Steering Committee

Dianne Poster, NIST, Office of Space Commerce, Chair*

Credit: Office of Space Commerce

Dr. Dianne Poster provides more than two decades of technical experience in research and development for measurements, standards, technology, and data at the United States (U.S.) Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Her portfolio covers innovative developments in radiation physics and chemistry, materials engineering, and optical, dimensional, and chemical metrology. Her current work supports the U.S. DOC National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Space Commerce promoting U.S. space commerce through international technical standards development and innovation in space systems, data, and cybersecurity technologies. She leads DOC representation for the U.S. interagency supporting space activities, including developing principles for national strategies in cislunar science and technology, planetary defense, low Earth orbit research and development, and in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing.

Previously, as the deputy associate director for technology and environmental policy at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Dr. Poster administered the environmental federal regulatory portfolio and advised on policy and strategy issues related to protecting the environment.

Carolyn Pace, Office of Space Commerce, Chair*

Carolyn Pace is a Space Policy Analyst in the Office of Space Commerce. She previously worked as a policy analyst in the Office of Industrial Base Policy at the Department of Defense and as a Program Analyst in the Office of Space Affairs at the Department of State. During her time at the State Department, Carolyn focused on civil and military space-related policy issues, including negotiating and finalizing international space agreements and engaging with the U.S. commercial space industry. Her responsibilities involved coordinating various perspectives on civil, commercial, and national security issues, such as export controls, nonproliferation, and arms control related to space activities. Before her work at the State Department, Carolyn was a part of the Business Development team at Astrobotic Technology Inc., a private American company dedicated to developing space robotics technology for lunar and planetary missions. Carolyn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Hollins University, with a concentration in science and technology and a minor in Film Studies.

Matias Cava, Office of Space Commerce

Credit: Office of Space Commerce

Matias Cava is a Space Policy Analyst in the Office of Space Commerce (OSC)’s Policy, Advocacy, and International Division. He focuses on domestic space policy issues, including efforts to reform U.S. regulatory systems and address “mission authorization” for novel space activities.

Matias comes to OSC from the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, where he worked as an attorney on launch and re-entry licensing and regulation. He also spent two years as part of the team working on The Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Operations. During his time as a law student, he also had the opportunity to work as a law clerk at the Federal Communications Commission Space Bureau.

Matias received his undergraduate degree from McGill University. He holds a law degree from the University of Nebraska with a concentration in Space, Cyber, and National Security Law.

Chase Thompson, Office of Space Commerce

Chase Thompson is a political science senior at the University of Central Florida (UCF) focused on space commerce, policy, and international affairs. His experience spans 10 internships, including the U.S. Senate, the Florida Senate, and a Department of State diplomacy nonprofit.

He is the Founder and President of the UCF Space Policy, Economics, and Law (SPEL) club, published with the American Bar Association.

This semester, Chase is interning in Washington, D.C. with the U.S. Department of Commerce (Office of Space Commerce) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Cyber, Space & National Security Division) while completing his bachelor's degree at UCF in Spring 2027.

Alouetta Parsell, Office of Space Commerce

Alouetta Parsell serves as a Policy Management and Federal Nexus Fellow at NOAA's Office of Space Commerce (OSC), driving interagency policy development, regulatory oversight, and mission authorization frameworks for high-stakes commercial space operations. She previously served as the liaison for NOAA’s legislative office for OSC and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), earning the NWS Director’s Challenge Coin for excellence in intergovernmental policy support. She brings additional experience as a principal investigator in NASA’s Lucy Student Pipeline Accelerator and Competency Enabler (L’SPACE) academy and in policy roles with the Federal Aviation Administration and Airlines for America. Alouetta holds a B.S. in aeronautics and is completing her M.S. in aeronautics through an accelerated track at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Cliff O'Rouke, Office of Space Commerce

Cliff O’Rourke is currently a Policy Fellow at the Office of Space Commerce. From New Hampshire, he recently graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in Law and Public Policy.

Jeremy Kenny, NASA

Credit: NASA

Jeremy Kenny has nearly two decades of experience supporting the nation’s civil space program through a series of technical and leadership roles at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. He holds a bachelor of science, master of science, and doctor of philosophy in mechanical engineering from Mississippi State University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, respectively. Since joining NASA in 2007, his career has included significant contributions to the Space Shuttle, Constellation, Space Launch System, Human Landing System, and advanced propulsion programs, with expertise spanning propulsion system analysis, combustion stability, acoustic environments, and launch vehicle development. He has led major test and technology initiatives, including the Space Launch System Model Acoustic Test program and nuclear propulsion concept development, and has served in key leadership positions across propulsion engineering, technology demonstrations, and strategic program planning. Jeremy currently serves as Program Manager for NASA’s Advanced Nuclear Technology Office, where he oversees the development and maturation of nuclear technologies to enable future deep-space exploration missions.

John Starkey, American Nuclear Society

Credit: American Nuclear Society

John serves as Director of Public Policy for the American Nuclear Society (ANS) and Managing Member of the ANS led Source Security Working Group, positions he has held since January 2020. Based in Washington, D.C., John advocates for ANS priorities and federal policies that advance nuclear science and technology. Prior to ANS, John worked for clients of the Bose Public Affairs Group Washington office, specifically on energy and science related policy issues.

John left a background in finance in 2017 to pursue federal service in Washington, D.C. John spent several years working on federal energy policy for the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee before moving back into private practice.

John holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. He lives in Crofton, Maryland with his wife Alexandra and their four children.

Eddie Lopez-Honorato, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Dr. Eddie Lopez Honorato received his B.Sc. in chemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 2002. He completed his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in materials science at the University of Manchester, UK, in 2003 and 2008, respectively. Before joining Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), he worked as research associate at the University of Manchester, UK, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the European Commission/Institute for Transuranium Elements, Germany, and research scientist at the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV), Mexico. Dr. Lopez Honorato joined ORNL in March 2020 as an R&D staff member. Since October 2024 he has being the Group Leader of the Advanced Fuel Fabrication Group.

Dr. Lopez-Honorato’s research focuses on the development of ceramic materials for nuclear applications and extreme environments; including TRISO, particulate nuclear fuels, environmental barrier coatings, polymer-derived ceramics, graphene oxide, and superhydrophobic ceramic coatings. Dr. Honorato has graduated 17 graduate students and published over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Dr. Lopez-Honorato is Chairman of the Aerospace Nuclear Science and Technology Division of the American Nuclear Society, and former President of the ORNL Hispanic and Latino Organization for Leadership and Awareness, HOLA. Additionally, he has been vice-president of the Mexican Centre for Innovation in Ocean Energy A.C, and vice-president of HOLA-ORNL.

Dr. Lopez-Honorato is Topical Editor of the ACS Applied Engineering Materials journal and Associate Editor of the Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Engineering. Dr. Lopez-Honorato has been member of the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Applied Engineering Materials and guest editor of the Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, MRS Advances, and Journal of Nanomaterials.

Dr. Lopez-Honorato actively participates in science communication. He organized and led the Cinvesnin@s-Saltillo project, funded by the MRS Foundation, to support STEM education in rural and impoverished areas in Mexico. He has also published and edited several articles and special editions in the science magazine Ciencia y Desarrollo. Since 2013 he has been the main organizer of the Symposia Materials in Nuclear Science and Technology, and Materials and the Environment in the International Materials Research Congress. Dr. Honorato is also a member of the Latin American Network for Education in Nuclear Technology.

Suzanne Lightman, NIST

Suzanne Lightman has over a decade of experience in information security policy in positions all over the government, as well as in the private sector. She has held positions in both the legislative and executive branches, which gives her a unique perspective on the development and implementation of government policy. Currently, Ms. Lightman is a Senior Advisor at the Computer Security Division of the Information Technology Lab at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In that position, she is involved with a diverse portfolio of topics including development of the Cybersecurity Framework required under Executive Order 13636, cybersecurity in cyber-physical systems, identity management, and cybersecurity policy. She is also one of the team developing the Privacy Risk Management Framework at NIST.