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SPW 2025 Welcome Address
Dr. Debra L. Emmons
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Dr. Debra L. Emmons is vice president and chief technology officer (CTO) at The Aerospace Corporation. In this role, she is responsible for providing vital leadership for determining and executing the company’s technology strategy and investments. Emmons leads four offices: eLab, responsible for setting the technical investment strategy and priorities; xLab, responsible for developing, building, and operating prototypes; Commercial Space Futures (CSF) office, responsible for driving the harnessing of commercial solutions for government missions to advance U.S. space; and the new Solution Accelerator, responsible for delivering independent and innovative solutions with speed and national impact. She also manages the company’s $60M+ internal research and development program and the Aerospace Technical Fellows program, with the company’s top engineers and scientists. Emmons most recently served as chairperson of the CTO Roundtable with federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) and university affiliated research centers (UARCs) to develop and maintain relationships with government and other defense-related research laboratories to identify technology priorities, future requirements, and emerging opportunities.
Previously, Emmons was vice president of special studies at Aerospace, responsible for promoting the use of corporate and government resources through horizontal and cross-program integrated planning and engineering. Prior to that, she served as general manager of Aerospace’s Communication Technologies and Engineering Division, where she oversaw the communications studies, analysis, and testing products of the division to serve the full range of corporate national security space, civil, and commercial customers, and managed a geographically distributed team of engineers and laboratories. Earlier in her career, Emmons was integral in the establishment and growth of the NASA and civil space customer lines of business and held various leadership roles. Emmons held the role of principal director, NASA and Civil Programs, serving all science and technology customers. Before joining Aerospace in 2003 as a project engineer, Emmons worked at Hughes Space and Communications Company as a system engineering project manager on commercial telecommunications satellite development. An experienced aerospace leader with technical, management, and industry experience in the acquisition and development of advanced technology space systems, Emmons has more than 25 years of experience in systems engineering, technical and risk analysis, program management, and communications systems. She was a principal contributor on several key high-level studies and assessments that have informed strategic decision-making within the government. |
Keynote Speaker
Lt Col Aaron T. Stevenson, USAFR
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Lt. Col. Aaron T. Stevenson is currently the deputy director of the Commercial Space Office (COMSO), Space Systems Command, U. S. Space Force (USSF), Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. Lt. Col. Stevenson provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the integration of innovative commercial space capabilities into USSF architectures. Responsible for managing a multidisciplinary team, he drives the development, implementation, and sustainment of commercial solutions to meet Space Operations Command and Combatant Commander’s Space Component needs to ensure resilience and enhance warfighter effectiveness. He also actively strengthens partnerships with industry, allies, and government agencies, aligning efforts with DoD and USSF strategies. Acting on behalf of the Director, Lt. Col. Stevenson ensures the office delivers cutting-edge, operationally relevant, and cost-effective space solutions at the speed of relevance.
Lt. Col. Stevenson began his Air Force career as an enlisted team chief in July of 1994 installing fiber optic network backbones at air bases around the world. He then received his commission through the Officer Training School at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Ala. Lt. Col. Stevenson’s acquisition experience spans air and space capabilities and systems across Air Force Space Operations Command, military satellite communications, global power projection, missile warning and detection, space domain awareness, special programs, C5ISR and counterspace mission areas. He has extensive experience leading large teams to deliver air and space capabilities to the DoD in both government and industry roles. Prior to his current position, Lt. Col. Stevenson was the deputy director of the Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) Systems Delta, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. He provided strategic leadership, technical oversight, and administration for a critically manned, eighty-member green door unit comprised of military, civilian, and contractor personnel. Lt. Col. Stevenson synchronized space combat effects across multiple EW programs to meet cost, schedule and performance baselines, program executive office objectives, enterprise priorities, and senior leader guidance. He was also accountable for key delta level decisions, directing on behalf of, and representing the director of the EW Systems Delta when required. (Full Bio) |