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Welcome Address and Keynote Speaker
Welcome Address
Todd M. Nygren
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Todd M. Nygren is the senior vice president of the Engineering and Technology Group (ETG) at The Aerospace Corporation. ETG comprises nearly half of the corporation’s technical staff, providing support to all national security space programs in the areas of space and launch vehicles, electronics and sensors, computers and software, communications and networking, and systems engineering and architecting. The organization also includes the corporate physical sciences laboratories and the corporate research portfolio. Nygren was elected to this position in April 2020. Previously, Nygren was general manager of the Corporate Chief Engineer’s Office (CCEO) and corporate chief engineer at Aerospace. In this role, he was responsible for leading efforts within the corporation and externally to advance mission assurance practices, identify improvements in engineering developments and practices, engage with industry and senior customers, and accelerate the growth of new architectures and capabilities in the national security space enterprise with a special focus on integrating the space enterprise. In addition to his role as the corporate chief engineer, Nygren established the corporation’s inaugural support to the portfolio architect as part of the Space and Missile Systems Center 2.0 initiative, with key goals of establishing integrated architectures that can outpace the threat. Nygren joined Aerospace as a summer hire in 1985, and then, as a member of the technical staff in 1987. He held positions of varying responsibility in the MILSATCOM Division, culminating in 2002 as principal director, EHF Systems, where he oversaw the program definition and eventual development of the AEHF space, ground control, and mission planning elements; the Enhanced Polar Systems; and sustainment of the legacy Milstar system. Nygren then served as general manager in the Systems Engineering Division and the Development Planning and Architecture Division. |
Keynote Address
Darwyn Banks
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Darwyn Banks is the Principal Deputy Director, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Systems Engineering Directorate. He serves as the agency executive responsible for mission assurance, independent programmatic assessments, quality, reliability, corporate technical standards, supply chair, and joint oversight of industrial base challenges impacting multiple agencies’ space system acquisitions. Prior to his civilian service, Mr. Banks concluded more than 26 years as a space officer in the Department of the Air Force. |