Keynote Speakers
Danielle McCulloch, Program Executive for NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program
Tuesday, April 22nd: Changing the Pace of Space
Danielle McCulloch is the program executive for NASA’s Flight Opportunities program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. In this role, she provides strategic integration between researchers, mission stakeholders, and flight providers, as well as other NASA programs, to maximize impact for technology advancement and ensure that the researcher community is actively engaged in available flight test opportunities. She comes to this position after serving as both the Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager for Flight Opportunities. Before joining NASA, Danielle held various leadership roles in the medical device and paper manufacturing industries and was vice president for a small technology transfer consultancy. Danielle’s experience underlines her passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, and fostering vibrant researcher communities.
Ellen Glad, Optical Engineering Team Lead for Millennium Space Systems
Wednesday, April 23rd
Ellen Glad is the Optical Engineering Team Lead at Millennium Space Systems in El Segundo, CA. She has served as the technical lead for multiple space payload efforts for national security missions. Ellen focuses on optical payload selection and system design to ensure mission requirements are successfully met. Now she is leading and growing the Optics Team at Millennium to meet the expanding need of current and future company efforts. Before her role at Millennium, Ellen graduated from Cal Poly SLO in 2019 with a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering. Her interests and hobbies in astronomy research and cameras provide her a unique insight into the practical applications of optical systems in space.