MAE JEMISON, M.D.

Principal, 100 Year Starship

Dr. Mae Jemison is the Principal for the 100 Year Starship Project. Her leadership and vision provides guidance and direction for the foundation and in fulfilling its goal of ensuring all the capabilities for a successful human journey to another star will exist by 2112.

Dr. Jemison, physician, engineer, educator and entrepreneur, was the first woman of color in the world to go into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour and was a NASA astronaut for six years.

Dr. Jemison started The Jemison Group, Inc., a technology consulting firm integrating critical socio-cultural issues into the design, development and implementation of engineering and science projects. As an Environmental Studies professor at Dartmouth College, she taught classes on and researched technology design and sustainable development with special emphasis on developing countries. She is a worldwide respected voice in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and is founder of the non-profit Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence. She started The Earth We Share™, a unique international science literacy curriculum and program that builds student critical thinking and problem solving skills as they gain science knowledge and skills, and trains middle and secondary school teachers in experiential education. Dr. Jemison was the founding Chairman of the state of Texas' Product Development and Small Business Incubator Board. Prior joining to NASA she was the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia and a general practice physician in Los Angeles. She is on the boards of Kimberly-Clark, Scholastic, and Valspar.

A member of the National Academies of Science's Institute of Medicine, Dr. Jemison is also an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame, the National Medical Association Hall of Fame, and Texas Science Hall of Fame and recipient of the National Organization for Women's Intrepid Award and the Kilby Science Award among many honors. An author of lay literature and technical articles, Dr. Jemison is sought for commentary on space exploration, science education, diversity, sustainability and development and appeared on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Dr. Jemison earned her B.S., Chemical Engineering and fulfilled requirements for A.B., African and Afro-American Studies from Stanford University and received her M.D. from Cornell University.

Alires J. Almon

Orchestrator of Engagement

Alires Almon supports 100YSS program, partner, and outreach activities enabling broad-based engagement in 100YSS.

Throughout her professional career, Almon has been passionate about the societal opportunities created by advanced science and technology, and has committed her skills and talents as a facilitator and organizational development professional to that end.

Formerly part of a Fortune 100 global telecommunications company, Almon was a Senior Relationship Manager responsible for working with top tier revenue-generating accounts. In this capacity, she oversaw opportunity development for service-organization customer markets which generated over $10M every year for four consecutive years.

Previously, Almon was a management analyst with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation where she was chosen as a “Top Leader under 40.” Among her many achievements, she was a featured speaker at the 2001 Association for Quality and Participation Spring Conference.

Alires Almon received her Bachelor's in Psychology from University of Georgia, and her Master's Degree in Psychology with a minor in Organizational Behavior from New Mexico State University.

Alires Almon may be contacted at [email protected]

Marianne Caponnetto

Catalyst

Ms. Caponnetto is a founding team member of 100 Year Starship, “the most transformative start-up in the universe”, where she supports the areas of business strategy, business development, marketing and communications.

Entrepreneurial drive, strategic vision and creative energy fuel this innovative change agent whose career has included the roles of global strategist, marketer and sales leader. As Founder of MCW Group, she acts as Strategic Advisor and Consultant with a focus on technology start-ups, Venture Capital and Fortune 500 organizations with significant transformational and growth objectives in both B2B and B2C businesses. She is also a Founding Partner in HyperBlue Lab, a technology IP consulting firm.

Ms. Caponnetto serves on the boards of: Scholastic, Inc., where she focuses on digital transformation; The Glassbox, a SAAS cloud based technology start-up that provides intelligent enterprise collaboration solutions; ASHA, a high growth fine fashion jewelry business; and on the Advisory Board of The Friends of the Uffizi Museum in Florence.

From 2005-2008, as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of DoubleClick, she was a key member of the management team that recaptured digital market leadership, resulting in the sale of the company to Google . Prior to DoubleClick, Ms. Caponnetto was an executive at IBM with senior positions in the Global Media & Entertainment Industry, responsible for Solutions Development, Marketing & Sales. She joined IBM in Global Corporate Marketing where she was a core player in the repositioning of IBM under Mr. Gerstner. Ms. Caponnetto began her digital pioneering in 1994, when she led the marketing adoption of the internet as IBM's “defining medium” and a critical proof point of the company's transformation to e-business.

Ms. Caponnetto held senior marketing positions at Dow Jones & Co. and the Wall Street Journal, and enjoyed an early career in the ad agency business where she held senior executive roles in media. She has been a frequent speaker at industry and corporate conferences, and a member of several key industry boards and organizations. Ms. Caponnetto has been recognized as a Digital Media Master and is a member of the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers.

Ms. Caponnetto is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.

Craig Kirby

Strategy

Craig Kirby has over two decades of hands-on political experience and has created successful issue advocacy and electoral strategies for candidates at all levels of government.

Kirby has been among a select few to hold senior-level positions on both presidential and senatorial campaigns. He served as Deputy Campaign Manager for the 2004 Edwards for President Campaign where he developed and implemented the campaign's political and communications strategies for all constituent groups. He managed the Peter Deutsch for Florida U.S. Senate Campaign and served as the DNC Southern Political Director in 2002. Kirby helped the Party retain Mary Landrieu's Senate seat in Louisiana and pick up a House seat in Georgia.

During the Clinton Administration, Craig Kirby served as a Special Assistant to the White House Chief of Staff. In addition to his work on the national level, Kirby is active in local politics and grass-roots advocacy work. He was a political advisor to former DC Mayor Anthony Williams and also served as Deputy Director for the District of Columbia's Emergency Management Agency.

Craig Kirby earned a B.A. degree in Speech Communications and political science from Albion College and a Certificate in Economics from Amherst College. He is also a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government Leadership in the 21st Century Executive Program at Harvard University.

Craig Kirby may be contacted at [email protected]

Ronke olabisi ph.d.

Research

Dr. Ronke Olabisi is an Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department of Rutgers University.

Her PhD research centered on limb lengthening: (1) muscle and joint function; (2) the elastic and viscoelastic properties of tendons; and (3) the histomorphology (cell structure) of lengthened tissue. As a postdoctoral fellow Dr. Olabisi studied the biophysics of bone and seashell at Wisconsin's Synchrotron Radiation Center and bone tissue engineering at Rice University. At Rice she researched how varying the manner in which genetically modified bone and connective tissue cells were micro-encapsulated in hydrogel impacted their capacity to grow new bone, tissue and heal fractures. Dr. Olabisi's current research interests include orthopedic tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for injury, aging, disease, and space flight.

Dr. Olabisi received her B.S. degree in Mechancial Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an M.S. Degree in Mechancical Engineering and an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Univeristy of Michigan, and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from University of Wisconson-Madison.

Dr. Ronke Olabisi can be contacted at [email protected]

kathleen colgan, PH.D.

Communications & Outreach

Founder of International Speechwriting Associates (ISA), Dr. Kathleen Colgan has written for Fortune 500 companies, the United Nations, university and educational groups, governors and members of Congress, American and international astronauts, Chambers of Commerce, Olympic events, public service organizations, the entertainment industry, political candidates, and charity, awards, and multicultural events.

Her work has not only been featured by American and European television news programs and C-Span, but also widely published in such venues as Vital Speeches of the Day and Representative American Speeches.

As part of her responsibilities at ISA, Dr. Colgan also conducts outstanding Public Speaking and Media Relations Communications Training Programs to develop and advance speech and presentation skills and strategies for a variety of clients — from business executives and industry leaders to political candidates and academics, as well as astronauts, charity organizers, members of the entertainment industry, small business owners and entrepreneurs, citizen activists, and more.

An Ivy League graduate of Brown University, Kathleen earned an A.B. in political science and English and American literature. She has an M.A. degree in international relations and political philosophy from Rice University, an M.A. degree in English and American literature from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in English and American literature from the University of Texas in Austin. Kathleen has taught at such universities as Rice University, University of Notre Dame, and the University of Texas — always earning the students' highest possible teaching reviews. Among courses taught are “Composition and Rhetoric” and “Constitutionalism and Modern Political Thought.”

Kathleen may be contacted at [email protected].

Marsal Gifra

Affiliate

Marsal Gifra is a business pioneer who has cultivated a unique expertise in founding and growing several cutting-edge business ventures. Notable among these ventures are: the world's largest Spanish-language search engine which was acquired by the telecom giant Telefonica, a pioneer company in creating the first intelligent interactive text messaging services, and a first mover venture in the emerging industry of space tourism. Currently he is involved in forming new innovative business ventures in the fields of interactive media, renewable energy, and space exploration. He is founding director of the Homo Spaciens Initiative and the Global Starship Alliance. He is a frequent lecturer and speaker at top business schools and industry conferences. He has graduated in Business Administration from Ramon Llull University, and also has completed space studies at the International Space University.

Marsal may be contacted at www.linkedin.com/in/marsalgifra.

Jason Batt

Creative and Editorial Manager

Jason Batt serves as Creative and Editorial manager for 100 Year Starship. Jason creates visual engagement for 100 Year Starship programs and activities. He is also the managing editor of the 100YSS Symposium Proceedings.

Jason is writer, teacher, designer, artist, creator of communities, listener, and explorer. He currently serves as the Group Life Director and Lead Artist/Designer at a non-profit organization in Sacramento, California.

J. Daniel Batt is a writer that has penned the children's fantasy book Keaghan in Dreamside and the designer of many more, including the ALA Schneider-Family Book Award nominee, My Brother Fights Pirates (Sort of) and The Human Race to the Future published by the Lifeboat Foundation.

Jason has been engaged in community leadership for fourteen years, specifically focusing on meeting the needs of at-risk students. He works as a community architect and social strategist for a non-profit. Jason is involved in developing community service groups focused on bringing together individuals of different faith backgrounds. He continues to train community group leaders to reproduce this work. He has written several articles and guides on the individual and community transforming effect of group connections.

He is a member of the Lifeboat Foundation and serves on their Space Settlement Board, Religious/Spirituality Board, and their Media & Arts Board. He serves as a judge for the Lifeboat to the Stars award for science fiction literature, which was presented at the Campbell Conference in June 2013.

Jason Batt earned his B.A. in Language Arts at Chadron State College

Jason Batt may be reached at [email protected].

Mark Kettles

Program Management

Mark Kettles serves as program management support for the 100YSS Special Interest Groups (SIG). He is excited to explore innovative ideas as they develop through the hard work and determination of SIG to further the 100YSS mission.

Currently, Mark also serves a Fortune 200 direct-broadcast service provider in an operations management role specifically within the media sales operations department. He drives and directs an operations team that has consistently generated significant annual revenue for his company and department over the past 5 years. Upper tiers of management within his company feel that he exemplifies what it takes to facilitate the support needed in an ever changing business in which quick decisions, flexibility and planning can make the difference between exceeding or missing budget. He has developed excellent working relationships with key internal and external customers who also play important roles in getting the company product on the air successfully, proving that he is an essential and critical part of the daily operation and leadership within his department.

While Kettles has worn many hats over the years, he has maintained a deep interest in the possibility of life beyond our planet and an insatiable desire to one day travel into space.

Mark Kettles received his Bachelor's of Science in General Biology with a concentration in Marine Science at Eckerd College.

Mark Kettles may be contacted at [email protected].

Karl Aspelund PH.D.

Research

Member 100YSS Research team with a focus on design and space clothing & textiles.

Karl Aspelund, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design at the University of Rhode Island, and visiting assistant professor at the Department of Folkloristics/Ethnology and Museum Studies at the University of Iceland. Since 2013 he has been conducting design and cultural research into the needs and constraints of apparel and textiles for long-term space exploration and space-based communities. His other interests lie in examining the role textiles and design play in the creation of identity, the impact of the textile life-cycle on the Earth's environment, and how the design community can contribute to the goal of environmental sustainability.

Karl worked as an artist and designer in theater, film, exhibits, and public art for 20 years after graduating from the Wimbledon School of Art in London with a degree in 3D design. He has taught design since the early 1990's. Before coming to URI in 1996, he was head of the Department of Industrial Design at the Reykjavik Technical College in Iceland. Karl completed a Ph.D. in 2011 in Anthropology and Material Culture from Boston University's University Professors Program, where his dissertation was awarded the University Professors Edmonds Prize as the best dissertation of the academic year 2010-2011. Karl is the author of three textbooks, "The Design Process," (3rd ed. 2014/2006,) "Fashioning Society"(2009,) and "Designing: An Introduction" (2014.)