Lori Garver to Headline November Panel on Space Exploration: How and Why

Lori Garver may have left her post as NASA Deputy Administrator to be General Manager of the Air Line Pilots Association, but she clearly is not stepping out of the space limelight.  On November 15, she will headline a discussion at the National Press Club on “Space Exploration: How and Why?”

Garver departed NASA on September 6 after four years as second-in-command at the space agency.   That was her second tour of duty at the agency having served as a top policy advisor to then NASA Administrator Dan Goldin.  Before that she headed the National Space Society and in between her NASA posts was a space industry consultant. 

She is one seven panelists for the Arizona State University meeting, which will be moderated by Jim Bell, President of the Planetary Society.   The session is just 90 minutes (9:00-10:30 am ET) so each person will have only a short time to express his or her views, but it should be interesting. 

Garver is credited with pushing for commercial space activities while she was Deputy Administrator, particularly the commercial crew program, as well as for investments in space technology.  The panelists include three other former NASA officials, but no one who currently works at the agency. 

• Jim Bell, President, Planetary Society, moderator
• Lori Garver, former NASA Deputy Administrator
• Michael Lopez-Alegria, President, Commercial Spaceflight Federation (and former NASA astronaut)
• Steve Isakowitz, President, Virgin Galactic (and former NASA Comptroller, former NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, as well as former Department of Energy Chief Financial Officer and former Branch Chief, Science and Space, Office of Management and Budget)
• Tim Hughes, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, SpaceX
• Debra Facktor Lepore, Vice President and General Manager, Strategic Operations, Ball Aerospace
• Laurie Leshin, Dean, School of Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (and former NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration)
• Ariel Anbar, Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University

RSVP instructions are on the emailed announcement.