SSPI-WISE Welcomes Fourteen New Officers in First Ever Election

New York City, July 13, 2021 – In an election taking place over the final week of June, the membership of SSPI-WISE (SSPI Women in Space Engagement) has appointed fourteen women to officer positions, including:

  • Debra Facktor, Head of Space Systems, AIRBUS U.S. Space and Defense, Inc.
    SSPI-WISE Chair
  • Jomya Lei, Systems Engineer, Boeing
    SSPI-WISE Vice-Chair
  • Alix Wright, Senior Vice President, Marketing Communications, Speedcast
    SSPI-WISE Secretary
  • Negar Feher, Vice President of Business Development, Momentus
    SSPI-WISE Elevating Women Working Group Co-Chair
  • Kaitlyn O'Hara, Vice President & Associate General Counsel, Echostar
    SSPI-WISE Elevating Women Working Group Co-Chair
  • Susan Saadat, Vice President, Americas, EtL Systems
    SSPI-WISE Elevating Women Working Group Co-Chair
  • Wendy Lewis, Public Relations and Communications Consultant, Strategic Voice
    SSPI-WISE Mentoring Working Group Chair
  • Jennifer Hoil, Senior Product Marketing Manager, ST Engineering iDirect
    SSPI-WISE Networking and Swag Working Group Co-Chair
  • Kerstin Roost, Global Strategic Partnerships, ST Engineering iDirect
    SSPI-WISE Networking and Swag Working Group Co-Chair
  • Vinitha Lalvani, Marketing Coordinator, AvL Technologies
    SSPI-WISE Social Media Working Group Co-Chair
  • Rosario Toxqui, Director of Marketing & Communications, Advantech Wireless
    SSPI-WISE Social Media Working Group Co-Chair
  • Justyna Kosianka, Senior Scientist/Engineering Coordinator, Ursa Space Systems
    SSPI-WISE STEM Outreach Working Group Co-Chair
  • Natalia Larrea Brito, Principle Advisor, Euroconsult
    SSPI-WISE STEM Outreach Working Group Co-Chair
  • Audrey Puderbaugh, AOCS/Propulsion Eng., Satellite Systems Group, Iridium
    SSPI-WISE STEM Outreach Working Group Co-Chair

“When we founded SSPI-WISE, it was with the deliberate mindset and expectation that the level of engagement alone by the women of our industry would have an impact,” said outgoing SSPI-WISE Chair Nicole Robinson, President of Ursa Space Systems and Chair of the SSPI Board. “To say that has been the case would be underselling what we’ve experienced. The fire that has been ignited by these dynamic women is nothing short of amazing, and I am absolutely thrilled to see Debra pick up the torch and do what she does best: inspire, lead and create new opportunities.”

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.