<div class="ituContainer"> Patricia Cooper is a leading expert on satellite communications, regulation and space policy, and is the founder of the space consultancy, Constellation Advisory, LLC, where she advises smart space and satellite ventures and international projects. </div> <div class="ituContainer"> For six years, Cooper led Government Affairs for the Starlink satellite broadband constellation project at Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), where she secured Federal Communications Commission authorization for a record 12,000 satellites, and market access in more than 30 countries. She advocated for updates to spectrum, telecom competition and space safety regulations in the US and around the globe to support the coming generation of satellite networks. Today, Starlink serves over 2 million users worldwide with a constellation of over 6,000 satellites in over 70 countries. </div> <div class="ituContainer"> Prior to SpaceX, Patricia was an executive at geostationary satellite fleet operator Intelsat and as for nearly 7 years, President of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), the leading trade organization representing U.S. satellite operators, manufacturers and service providers. At SIA, Patricia advocated in regulatory and national security arenas, for fair trade and competition rules internationally, and spearheaded a successful bipartisan, bi-cameral legislative initiative to reform satellite export control legislation. Previously, Patricia had served in both the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Commerce, and led international outreach at two start-ups, CoreExpress, an Internet fiber infrastructure play and PanAmSat Corporation, a disruptor in the early satellite services market. </div> <div class="ituContainer"> Patricia holds a Master’s Degree with Distinction in International Economics from the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and German from Kansas State University (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). </div>    

Jermaine Francisco Gutierrez is a Research Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute, focusing on innovation, finance, and industrial policy matters. Before ESPI, Jermaine was a Data Analyst and Ecosystem Developer for Space Venture Financing at the European Space Agency. Jermaine holds a Masters of Space Studies from the International Space University (ISU/MSS22) and a Bachelors in Banking and Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

Ian Carnelli is a seasoned space systems expert who joined the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2005 as part of the Advanced Concepts Team. Throughout his career, he has led pioneering mission concepts to asteroids, playing a key role in establishing ESA’s planetary defence programme. As General Studies Programme Manager, he shaped future missions across all space domains, supporting critical enabling technologies and payloads. Since 2019, Ian has led the Hera planetary defence mission – launched in 2024 in collaboration with NASA’s DART – to validate asteroid deflection techniques. In 2024, he became Head of the Systems Department, overseeing end-to-end systems engineering, space systems and AIT, in-orbit technology demonstrations, and cutting edge domains like AI and advanced simulations.

Julie Kearney is a Co-Chair of the Space Exploration and Innovation Practice and a partner in the Telecom group at DLA Piper. For more than 25 years she has worked with governments, industry and the public sector around the world on legal and regulatory frameworks for technology, satellite, space and telecommunications. Julie served as the first Chief of the Space Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission, where she represented the Commission on satellite and space-based communications matters domestically and internationally. During her tenure the FCC adopted a regulatory structure for Supplemental Coverage from Space, the first framework issued by any regulator for connecting satellites directly to consumer handsets using spectrum previously allocated only to terrestrial service. Before the FCC she held leadership roles at Twilio, Loon, the Consumer Technology Association, National Public Radio and MCI. She is a past president of the Federal Communications Bar Association.

Narda M. Jones is a technology and public policy strategist with deep experience at the intersection of telecommunications, broadband, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and government. She is the founder of Acacia Hill Strategies, where she advises organizations on technology policy, public engagement, coalition strategy, and the evolving infrastructure needs of the AI economy. Narda previously served as Chief of Staff to the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Director of Legislative Affairs at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Senior Technology Policy Counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Her work has spanned broadband and universal service, spectrum, satellite policy, AI, privacy, cybersecurity, and emerging technology.