The Board of Directors of the Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) has announced its 2015-2016 Officers and Directors, effective August 1, 2015. The Board named Janice Starzyk, Director of Sales & Marketing for International Launch Services (ILS), as President for a second year term leading and overseeing all WSBR activities.
WSBR is an executive leadership forum for the promotion of commercial space business and education in the National Capital area. WSBR raises funds to support Education Awards that promote interest in STEM education and space and satellite fields among young people in the Washington area.
"We realized a 30 percent increase in WSBR corporate sponsorships and a significant gain in attendance at our monthly lunches this past year," said Ms. Starzyk. "These numbers demonstrate the interest and enthusiasm in the industry for emerging technologies and new business concepts. We aim to continue the pace in the upcoming year with another exciting slate of programs highlighting the industry's thought leaders and technology innovators," she added.
WSBR's support for STEM and space education programs reached a new peak in its most recent program year, providing $25,000 in support of scholarships ranging from team rocketry challenges to student spaceflight experiments on the International Space Station. “One of my goals in the second year of my presidency is to build on the success of WSBR's education initiatives by expanding our programs in order to reach more scholarship recipients,” Starzyk said.
Among the sterling roster of speakers in its most recent program year, WSBR featured leaders such as Rep. Jim Bridenstine discussing space acquisition policy, USAF Maj. Gen. Roger Teague on the Air Force's commercial space acquisition policy, and several sold-out panels with senior industry executives and government officials discussing a range of topics, from the growth of the small satellite market to protecting C-band for satellite communications. Speakers and dates are posted at www.WSBR.org as they become available.
In addition to Starzyk as president, the WSBR Board also voted on the following officers and at-large directors for 2015/16:
Officers & Committee Chairs
• Vice President & Membership Chair, Richard Parker, Assure Space
• Secretary: Sally Richardson, Orbital ATK
• Treasurer: Robert Whearty, Marsh
• Program Chair: Erin Neal, McBee Strategic Consulting
• Marketing Chair: Diane Hockenberry, Iridium
• Education Chair: Stephen Ganote, Avascent
• Silent Auction Chair: Jonathan Beland, Avascent
At-Large Board Members
• Skot Butler, Intelsat General
• Dennis Granato, Lockheed Martin
• Tim Hughes, SpaceX
• Dave Jackson, Retired
• Corinne Kaplan, EADS North America
• Aaron Lewis, Arianespace
• Andrew Ruszkowski, XTAR
• Rob Scheige, Willis Inspace
• Eric Spittle, SSL
About WSBR
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 speakers and audience and high-value networking opportunities for all in attendance. Click here to view previous WSBR speakers and topics.
Additionally, WSBR hosts a Flagship Lunch and Silent Auction on the opening day of the annual spring SATELLITE Conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by Via Satellite. Proceeds from the Flagship Lunch, as well as the regular monthly WSBR events, go toward WSBR Education Awards that promote education about and interest in space and satellite fields among young people in the Washington area.