Top priorities for space in the defense world are eliminating stovepipes, greater resilience and leveraging commercial resources. The commercial world wants much of the same for their own reasons, but addressing growing needs like integrated management of LEO/MEO/GEO, seamless roaming across satellites, multi-mission support, cloud enablement and better integration with the telecom backbone will require much higher levels of interoperability for space networks, as well as clearer requirements definitions, new acquisitions processes and industry standards.
Phil Carrai
Phil Carrai is President of the Space, Training and Cybersecurity division of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, Inc, where he is responsible for all aspects of business operations, sales, mergers and acquisitions. Kratos Defense is an approximately $650 million public company focusing in Aerospace and Defense products and services.
Eric J. Brown
Eric Brown is the Senior Director of Mission Strategy for Lockheed Martin’s Military Space business, working with the U.S. Government and its allies developing space solutions with a particular focus on the following mission areas: missile warning and defense, military satellite communications (MILSATCOM), position, navigation, timing (PNT), space control, space domain awareness, and tactical missions. Mr. Brown leads Lockheed Martin’s efforts to combine the company’s investments in future capabilities with those of teammates in industry, academia, research labs, and the U.S. Government to establish new architectures responsive to emerging threats to space and missions. Based on the criticality of space to today’s global security, Mr. Brown coordinates across Lockheed Martin’s complete portfolio, which includes fighter aircraft, missiles and mission systems, to architect the infrastructure needed to enable Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO). As part of this work, he leads Lockheed Martin Innovation Partners, the company’s initiative to engage, accelerate, and onboard non-traditional companies and partners to programs of record.
Prior to joining Lockheed Martin Space, Mr. Brown led PwC Strategy&’s global space community of interest, providing strategic consultation on topics of competitive positioning, new technology introduction, and inorganic strategy to executives across aerospace, defense, space, industrial, and technology sectors. Previously, he supported various agencies across the intelligence and defense communities in t he development of mission and organizational strategies and concepts of operations to respond to evolving threats and critical national requirements.
Mr. Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College, a Master of Arts in National Security Policy from Georgetown University, and an Master of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Astrotech Space Operations, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.
Brig. Gen. Steven J. Butow
Steve “Bucky” Butow is the Director of the Space Portfolio at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). He joined the team in 2015 as an early plank owner when DIU was known as the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) and helped establish the organization’s operating locations in Silicon Valley; Boston, Massachusetts; and Austin, Texas.
Prior to joining DIU, Butow was the Vice Chief of the Joint Staff, California Military Department with responsibilities including cybersecurity, incident awareness and innovation. He is a former Commander of the 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Federal Airfield, CA, where his responsibilities included organizing, training, equipping, and maintaining 970 combat-ready forces and $1 Billion dollars of MC-130P aircraft, HH-60G helicopters and special mission equipment supporting the U.S. Air Force’s combat rescue and personnel recovery missions. He has additionally served as the Deputy Director of the Joint Search and Rescue Center for U.S. Central Command in 2005, and as Chief of Personnel Recovery for U.S. Air Forces Central in 2007 supporting Operations IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM. He has more than 3,500 flying hours in T-37, T-38, C-130, HC-130 and MC-130P aircraft. In his reserve capacity, Butow is a Brigadier General serving part time as a Special Assistant to the Director, Air National Guard in a federal (Title 10) status.
As a researcher with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Butow worked on instrument concepts for Mars surface soil analysis at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. He later served as co-principal investigator for a series of airborne science missions for which he was recognized for outstanding achievement and contributions to the Space Science Division in 1999 and received an Ames Honor Award as a member of an Astrobiology Mission Project Team in 2000.
Butow graduated from San Jose State University with a B.A. in Physics & Astronomy and earned a M.S. in Management with specialization in Air and Space Strategic Studies from the University of Maryland. He has also completed executive courses at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and was a member of the National Leadership Preparedness Initiative (NPLI) Cohort 16. Butow is a lifetime member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi for academic achievement.
Karl Fuchs
Karl Fuchs joined iDirect Government in 2004 as the Director of Sales Engineering, just as the satellite-based IP communications company was expanding its very small aperture satellite (VSAT) market presence into the federal government and international Internet Protocol (IP) networking world. He now works as the Sr. Vice President of Technology.
With more than 25 years of experience in technology and with the federal government, Fuchs leads iDirect Government’s team of federal sales engineers, hardware engineers, software engineers, and serves as chief architect for new product integration.
Prior to joining iDirect Government, Fuchs was Director of Systems Engineering at Nortel Networks, where he oversaw the Verizon account team of systems engineers, leading the design of IP, Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) networks. Before joining Nortel, he designed IP and ATM networks for Sprint and the federal government.
Active in the satellite industry for more than 20 years, Fuchs has contributed editorial to numerous publications including Federal Computer Week, Institute for Defense and Government Advancement, COTS Journal, Military Information Technology, Via Satellite, MILSATCOM and Satellite Evolution Global. In addition, he has been a featured speaker at leading industry events including the DoD SATCOM User Workshop, ISCe, IBC, Pacific Telecommunications Council and Emergency Management Talks.
Fuchs holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. and an MBA from Averett University, Danville, Va.
Jackie Schmoll
Jacqueline (Jackie) Schmoll is general manager for the Mission Solutions division in the Space Systems sector within the L3Harris Technologies Space and Airborne Systems segment. Space and Airborne Systems provides mission solutions for space and airborne domain with defense, intelligence and commercial applications.
The Space Systems sector offers complete payloads, sensors and full-mission solutions for classified, civil and commercial customers. Schmoll assumed this position in 2020, reporting to the president of Space Systems. In this role, Schmoll is responsible for
Prior to this role, Schmoll held the role of senior director of strategy reporting to the vice president of strategy and business development in Space and Airborne Systems. She was responsible for new business orders, revenue growth, driving the Space Systems strategic growth plan, as well as leading a team of more than 40 business development professionals representing end-to-end space mission capabilities.
Previously, she was general manager for Government GEOINT Systems within L3Harris’ Geospatial Solutions business unit. Her responsibilities included managing a multibillion-dollar portfolio of competitive and sole source IDIQ vehicles with the National Geospatial Agency, multiple systems level applications for Combatant Commands, classified agencies and international governments for mapping, content management, and GEOINT search and retrieval.
Prior to her role managing a profit and loss (P&L) business area, Schmoll served as senior program manager for L3Harris’ Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance business unit. She led a small satellite program for the United States Army after transitioning from her previous role as director of business development with L3Harris’ Environmental Solutions business unit, responsible for the business unit growth strategy and capture execution.
Before joining L3Harris, Schmoll was senior manager of business development and capture management for Lockheed Martin. She was responsible for winning new business accounts with strategic customers in the United States Department of Defense and International community. Previously, she worked for a.i. solutions, Inc. as a mission analyst where she performed flight dynamics and orbital analysis for NASA and United States Air Force spacecraft missions. She moved into roles of increasing responsibility where she ultimately won and managed new domestic and international business accounts centered around the company’s software products.
Schmoll is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and supports the Modeling and Simulation Technical Committee. She received her Master of Business Administration and Bachelor’s Degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland. She successfully completed a Harris leadership development program from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Schmoll was awarded the Spacecoast Business 40 Under 40 Award in 2019.
Dr. Marco Villa
Dr. Marco Villa grew up in Italy and developed an early passion for airplanes and spacecraft. After obtaining his private pilot license and serving in the Italian Parachutists Corp, Dr. Villa received his Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1999 from Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
Throughout his career Dr. Villa has worked on some of the most advanced and cutting-edge programs in the industry, from technology demonstration satellites to leading commercial efforts, and he has developed a unique expertise that combines management, finance and technical knowledge.
Following a brief stint as a structural analysis at Carlo Gavazzi Space in Milano, Italy, he moved to the United States and earned his Doctoral Degree in Aerospace Engineering in 2005 while also leading a small satellite development projects. Dr. Villa also earned his Master’s Degree in Engineering Management while working as system engineer and project manager for Swales Aerospace and as a contractor for NASA and the Air Force. This period provided Dr. Villa with a broad understanding of spacecraft systems as he performed leading roles for many innovative small satellite and launch vehicle systems, including the Air Force sponsored TacSat 3 spacecraft and the Autonomous Flight Safety System.
In 2007, Dr. Villa joined Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), where he served as Director of Mission Operations, with direct responsibility over the definition and execution of the Dragon spacecraft’s mission to the International Space Station. Dr. Villa was integral in the effort to secure and execute $2.5B in contracts for ISS cargo resupply and crewed Dragon development programs while also supporting the sales and business development department. Before leaving SpaceX in 2013, Dr. Villa played an important role in the on-going effort to develop the crewed version of the Dragon capsule, with responsibilities ranging from the definition of the overall concept of operations, to the establishment of the crew training methodology.
In 2010 Dr. Villa and Max Vozoff founded mv2space LLC, a Business Development, Strategy formulation and support services consultancy. Its clients include both start-ups and established companies in the government and commercial space domains, energy, automotive and digital media sectors.
With mv2space, Mr. Villa brings deep experience in strategy formulation and implementation, program management and systems engineering, and has developed advanced financial modeling and analysis tools that, when customized for each client, form the basis for their business plans, strategies and priorities.
Dr. Villa currently serves as the President and COO of Tyvak Nan-Satellite Systems Inc. His responsibilities span from day-to-day management of the company, to direct the company strategic efforts, to acquisition and execution of all nanosatellite opportunities for government, commercial and university customers both nationally and internationally.