Jeff Foust is a Senior Staff Writer at SpaceNews covering civil and commercial space issues, with a particular emphasis on space policy and entrepreneurial space.

He earned a PhD in planetary sciences from the MIT and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science from the Caltech.

Saadia M. Pekkanen is the Job and Gertrud Tamaki Endowed Professor at the University of Washington, where she works at the intersection of international relations and international law, specializing in the commercial, legal, and security policies shaping outer space affairs.

Dr. Pekkanen is also Adjunct Professor in the Department of Political Science, and Adjunct Professor at the School of Law where she also teaches courses. She earned Master’s degrees from Columbia University and Yale Law School, and a doctorate from Harvard University in government. 

Patrick Finley is the Director of the Human Exploration and Operations Division in the Office of International and Interagency Relations at NASA, where he works to support current and future civil space cooperation between the United States and countries around the world, particularly in the field of human spaceflight.

He holds an MA in Security Policy Studies from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and a BA in History from Missouri State University. As an undergraduate, Patrick interned with the Department of State at the United States Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany. Prior to joining NASA, Patrick served as a foreign affairs analyst for the Missile Defense Agency, and as an analyst and staff assistant for the Department of the Army.

Kelli Kedis Ogborn’s leadership has played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of companies entering the space market. In her role as Vice President of Space Commerce and Entrepreneurship at Space Foundation, Kedis Ogborn leads Space Commerce Institute, an initiative aimed at providing valuable insights and actionable programming to empower countries, individuals, and companies to carve out their niche and thrive in the rapidly expanding space economy.

Prior to joining Space Foundation, Kedis Ogborn was President and Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Rockets Corporation (an aerospace company specializing in hypersonic flight), President and Chief Executive Officer of H.S. Dracones (a consulting company specializing in technology commercialization) and was contracted as the Congressional Liaison to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).