The Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) invites you to a special fireside conversation with Taylor Jordan, Director of the Office of Space Commerce, discussing his recent appointment to the position and his thoughts regarding the near-term and long-term future of space commerce.

In his new position, Mr. Jordan will lead the office’s mission to oversee and promote economic activity in space, using economic efforts to help further the country’s prominence in the global space sector.

In a recent press release, Mr. Jordan stated “I am deeply honored to lead the nation’s principal office dedicated to promoting commercial space activity,” said Jordan. “Strengthening America’s leadership in space is a top priority of this Administration, and I look forward to working with industry and government partners to advance U.S. commercial interests in the space domain.”

Originally formed in 1988, the Office of Space Commerce has achieved a wide variety of accomplishments in recent years, including streamlining numerous space regulations, establishing a modern space traffic safety system (TraCSS), and encouraging international space business partnerships and trade.

We look forward to welcoming your attendance and participation in what promises to be a dynamic discussion regarding the Office of Space Commerce’s plans under Mr. Jordan, as well as how our space community can most effectively support and ultimately benefit from the office’s mission of furthering economic efforts in space.

Keynote

Taylor Jordan, Director of the Office of Space Commerce

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has announced the appointment of Taylor Jordan as Director of the Office of Space Commerce (OSC), underscoring the Trump Administration’s commitment to strengthening U.S. leadership in space commerce. Mr. Jordan will continue to serve concurrently as assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Mr. Jordan brings more than 15 years of space policy and operational experience to the role. He previously served nearly a decade on the staff of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology as the committee’s subject-matter expert on NOAA, environmental satellites, and civil space programs. In that capacity, he was the lead author of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017.

During President Trump’s first term, Mr. Jordan served as a senior policy advisor at NOAA, where he supported the agency’s satellite programs and provided strategic oversight of major space-system acquisitions. Most recently, he was a principal at Innovative Federal Strategies, advising commercial space and technology companies on legislative and executive-branch engagement.

Moderator

Kevin O’Connell, Founder and CEO of Space Economy Rising, LLC

Kevin O’Connell is a recognized expert on space commerce, the global space economy, international intelligence and U.S. national security matters. For almost four decades, he has focused on space commercialization and technological competitiveness and how to advance them in global markets. He has also focused on how these innovations impact U.S. and allied national security.

His U.S. government assignments include the Department of Commerce (SES), The Department of Defense, The Department of State, The National Security Council, The Office of the Vice President, and The Office of the Director of Central Intelligence. Within the private sector, Mr. O’Connell was a senior research analyst at RAND and was the first Director of RAND’s Intelligence Policy Center. In 2007, he founded Innovative Analytics and Training, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in assessing high-tech market areas including geospatial markets, cloud computing, and cyber analytics.

Mr. O’Connell’s most recent role was Director of the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) within the U.S. Department of Commerce. He was the principal architect of outreach to U.S. private space companies to facilitate innovation and encourage increased market growth and viability. He focused on the growing role of the private sector in space, encouraged new space partnerships, worked to ensure the competitiveness of the U.S. commercial space industry, and advanced American leadership in space safety and sustainability. Mr. O’Connell testified before Congress on space policy and regulatory issues, American space competitiveness, and the growth of space commerce. He was awarded the Vice President’s Dedicated Service Award for his support to the National Space Council.

Mr. O’Connell also expanded international outreach on space commerce issues with a wide range of U.S. allies and partners, especially to compare notes on regulation, encourage new partnerships and advance space safety and sustainability. His overseas space engagements included participation in the U.S.-Japan Comprehensive Space Dialogue, as part of a Space Delegation to Luxembourg, and including high-level discussions with the EU, India, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Commonwealth partners.

Mr. O’Connell is a recognized expert on the policy, security, and commercial aspects of satellite remote sensing technologies and markets. He served as the Executive Secretary of the Independent Commission on the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) in 2000 and later as an advisor to the Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He was a long-standing member of NOAA’s federal advisory committee, ACCRES, including as Chair between 2012 and 2016.

Mr. O’Connell has been a regular author on space commerce issues. He contributed the foreword to “Space Policies for the New Space Age: Competing on the Final Economic Frontier,” by Bruce Cahan and Mir Sadat (NewSpace New Mexico, December 2020). He co-authored Commercial Observation Satellites: at the Leading Edge of Global Transparency (ASPRS/RAND, 2000). He taught graduate courses in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the RAND Graduate School for many years and has lectured at academic and research organizations around the world.

Registration Closes On Friday, December 12th at 12:00pm/Noon ET.

Registration Rates

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

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