The Board of the Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) has announced its 2014-2015 Board of Directors, effective August 1, 2014, and named Janice Starzyk, of International Launch Services, as president for a year-long term. Ms. Starzyk replaces outgoing president Stephen Ganote, of Avascent, and will oversee all WSBR activities.
“I have been very proud of WSBR’s accomplishments over the last several years under the leadership of my predecessors and I look forward to fostering the two missions of the organization: thought leadership and education,” said Ms. Starzyk. “At WSBR this year, I would like to continue to provide a platform for the industry’s thought leaders to share ideas and to foster relationships among the space community at our monthly luncheons. I also want to build upon the success of our educational initiatives by expanding our programs to stimulate young people’s interest in space and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the metropolitan area.”
Ms. Starzyk has held a number of positions on the Board since 2005, most recently as the chair of the Education Committee. She has nearly 15 years of experience in the space industry and is the director of sales and marketing at International Launch Services (ILS), where she is responsible for business initiatives in the United States and Latin America, relationships with insurance carriers, and strategy for ILS. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Over the past year WSBR events have featured industry leaders including Tom Ingersoll, CEO of Skybox; Jim Simpson, president of Boeing Satellite Systems; and Stephane Israel, CEO of Arianespace. The upcoming WSBR luncheon on October 23 features a panel of industry executives from Intelsat General, SES Government Solutions, Eutelsat America, XTAR and Inmarsat Global. A full slate of upcoming speakers is available at www.wsbr.org.
WSBR also continues to lead in promoting STEM education in the Washington, DC, region. Over the summer, WSBR sponsored ten middle school students to attend the 2014 Tech Institute at Thomas Jefferson High School. Additionally, WSBR sponsored four local students and one teacher to attend Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Three of the students attending represented the winning team of the annual Solar System Competition run through the Patriots Technology Training Center.
Joining Ms. Starzyk as officers on the Board are Dave Jackson, vice President; Greg Harms of Space Architectures, treasurer; Rob Scheige of Willis Inspace, secretary; Stephen Ganote of Avascent, education chair; Patrick Boyle of Sage Communications, program chair; Richard Parker of Assure Space, membership chair; and Nicole Robinson of SES Government Solutions, marketing committee Chair. Other board members for 2014-15 are Jonathan Beland of Futron, Skot Butler of Intelsat General, Dennis Granato of Lockheed Martin, Tim Hughes of SpaceX, Corinne Kaplan of Airbus, Aaron Lewis of Arianespace, Sally Richardson of Orbital Sciences Corporation, and Eric Spittle of SSL Federal.
About WSBR
The Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) is a leadership forum for the promotion of commercial space business and education in the National Capital area. As a non-profit, membership-based group, WSBR supports the open exchange of ideas and information among a broad range of executives, government policy makers, lawyers, insurers, analysts, academics and thought leaders involved in the business of space in the metropolitan Washington region.
WSBR’s primary activity is a monthly luncheon program featuring high-level industry, government or military leaders speaking on topical issues of the day. The lunches, held in downtown Washington, D.C., attract dozens of WSBR members and other interested parties and provide an interactive dialogue between speaker and audience and high-value networking opportunities for all in attendance.