Janna is a senior attorney and technology strategist focused on national defense, intelligence, and commercial space sectors. She has unique, cross-sector expertise in guiding programs and technology development for U.S. government and commercial initiatives, including engagements directed to launch services, satellite communications, unmanned vehicles, C5ISR sensors and network architectures, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
Prior to joining BAE Systems, Janna was with Northrop Grumman, where she facilitated innovation and strategic collaborations for their Missions Systems Sector to advance defense and intelligence capabilities. Prior to that, Janna worked for Facebook, where she supported Facebook’s mission to enable global internet connectivity. She helped to frame industry partnerships to catalyze delivery of space-based and high-altitude global connectivity solutions. Before Facebook, Janna was in private legal practice, where she served as legal counsel to U.S. and international clients in the aerospace and defense, commercial space, and telecommunications industries.
Janna is a volunteer with the Space Foundation, served on the Defense Innovation Board, Space Advisory Committee, and is a registered patent attorney. She frequently speaks about the rapidly evolving laws and policies affecting the defense, intelligence, and commercial space industries. Janna is committed to diversity in the space industry, and is a strong advocate for new space professionals.
Debra Facktor is the Head of U.S. Space Systems for AIRBUS U.S. Space & Defense, Inc., reporting to the Chairman and CEO of Airbus U.S. She joined the company in March 2020 and is responsible for managing the two businesses within U.S. Space Systems: National Security Space and Space Exploration. She also represents Airbus on the board of Airbus OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb operating a high-volume, high-speed satellite production facility in Florida, leveraging Airbus’ long standing heritage in satellite manufacturing.
Prior to joining Airbus U.S., Debra was Vice President and General Manager of Strategic Operations for Ball Aerospace, leading the company’s Washington DC operations, strategic development, and marketing and communications. Her extensive business experience includes serving as President and Owner of AirLaunch LLC, a small business that won funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and as Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Kistler Aerospace Corporation, a company that was developing a privately-funded reusable launch vehicle for the telecommunications satellite and International Space Station commercial resupply markets. Earlier in her career, Debra was Chief of Moscow Operations for ANSER’s Center for International Aerospace Cooperation.
Debra is actively engaged as a board member, advisor and mentor in the aerospace community, with organizations such as the Intelligence and National Security Association (INSA), American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Future Space Leaders Foundation, Brooke Owens Fellowship Program, Women in Aerospace and the International Women’s Forum. She serves on the Industrial Advisory Board of the University of Michigan aerospace engineering department and as an adjunct faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University systems engineering department. She is a fellow of AIAA and the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).
Debra received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, and is an alumna of the International Space University summer session program in Strasbourg, France.
Kevin McLaughlin has over 37 years of experience in the space and cyberspace business with a focus on creating and leading large-scale, innovative, global organizations, and with unique strengths in managing strategic corporate cyber risk, complex operations, strategic planning, policy development, organizational transformation, and human capital development.
As the founder and President of McLaughlin Global Associates LLC, Gen McLaughlin serves as a corporate director and advises senior executives and corporate boards on strategy formulation and implementation, with an emphasis in the areas of space and cyberspace. He specializes in several strategic issues facing the U.S. government and U.S. industry.
In particular, Kevin is a thought leader and advises senior leaders on the identification and mitigation of cyber-related strategic business risks as they exist across complex enterprises, to include the micro- electronics global supply chain. He is also deeply involved in helping senior leaders in and out of government manage the sea state changes occurring in the fabric of our space and cyberspace ecosystem. Theseincludenewtypesofpartnershipsinhowthegovernmentandprivatesectorpartner to defend our country and increase resilience against space and cyber threats, to include how the government leverages the unique strengths that come from traditional government procured capabilities, capabilities from our allies, and vertically integrated services from commercial companies. Last, Kevin is a nationally acknowledged leader in how we develop the needed human capital processes and underlying cultures required for the government and industry as they transform in the space and cyber arenas.
Kevin is active in the non-profit arena and is the Chairman of the Board of Governors for the 57,000- member Civil Air Patrol and also serves on the board for Feed the Need, a non-profit based in Bastrop, Texas. Gen McLaughlin is the Director of the Program for Cyber Policy, Strategy, and Security and an Adjunct Professor of Practice at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.
Gen McLaughlin’s last active duty assignment was as the Deputy Commander of United States Cyber Command at Ft Meade, Maryland from 2014 – 2017. In this capacity, he directed 12,000 personnel and a $525M budget to defend the nation’s largest information network, provide offensive cyberspace options to commanders, and protect critical U.S. infrastructure from cyber-attacks. Before joining U.S. Cyber Command, Gen McLaughlin led 24th Air Force and Air Forces Cyber, the U.S. Air Force’s organization of 4,500-personnel that organized, trained, and equipped Air Force cyber forces, and executed global cyberspace operations in support of U.S. Cyber Command.
Prior to his assignment at 24th Air Force, Gen McLaughlin spent thirty years as a leader of large, complex, and highly technical organizations associated with some of the world’s most critical space organizations including the squadron that operates the Global Positioning System and the Air Force operations group that operates over 170 satellites for national leadership, U.S. and allied military, and civil and federal agencies. Kevin served as the only active-duty staff member on the Commission to Assess National Security Space Management and Organization (AKA The Rumsfeld Space Commission) in 2000-2001.
Mr. Nichols has managed DoD meshed network solutions, including terrestrial transport, data applications, and commercial satellite services as a Department of Defense government civilian for more than 32 years.
During the span of his career, Mr. Nichols has managed communication services for the United States Navy Europe/Central Region in Naples, Italy, was a project manager for European terrestrial transport initiatives based out of Stuttgart, Germany, and served as a senior advisor to the Afghan Ministry of Communications and Technology in Kabul, Afghanistan as part of the U.S. Department of Defense Telecommunications Advisory Team.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Nichols was the Deputy Chief for the DoDs Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS).
A U.S. Navy Veteran, Mr. Nichols is proud to serve the Department of Defense and provide critical C5ISR that enable warfighter capabilities.