Join WSBR on October 22 for a Luncheon Discussing China and Space Geopolitics

Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) invites you to join us Wednesday, October 22 for a 2-part program featuring:

• Christian Davenport, Washington Post reporter and author of Rocket Dreams
• Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
• Chris Williams, Chair of the Moorman Center for Space Studies, National Security Space Association
• Moderated by Kelli Kedis Ogborn, Vice President – Global Space Programs, Space Foundation

The program will begin with remarks from Christian Davenport discussing his new book, Rocket Dreams: Musk, Bezos, and the Inside Story of the New, Trillion-Dollar Space Race. He will discuss, amongst other topics, the competition between Blue Origin and SpaceX, as well as the emerging threat in space posed by China.

The program will then transition over to a discussion among Davenport, Cheng, and Williams regarding China and space geopolitics, followed by a designated short Q&A period.

We look forward to welcoming your attendance and participation in what promises to be a dynamic discussion.

Featured Speaker

Christian Davenport, Reporter, the Washington Post

Christian Davenport covers NASA and the space industry for The Washington Post’s Financial desk, and is the author of 2 books, Rocket Dreams: Musk, Bezos, and the Inside Story of the New, Trillion-Dollar Space Race and The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos. Outside of his reporting and writing, Christian was a consulting producer of Space: The Private Frontier, a two-hour documentary that aired on the Discovery and Science Channels, and a producer and co-host of Space Launch Live, the networks’ Emmy-award-winning live broadcast of SpaceX’s first crewed mission. He has also served as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a fellow at the Alicia Patterson Foundation.

Panelists

Dean Cheng, Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

Dean Cheng currently serves as Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, specializing in the US relationship with China. Prior to being with the Potomac institute, he recently retired as Senior Research Fellow for Chinese Political and Military Affairs at the Heritage Foundation. Previously, he worked with the China Studies Division (previously, Project Asia) at the Center for Naval Analysis, the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and the US Congress’ Office of Technology Assessment in the International Security and Space Division.  His published work includes the volume Cyber Dragon: Inside China’s Information Warfare and Cyber Operations. He has testified before Congress and spoken at the National Space Symposium and various elite educational institutions. He has appeared frequently in print and broadcast media to discuss Chinese space and military activities.

Chris Williams, Vice President and Chair of the NSSA Moorman Center for Space Studies, National Security Space Association

Chris Williams serves as Vice President and Chair of the NSSA Moorman Center for Space Studies, providing expert analysis and insight to NSSA. Mr. Williams has held senior positions in the Executive and Legislative branches of government, including as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense and acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Mr. Williams also served on various Government boards that advised the Secretary of Defense on national security policy and military strategy matters, and a series of Leadership and Committee professional staff positions in the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

Moderated By

Kelli Kedis Ogborn, Vice President – Global Space Programs, Space Foundation

Kelli Kedis Ogborn’s leadership has played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of companies entering the space market. With extensive experience in R&D and cutting-edge technology applications for the U.S. government and private sector, her methodologies guide organizations and companies that are transitioning from development ecosystems to market capitalization.

At Space Foundation, Kedis Ogborn is Vice President of Global Space Programs and is responsible for developing and delivering high impact programming that advances national security space, drives civil space engagement, accelerates commercial innovation, and fosters international collaboration across the global space ecosystem.  In her previous role of Vice President of Space Commerce and Entrepreneurship, she led Space Commerce Institute, an initiative aimed to empower countries and companies to carve out their market niche and scale 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). In the DARPA liaison role, she provided advice to senior leadership and technical offices on Congressional engagement strategies to maintain the agency’s position and reputation as a premier science and technology organization.

Kedis Ogborn is an often-published author and speaker on the market applications of innovation and has worked extensively as an authoritative voice within the emerging space economy – qualifying and quantifying the economic drivers and technology trends driving the industry forward and shaping its investment potential and growth. She is also a frequent panel reviewer and technology assessor for commercialization merit of government R&D proposals and mentor for entrepreneurs.

She holds an International Security and Conflict Resolution Bachelor’s Degree from San Diego State University, a Political Science Bachelor’s Degree from Stockholm University, and a Master’s Degree in Government and Security Studies from The Johns Hopkins University.

registration closes on Monday, October 20th at 12:00pm/Noon ET.

Registration Rates

Individual Seat	$85.00
Half Table (4 Seats)	$320.00
Full Table (8 Seats)	$640.00

Thank You to Our Event Partner!

TICKET POLICY

Tickets are refundable up to 10 business days prior to the event date and are transferable at any time. Please contact info@wsbr.org with any changes to your registration.