Steidle to Succeed Alexander as President of Commercial Spaceflight Federation

Brett Alexander, who has led the Commercial Spaceflight Federation as the Obama Administration embraced commercial crew as the solution to transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station, is stepping down. He will be succeeded by Rear Admiral Craig Steidle (Ret.) as President of the Federation.

Alexander is a well known and respected member of the space policy community who, among other things, worked for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations. He was one of the key participants in shaping President Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), announced by the President in January 2004.

Adm. Steidle was the first NASA Associate Administrator for the “exploration” mandate following the VSE speech. Appointed by then-NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe immediately after the speech, Steidle had won kudos for his management of DOD’s Joint Strike Fighter program. His expertise in managing large, complex, technologically-challenging military government programs was cited as a particular strength. He left the agency soon after O’Keefe in mid 2005 and is currently a distinguished visiting professor at his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy, and a consultant since then.

Steidle assumes the position of President of the Federation on May 15.

In a statement, Federation Chairman Eric Anderson praised Steidle as a “true visionary who knows that commercial spaceflight is the key to unlocking humanity’s future in space.”