launch vehicles, low earth orbit satellites and platforms targeting the Moon and beyond. She holds degrees in both Physics and Electrical Engineering and has worked at the center for 35 years, supporting critical projects and programs for NASA as a civil servant and contractor. Her career started off with integrating flight hardware on research aircraft, grew into developing ground systems and mission operations for satellite missions, launching experimental rockets off the eastern shore, serving as a program manager for new technologies across the agency. In 2019, she joined the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) and has served as both the Chief Engineer for Langley Research Center and the lead for the Integration Office, providing organizational leadership to perform value-added independent testing, analysis, and assessments of NASA's high-risk projects to ensure safety and mission success. Ms. Wusk holds patents for the Lightweight Flexible Thermal Protection System for Fire Protection which resulted from technology transfer of research completed on thermal protection systems on atmospheric re-entry vehicles to the US Forest Service for fire shelters. Ms. Wusk is dedicated to involving students and early career professionals in achieving NASA’s objectives, fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive atmosphere within the agency. She and her husband have resided in Virginia for over 30 years and have three children, all of whom contribute to the family’s passion for space exploration.

Dave Young currently serves as the Senior Advisor to the Center Director at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. In this position, he leads the development and implementation of a new Langley strategic plan that is aligned with the NASA strategic plan and NASA 2040 initiative. From 2019-2023, he served as the Deputy Director of Langley where he was responsible for the successful execution of Langley’s projects. During the global pandemic, he led the development and implementation of Langley’s return to onsite work plan. Young served as Director of the Langley Science Directorate from 2013-2019. In this capacity, he was responsible for a research portfolio that incudes satellite and aircraft-based missions designed to improve our knowledge of changes in the Earth’s atmosphere and how those changes affect public health, air quality, our economy, and national security. Young received the prestigious NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2011 the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award in 2018, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2024. Young holds a bachelor’s degree in Astrophysics from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in Meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University. He is the author or co-author of over 55 peer-reviewed science publications, and received the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 2001 for his pioneering work in Earth Science.

David Yu currently serves as the Chief Architect of Data and Artificial Intelligence for Federal customers. In this role, David spearheads the strategy and adoption of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Platform capabilities across US Federal Customer Success. He collaborates with Chief Data Officers (CDOs) and Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers (CAIOs) to formulate and execute AI and Data Platform strategies. David leads a team of Data & AI subject matter experts who develop strategic Generative AI and data platform services for U.S. Public Sector customers.Before joining Microsoft, David was a software engineering manager, leading a team of 15 developers and architects in supporting command and control and satellite communication systems. He also worked as a systems engineer, simulating, and testing underwater autonomous vehicles and sonars, designing, and building custom circuit boards, and writing and testing algorithms for hydro acoustic systems. David holds a Bachelor's and Master’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University, and a Master's degree in Computer Science from Virginia Tech.

John Abrams is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA), where he develops business strategy, manages the executive team, and leads the overall operations of the company.  He has a diverse background in engineering, business development, and project management, and has worked on a range of projects including mission architecture definition, system analyses, and mechanical design of advanced power, propulsion, and structural systems for spacecraft and launch vehicles.  John holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and a M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University.