About
A Unique Vertically Integrated
Spacetech Company
We create the foundational infrastructure and ecosystem that enables the future commercial space economy to benefit life on Earth.
About
Explore
Inquiries
We create the foundational infrastructure and ecosystem that enables the future commercial space economy to benefit life on Earth.
Sierra Space is a leading commercial space company at the forefront of innovation and the commercialization of space in the Orbital Age®, building an end-to-end business and technology platform in space to benefit life on Earth. With more than 30 years and 500 missions of space flight heritage, the company is reinventing both space transportation with Dream Chaser®, the world’s only commercial spaceplane, and the future of space destinations with the company’s inflatable and expandable space station technology. Using commercial business models, the company is also delivering orbital services to commercial, DoD and national security organizations, expanding production capacity to meet the needs of constellation programs. In addition, Sierra Space builds a host of systems and subsystems across solar power, mechanics and motion control, environmental control, life support, propulsion and thermal control, offering myriad space-as-a-service solutions for the new space economy.
Our platform will be the catalyst for the next breakthrough innovations in human health, telecommunications, computing, advanced materials, climate change reversal, and clean energy. Existing companies in every segment of the industrials sector—biopharma, manufacturing and energy—will operate in the microgravity factories of the future, extending our cities and communities into space.
Tom is the CEO of Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company. Prior to Sierra Space, Tom was the Chairman, CEO and President of Aerion Corporation, a company developing supersonic civil aviation. Tom was the President of Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector, an $11 billion global advanced technology business with 23,000 incredibly talented team members. The team members were pioneers in space-based observatories, satellites, fully autonomous intelligent systems, combat aircraft, high-powered lasers, and microelectronics.
Prior to becoming the President of Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector, Tom was the President of their Technical Services sector, a recognized leader in integrated logistics and modernization, defense and government services and training solutions, with more than 19,500 employees. Tom led businesses at more than 300 locations in all 50 states and 29 countries, supporting a diverse customer base, including the U.S. departments of Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, State and the Interior as well as NASA. Tom retired from Northrop Grumman in August 2017 after nearly 31 distinguished years of service with the company.
Tom is a successful operating executive with unquestionable integrity, broad industry experience, and proven strategic, financial, risk management, and technical skills. Tom is a visionary and inspiring leader, with relentless discipline and long-term focus.
Tom is genuinely respected and trusted by his customers, employees, industry peers, and investors. He has a very thoughtful, creative, and collaborative style. Tom has a comprehensive understanding of the government regulatory and compliance environment.
Tom has served on the board of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the board of governors for the USO, the board of trustees for the Florida Institute of Technology, Purdue University’s School of Astronautics and Aeronautics, and Local Motors. Tom currently serves on the board of councilors for USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering.
Tom is the recipient of the 2016 Daniel J. Epstein Engineering Management Award from the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering. The Engineering Management Award was founded in 1978 to recognize industry leaders who have made lasting contributions to science and engineering through exemplary professional accomplishments and contributions to the field of engineering management.
Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. He has completed numerous advanced management programs including MIT’s Corporate Strategy, Northwestern’s Value Creation through M&A, Caltech’s Management of Technology and Innovation, Caltech’s Strategic Marketing of Technology Products, UCLA’s Executive Marketing, and Defense Acquisition University’s Advanced Program Management course.
Janet serves as the President of Sierra Space in Louisville, Colorado. There, she is responsible for the company’s space programs, including the Dream Chaser® spaceplane, which is under contract to deliver supplies to the International Space Station beginning in 2023. Dream Chaser is a winged vehicle and the only resupply vehicle capable of landing on a commercial runway.
Prior to her current position, Dr. Kavandi served as Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. In this position, she was responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the activities required for cutting-edge research on aerospace and aeronautical propulsion, power, and communication technologies.
Preceding the Director position, Dr. Kavandi served as Glenn’s Deputy Director. Before her time at Glenn, Dr. Kavandi worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where she served as the Director of Flight Crew Operations. In this role, she was responsible for the Astronaut Corps and Aircraft Operations at Ellington Field. Dr. Kavandi also served as the Deputy Director of the Health and Human Performance Directorate, where she was responsible for the NASA flight surgeons and human research investigations on the International Space Station (ISS).
Dr. Kavandi was selected as a NASA astronaut in December 1994 as a member of the fifteenth class of U.S. astronauts. During her time in the Astronaut Office, she supported International Space Station payload integration, capsule communications, robotics and served as Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. She is a veteran of three space flights, serving as a mission specialist on STS-91 in 1998, STS-99 in 2000 and STS-104 in 2001. Dr. Kavandi has logged more than 33 days in space, traveling more than 13.1 million miles in 535 Earth orbits.
Born in Springfield, Missouri, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, a Master of Science degree in chemistry from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, and her Doctorate in analytical chemistry from the University of Washington in Seattle.
Dr. Kavandi has been recognized with two Presidential Rank Awards, two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, two Exceptional Service Medals, three NASA Space Flight Medals, and NASA’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal. She was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2019. Dr. Kavandi and her husband, John, have two adult children.
Troy, a vastly experienced leader with more than 20 years background leading finance and business management organizations in the aerospace & defense industry, and 12 years in investment banking, joined Sierra Space as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in March 2022. In his role as CFO, Lahr leads all of Sierra Space’s financial strategy and performance, including accounting and reporting, controllership, financial planning and analysis, tax, and treasury.
Troy joined Sierra Space from Boeing Defense where he served as CFO for the company’s Defense, Space & Security business with annual revenues of $27 billion and home to the industry’s digital transformation, delivering digitally advanced and intelligently support solutions for the modern warfighters.
Troy has held roles of increasing responsibility across every function in business management, including head of corporate investor relations, controller, mergers and acquisitions, and CFO.
Prior to joining Boeing, Troy spent 12 years as an award-winning equity analyst researching the aerospace & defense industry and building a client network of over 500 institutional investors and providing analysis and investment recommendations.
Troy has also served on United Launch Alliance’s board of directors.
Troy holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a master’s degree in finance from Loyola University.
A former U.S. Air Force (USAF) pilot, five time NASA shuttle astronaut and commander with more than 30 years of flight test experience, Steve is the Chief Strategy Officer for Sierra Space. Lindsey is responsible for technology research and development, business development, executing advanced programs to create new businesses, and development/execution of market strategy for Sierra Space.
Lindsey earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1982. Upon completion of his degree he was commissioned a second lieutenant and sent to Undergraduate Pilot Training. After receiving his pilot wings he qualified in the RF-4C Phantom II and served as a combat-ready pilot, instructor pilot, and academic instructor. In 1987, he was selected to attend graduate school at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, where he completed a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering. Lindsey completed the USAF Test Pilot School course at Edwards Air Force Base, California in 1989 and was then assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida in 1990 as an experimental test pilot where he conducted weapons and systems tests in F-16 and F-4 aircraft. While a member of the 3247th Test Squadron, Lindsey served as the deputy director of the Advanced Tactical Air Reconnaissance System Joint Test Force and as the squadron’s F-16 flight commander. Additionally, he served as an Integrated Product team leader in the USAF SEEK EAGLE Office where he was responsible for weapons certification for the F-16, F-111, A-10 and F-117 aircraft. Lindsey retired from the Air Force in September 2006 after logging more than 7,000 hours of flying time in more than 50 different types of aircraft. Lindsey was assigned to NASA as an astronaut candidate in 1995, becoming an astronaut the following year and qualifying for flight assignment as a pilot.
During his 15+ year tenure at NASA, Lindsey completed five space flights and logged more than 1,510 hours in space. He served as pilot on STS-87 in 1997 and STS-95 in 1998, and was the mission commander on STS-104 in 2001, STS-121 in 2006 and STS-133 in 2011. He last served as chief of the astronaut corps, overseeing spacecraft development, crew selection and training and flight test/crew operations in support of the space shuttle, International Space Station (ISS) and Constellation Programs.
Upon joining the SNC team, Lindsey led Dream Chaser flight operations. In August 2013, he was selected as Dream Chaser senior director and co-program manager tasked with managing the Dream Chaser cargo and crew systems development. Lindsey led the Dream Chaser program through the design certification phase, including atmospheric flight tests of the Dream Chaser Engineering Test Article at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California; and launch, orbit operations, entry and landing of the Dream Chaser cargo and crew systems for low-Earth orbit missions to the ISS.
In 2015, Lindsey was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center. He has also received several industry and government recognition awards throughout his career including: Distinguished Graduate USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training and Distinguished Graduate and recipient of the Liethen-Tittle Award as the outstanding test pilot of the USAF Test Pilot School Class 89A. He has also been awarded: Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, five NASA Space Flight Medals, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal and Aerial Achievement Medal.
Kelly is a vastly experienced leader. Her focus at Sierra Space, in addition to leading the company’s in-house legal team, is on providing Board and Executive level counseling related to commercial space and government and commercial contracting with a focus on strategy, intellectual property, corporate governance, contract, supply chain, litigation, ethics, global trade and security matters.
Prior to joining Sierra Space in the summer of 2021, Ms. Garehime was Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for United Launch Alliance (ULA) where she played a key role in negotiation of launch contracts for private and governmental entities and leading business transformation into commercial markets. Ms. Garehime was also part of the team that was awarded the primary position for the U.S. Space Force Phase 2 launch vehicle contract. Previously, Ms. Garehime was a Senior Managing Associate, specializing in government contracts, for the world’s largest law firm, Dentons.
Ms. Garehime holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.) from the University of Denver, Strum College of Law and a BSBA in Finance, from the University of Denver.
Amy is the SVP, Chief People Officer at Sierra Space. Her team is responsible for the Talent Strategy, Organizational Effectiveness and Culture for Sierra Space’s rapidly expanding global operations. Amy is a highly experienced People Leader, amassing 24 years of global leadership experience in a variety of private and public sector industries with brands including CenturyLink, DaVita, Janus Capital, Newmont Corporation and former Sierra Space parent company, Sierra Nevada Corporation.
In addition, Amy is responsible for using data to drive Human Capital Decisions across the enterprise in areas such a Talent Growth and Development, Workforce Planning and ensuring an attractive, comprehensive and competitive Total Rewards Program for the Sierra Space’s growing team.
Amy holds a Bachelor of Science in HR Management from Colorado State University, a graduate of the CHRO Academy with Michigan State University and an accredited SPHR.
Matthew brings over twenty years of aerospace & defense experience in finance, management consulting, strategic due diligence, and investment banking. He currently serves as an Executive in Residence at Renaissance Strategic Advisors and as an independent consultant where he provides industry, corporate development, and start up expertise to senior executives and capital providers.
Previously, Matthew served as CFO and EVP Strategy & Investor Relations at Aerion Supersonic, a pioneering startup focused on sustainable, high-speed aviation and a long-term client of Matthew’s.
As a former Managing Partner and co-owner, Matthew led the Commercial Aerospace and Financial Sponsor & Due Diligence Services practices at Renaissance Strategic Advisors, one of the leading consultancies supporting premier firms in the aerospace, defense, space, intelligence, and government services industry. Prior to joining Renaissance Strategic Advisors in 2009, Matthew held leadership positions with the aerospace & defense practices at Booz & Company (formerly Booz Allen Hamilton) and Charles River Associates International. His responsibilities included business development, client relations, and project management, as well as extensive interaction with industry media including collaborative publications, interviews, and speaking engagements.
Matthew also spent eight years as an investment banker at First Equity Development, a boutique investment bank focused on aerospace & defense advisory and merchant banking activities. As Vice President, Matthew had direct responsibility for new business generation, transaction execution, and client development and relations. Specific transaction experience included numerous international and domestic advisory assignments including sell side, buy side, M&A strategy, due diligence, and capital raising as well as extensive support for portfolio companies owned by First Equity’s merchant bank.
Matthew is a graduate of the Jerome Fisher Management & Technology program at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a BS, Economics from Wharton and a BAS, Systems Engineering from the School of Engineering & Applied Science. He is a past fellow at the NASA Glenn Research Center and was a student private pilot. Matthew lives in New York City with his wife, daughter and son.
Celena serves as SVP ESG, Internal Audit & Compliance for Sierra Space and is a member of the executive leadership team. She leads the company’s strategy on ESG, integrating the company’s vision of building a platform in space to benefit earth and focus on making a unique and impactful difference within the company and community, and for customers and shareholders.
Celena also leads the Company’s Internal Audit and Compliance organization, taking an enterprise-wide proactive approach to stay ahead of risks and guide leadership to the successful achievement of the company’s strategic business objectives. This includes standing up and creating the vision for the Internal Audit and Compliance function to delivery of risk mitigation solutions, development of the framework for an effective control environment over financial reporting, IT, government compliance requirements, ESG and operational processes, and formalization of the ERM framework and approach.
Previously, Celena was Senior Vice President, Internal Audit for Aerion Supersonic, a high-tech mobility company focused on supersonic aviation. In this role Celena was responsible for Internal Audit, Financial Compliance, and the broader Enterprise Risk Management function. Her responsibilities also included leadership over public company readiness and enterprise-wide system implementations.
Celena has also served in successive leadership roles across Internal Audit and Financial Compliance at Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and its parent company Warner Media, leading up to her role as Executive Director of Financial Compliance for Warner Media.
In this role she led all global financial compliance activity for the $33+ billion company with teams across the US that focused on internal control strategy over IT and financial reporting, business process improvement and enhancing operating efficiencies, governance and reporting on Sarbanes-Oxley requirements, and addressing risks across the enterprise. Celena has also served in leadership roles at Ernst & Young, LLP with a scope of work that focused on assurance and advisory services.
Throughout her career Celena has been a business leader focused on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). In addition to leading high-performing diverse teams, she has chaired Business Resource Groups, performed workplace culture assessments, and help companies develop DEI strategies, roadmaps and trainings that foster growth and change.
Celena earned her BS in Business Administration, Accounting from Boston University, and is a CPA. She also holds the Diversity & Inclusion for HR certification from Cornell University. Celena is committed to serving the community and a passionate advocate for education, women, and wellness. Celena currently serves on the Boards of Sheltering Arms and St. Martin’s Episcopal School, is an Advisory Audit Committee Member for the City of Brookhaven, and a graduate and active member of Leadership Atlanta. She is also a member of The Institute of Internal Auditors and Georgia Society of CPAs.
Maxie McFarland is Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff to the CEO for Sierra Space, having joined the company from its inception in 2021. In his role as Chief of Staff his responsibilities include leadership of cross-functional strategic initiatives, facilitating special projects and ensuring action items are executed on behalf of the CEO.
Maxie operates at a tactical, strategic, and operational levels, handling the oversight of critical enterprise level, cross-organizational projects. Maxie tracks high priority initiatives for the CEO and serves as a thought partner and strategic advisor, providing analysis, recommendations and options on high-impact decisions.
Prior to Sierra Space Maxie spent 10 years with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) in a series of advancing executive-level corporate development roles. He led multiple mergers and acquisitions (negotiation, due diligence, integration), joint ventures and capital raises, as well as aiding the development of business strategy. In 2021, Maxie helped lead a successful $1.4B capital raise for Sierra Space – one of the largest ever in the aerospace industry.
In prior roles, Maxie worked for IBM Research commercializing advanced technologies, as a process and strategy consultant for both IBM Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Consulting and was an officer in the United States Air Force.
Maxie holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado.
Matthew is Vice President of global Marketing & Communications for Sierra Space. His team is responsible for Sierra Space’s brand development, marketing and communications. Prior to joining Sierra Space, Matthew amassed more than 20 years of experience in global marketing, brand and communications management in the luxury and high-performance sector.
With roles at brands including Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover and Aerion Supersonic, Matthew honed a record of developing and launching unified communications campaigns to aid both the expansion of established brands and build start-up enterprises. After starting his career at Jaguar Land Rover he spent over 15 years at Aston Martin leading teams in Marketing Communications and Media Relations in both the Global Headquarters and the Americas region before serving as Vice President Marketing & PR for Karma Automotive, a start-up maker of luxury electric vehicles and then as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing & Communications for Aerion Supersonic.
Matthew earned a master’s degree in Public Relations from Birmingham City University, a BA with Honors in Business & Economics, and a certification in Journalism & Media Law, both from University of Warwick, England.
Angie is the Vice President of Safety and Mission Assurance at Sierra Space. Her team is responsible for the Environmental, Safety, and Health (ESH), System Safety, Reliability, Software Assurance, Quality Assurance, and Continuous Improvement organizations for all Sierra Space programs.
Before coming to Sierra Space, Angie worked for NASA on many missions, including the development of science missions that are flying on the International Space Station, the development of a thermal protection material and repair method for the Space Shuttles, and the development of the Space Launch System which will be used to take crew members back to the Moon. Angie was also the Deputy Chief S&MA Officer for the NASA Ares I-X mission.
Bill brings more than 30 years of experience delivering technical and operations leadership in both public and private aerospace sectors. Before joining Sierra Space, Bill was the head of Operations for Boom Technology, a startup aerospace company in Colorado developing next generation supersonic aircraft. During his career, he has been recognized as an innovative, high-energy executive with a reputation for building high performing teams that deliver results.
Bill has served as an executive for numerous other aerospace companies including Airbus, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, MD Helicopters, ICON Aircraft, as well as a prior role at SNC leading the Freedom Trainer jet program. He has held leadership positions on several notable development programs including the RAH-66 Comanche, HH-60 Sea Hawk, T-6A Texan II, AT-6 Coyote, King Air, Hawker 4000, Premier I, A380, A350, and MD500/530 gunship helicopters, among others. Bill earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aircraft Engineering Technology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and an MBA in Finance from Wichita State University.
Bill and his wife, Jolanda, live in Carolina Beach, NC and Boulder, CO and have three children and three grandchildren.
Neeraj is Sierra Space’s SVP & General Manager, Space Destinations, heading all of the company’s plans to build the future of commercial space destinations. A vastly experienced program leader in the Defense and Space industry, Gupta has been part of the Sierra Space business since its origins as part of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). During more than a decade with SNC he held several program management roles, including Director of Advanced Development.
In his role at Sierra Space, Gupta leads the development of the company’s commercial space destinations programs including Orbital Reef, the Sierra Space’s partnership with Blue Origin to construct the commercial space station of the future.
Gupta holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Thomas is Vice President of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems (SNC) where he brings more than thirty-five years of experience to SNC’s Space Systems and is responsible for a variety of innovative products including life support systems, advanced space missions and propulsion systems. Crabb was previously the CEO of the Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC), where he grew the company’s patent developments, commercial products, and spaceflight hardware programs.
Under his leadership, the company received NASA’s two largest SBIR commercialization programs awarded to date. In 2014 SNC acquired ORBITEC as a subsidiary and in 2017 ORBITEC became fully integrated under Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems division.
Mr. Crabb is currently leading the development of the VORTEX engines, which have immediate value for in-space, upper stage and full stage solutions. He also oversees the development of state-of-the-art advanced life support systems for next generation human and cargo transportation including future habitats for long duration human spaceflight. Additionally, Mr. Crabb and his team worked with NASA to co-develop VEGGIE, a system that uses cutting-edge science solutions to grow food and plants in space through a specialized self-contained system currently being used on the International Space Station. This technology is a key part of the future of space exploration.
Mr. Crabb serves on numerous boards including the Small Business Technology Coalition, the Wisconsin Space Business Roundtable, the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Previous positions include Chairman of the AIAA Space Systems Technical Committee (STTC) and Secretary of the AIAA Space Operations Technical Committee. Crabb has also taught space system design coursework at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and was a 2002 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist.
Mr. Crabb received his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and has a Masters of Science in Astronautical Engineering from University of Wisconsin and Ohio State University. He also has a Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Wisconsin.
Pat is Sierra Space’s acting Senior Vice President, Engineering in addition to her role as the Vice President, Engineering Systems and Processes. Prior to this role with Sierra Space, Ms Remias held the position of Sr. Director of Programs, with profit and loss responsibility for the Space Mission Systems product line at Sierra Nevada Corporation. Her portfolio included the 18-spacecraft production build of the ORBCOMM Generation 2 (OG2) constellation, design and build of the Space Test Programs’s STPSat-5 spacecraft (launched in 2018), and development of a number of National Security Space programs.
Ms. Remias has over 33 years of experience in the space and aerospace business, spanning both Government and commercial programs. She has previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Space for Comtech AeroAstro where she had program responsibility for 90% of the group’s revenue, including successfully launching STPSat-1 and the first STP-SIV bus. Prior to AeroAstro, Ms. Remias spent nearly a decade at Orbital Sciences Corporation where she was program director and senior manager, with direct responsibility for space programs such as TSX-5, OrbImage (now GeoEye), APEX, OrbView-2, and many others. She started her career working for the Naval Air Systems Command where she was the lead engineer for laser-guided weapons and the Navy’s early unmanned air vehicles (UAV) development program.
Ms. Remias holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering from Virginia Tech.
All Rights Reserved © 2024 Sierra Space Corporation | Privacy | Terms of Use
All Rights Reserved © 2024 Sierra Space Corporation | Privacy | Terms of Use
"*" indicates required fields
