Plenary Session Speakers

– Moderator – Dr. Michael Kuliasha
Chief Technologist, Air Force Research Laboratory

As the principal adviser and consultant to the Commander, Dr. Kuliasha is responsible for advising him on the Air Force’s $2 billion science and technology program, additional customer funded research and development of $1.7 billion, and a workforce of approximately 9,500 people. He has technical expertise in a broad-range of scientific disciplines including nuclear science and technology, high-performance computing, modeling and simulation, knowledge discovery, and energy technologies. Dr. Kuliasha is currently on an Intergovernmental Personnel Act Mobility Program assignment to the AFRL.

Lt Gen William Shelton is Commander, 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic), Air Force Space Command, and the Commander, Joint Functional Component Command for Space, U.S. Strategic Command, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. As the U.S. Air Force's operational space component to USSTRATCOM, General Shelton leads more than 20,500 personnel responsible for providing missile warning, space superiority, space situational awareness, satellite operations, space launch and range operations. As Commander, JFCC SPACE, he directs all assigned and attached USSTRATCOM space forces providing tailored, responsive, local and global space effects in support of national, USSTRATCOM and combatant commander objectives.

Dr. Peter Rustan
Director, Ground Enterprises National Reconnaissance Office

Dr. Pete Rustan is currently the Director of Ground Enterprises and the former Director, Advanced Systems and Technology Directorate (D/AS&T), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Dr. Rustan served in a 26-year career in the United States Air Force, where he distinguished himself in the management of seven spacecraft development programs using advanced technologies and implementing the “faster, cheaper, and better” approach to acquiring space systems.  Dr. Rustan became the “founding father” of a new concept for a constellation of smaller imaging satellites. His perseverance led the NRO to abandon standard imaging satellites and proceed with the acquisition of smaller, cheaper systems. Dr. Rustan has received many national and international awards, including the Aviation Week and Space Technology Laureate and Hall of Fame, the Disney Discovery Award for Technological Innovation, The National Space Club Astronautics Engineer Award, and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.

Chris Moore has worked at NASA for 23 years. He is a program executive in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, where he leads the development of advanced technology for future exploration missions that will establish a human outpost on the Moon around 2020. In previous positions with NASA, he was involved in the design, integration, and testing of several Space Shuttle payloads, and performed research in telerobotics.

He received a Ph. D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1991, a M. S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1984, and a B. S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1983.

Dr. Mark L. Swinson is the chief scientist for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, headquartered in Huntsville, Ala. He is responsible for providing scientific advice, consultation, and expertise to the commander and guidance with respect to the total research, development, test and evaluation effort of the Army’s space, missile defense and computer network operations programs.

Swinson collaborates with the commander to provide executive level management of SMDC/ARSTRAT research and testing activities with particular emphasis on the scientific and technical integrity of the program.

Executive Panel Speakers

– Moderator – Mr. Joe Sciabica
AFRL Executive Director

Mr. Joe Sciabica, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Executive Director, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He is the principal assistant to the commander and the senior civilian executive responsible for managing the Air Force’s $2 billion science and technology program; additional customer funded research and development of $1.7 billion; and a workforce of approximately 9,500 people in the laboratory’s component technology directorates and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Mr. Sciabica has served in a variety of engineering and senior technical management positions within the Air Force laboratory system, leading the development and transition of advanced rocket, space and sensor technologies to air, space and missile systems.

Dr. Mark Lewis
Chief Scientist of the Air Force

Dr. Mark J. Lewis is Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He serves as chief scientific adviser to the Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Air Force, and provides assessments on a wide range of scientific and technical issues affecting the Air Force mission. Dr. Lewis is the author of more than 275 technical publications and adviser to more than 60 graduate students. He is active in national and international professional societies, with responsibilities for both research and educational policy and support. In addition, he has served on various advisory boards for the Air Force and DOD, including the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, where he participated in several summer studies and chaired a number of science and technology reviews of the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Lt Gen Stafford is one of only 24 men that have flown to the moon. During the course of his career, he attained the highest speed ever reached by a test pilot (28,547 mph), led the team that designed the sequence of missions leading to the original lunar landing, and drafted the original specifications for the B-2 stealth bomber on a piece of hotel stationery.
 
In addition to his many technical achievements, Lt Gen Stafford was America’s unofficial space ambassador to the Soviet Union during the darkest days of the cold war.

Dr. Ron Sega
Former Under Secretary for the US Air Force; Currently Professor, Colorado State University

Ronald M. Sega is vice president for Applied Research with the Colorado State University Research Foundation (CSURF), a private, non-profit advocacy organization.

He also serves as professor of systems engineering in Colorado State University’s College of Engineering. In addition, he serves as special assistant to the university’s vice president for Research. Sega previously served as Under Secretary for the U.S. Air Force. As a NASA astronaut, Sega is a two-time shuttle veteran. Serving as NASA’s Director of Operations, Russia, he was responsible for managing NASA activities supporting astronaut and cosmonaut training for flight on the Russian Mir space station. In 1996 as payload commander for the third shuttle/Mir docking mission aboard Atlantis, he completed his astronaut tenure with 420 hours in space.