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Making Leaders: Mentorship Roundtable

In this SSPI Mentorship Roundtable Series, we hear from former SSPI Mentors of the Year, SSPI Chapter heads and top executives about their mentorship practices and how cultivating the next generation strengthens the industry as a whole.

Episode 1

This episode features former SSPI Mentors of the Year Chris Stott, Chairman and CEO of ManSat, David Myers, President, Communications Sector at Peraton, and Rich Wolf, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Communications at The Switch.

Chris Stott founded ManSat in 2000 and was instrumental in the formation of the SpaceIsle initiative, which established the Isle of Man as a major domicile and corporate service provider to the commercial space sector. But for Chris, doing business and doing good for the next generation are inextricably linked.  He set up the ManSat Fellowship to give students from the Isle an opportunity to fully explore the industry he loves. Every year since its founding in 2000, the Fellowship has helped groups of students attend NASA’s United Space School, exposing them to the industry and its many opportunities and giving them a chance to meet and work with other gifted students from all around the world. Chris is also heavily involved in the Conrad Foundation through ManSat, encouraging students from the Isle of Man to study issues in the space sector and to submit their proposals to the international forum of the Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge. He was SSPI’s 2015 Mentor of the Year. Click here to learn more about Chris.

David Myers led a renewed, privately-owned company that emerged after a spin-out from publicly traded Rockwell Collins. Over his years as President and CEO, the revitalized DataPath developed an array of new offerings, including satellite antenna systems, remote management software, connectivity services and cyber security solutions. These investments are fueling an overall strategy to provide end-to-end communications solutions for the aerospace, broadcast, defense and infrastructure markets. To date, the reinvestment in DataPath has resulted in over $400M in new contract awards. Today, David is President of Sector Communications at Peraton, where he has full executive responsibility for the sector’s strategy development and execution, program performance, and growth objectives. The Communications sector provides mission-critical, advanced communications services to Peraton’s intelligence, defense, civil, and commercial customers. David was SSPI’s 2016 Mentor of the Year. Click here to learn more about David.

Rich Wolf was hired by ABC in 1980 as a New York traffic coordinator. He rose through positions, including General Manager of New York Traffic Operations and Director of Telecommunications and Distribution Services, to his current job overseeing all technical, operational and management systems for network distribution and contribution. In that time, he led the network through major technology transitions from analog to digital, from SD to HDTV and from tape to file-based workflow. Rich is described as a quiet leader and a man who combines humility, professionalism and deep caring about the industry and the people who make it up. He joined The Switch in 2014 as Executive Vice President for Marketing and Corporate Communications, a position he still holds today. Rich was SSPI’s 2012 Mentor of the Year. Click here to learn more about Rich.

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Episode 2

This episode features Tim Deaver, Head of US Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, and former SSPI Mentors of the Year Andrea Maleter, Former Technical Director of the Space and Communications Division at Futron Corporation and 2010 Mentor of the Year, and Clay Mowry, Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Customer Experience at Blue Origin and 2013 Mentor of the Year.

Tim Deaver has over 30 years of space system experience ranging from satellite design, operations, acquisition to policy and intelligence. As Head of US Space Systems at Airbus Defense and Space, he is responsible for managing all US Government space-related marketing, program capture, program management and customer liaison activities for the company. Prior to joining Airbus, Tim worked for SES and SES Government Solutions for over 10 years where he led the business and product development activities. Before joining SES, he served 22 years in the U.S. Air Force in various space operational, acquisition and policy positions. Tim is a board member of  SSPI's Mid-Atlantic Chapter and previously served as President and Vice President. Click here to learn more about Tim.

 

Before retiring, Andrea Maleter served many years as Technical Director of the Space and Communications Division at Futron Corporation. In an industry career that began at Comsat, where she served on the Intelsat Board, and took her to Intelsat and Futron Corporation, Andrea has worked tirelessly to support and promote the careers of her colleagues.  The list of those proud to claim her as a mentor is long.  It includes Hamadan Toure, Director General of the ITU; Maury Mechanick of White and Case (the last Chairman of Intelsat’s Board of Governors); Eric Beranger of EADS and Patricio Northland of SatMex.  Promise Award winner Eileen McGowan cites Andrea as a mentor, as does Jeffrey Foust, Futron employee and increasingly recognized space journalist. She devotes many hours as a volunteer to support satellite industry organizations, including service as a Board member and President of SSPI’s Mid-Atlantic Chapter, and as President of the Washington Space Business Roundtable. Andrea was SSPI's 2010 Mentor of the Year. Click here to learn more about Andrea.

Clay Mowry joined Blue Origin in September 2016 to lead global sales, marketing and customer experience activities for the innovative private company developing launch vehicles and technologies to enable commercial satellite and human space transportation. In a career bridging government, the nonprofit sector and the launch business, he has developed a reputation as a trusted and capable leader as well as an approachable and supportive mentor for the next generation. In previous positions, including President of Arianespace, Inc., Clay has made it a personal priority to hire and mentor interns from a wide variety of backgrounds. He also goes out of his way to mentor young professionals in the industry outside of his company through one-on-one informal mentorship and through active participation and leadership in such organizations as SSPI, SIA, the Space Generation Advisory Council, the Washington Space Business Roundtable and the Future Space Leaders Foundation, which he founded. Clay was SSPI's 2013 Mentor of the Year. Click here to learn more about Clay.