Featured Guests Bios:

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Dr. Mindy Howard:  Currently, only 12 countries have female astronaut representation and only 72 females have flown to space. Millions more worldwide share these lofty goals - including Dr. Mindy Howard’s long held aspirations. As CEO & Founder of Cosmic Girls Foundation, she is on a mission to change the stats
and build a female talent pipeline that upskills girls from any socio-economic demographic to
become astronauts. After a 21-year career in the oil industry across 35 different countries as trainer,
senior leader and engineer, Dr. Howard harnessed her academic and professional skills to create the
first and only mental preparedness training program for astronauts; “Inner Space Training”, an
invaluable and overlooked training tool. She is in hi-level discussions with major aerospace
organizations to train, coach and accompany astronauts to space. As the Director of “Inner Space
Training” Dr. Howard works for Blue Abyss Ltd., the world’s first commercial astronaut training
center. She has appeared on the Discovery and Travel Channels, and on U.S. and European radio as a
space correspondent & commentator. Dr. Howard is also a TEDx speaker (“Train Your Fear Away, Like
an Astronaut”) and a Guest Lecturer at the International Space University. She authored “Blast off!
Train Like an Astronaut for Success on Earth”, the first book to apply techniques of commercial
astronaut training to help those on earth maintain anxiety-free, emotional equilibrium and mental
focus to overcome daily challenges in their personal & professional lives. Dream! Dare! Do! is Dr.
Howard’s personal motto, and Cosmic Girls’ mission to empower the female space generation.

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Jourdan Johnson: Jourdan Johnson is an international relations scholar. She uses an interdisciplinary approach to study the role of international norms and institutions on space sustainability. She founded Space Futures Consulting and has contributed her expertise to multinational corporations. Jourdan also offers mentoring opportunities to those looking to join the space industry. She actively dedicates herself to contributing to a sustainable, equitable future on and off Earth and has volunteered with several international nonprofits, supporting their fundraising efforts. She serves on the Mustard Seed Project-Being With board in Portland, ME

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Charity Weeden: Charity Weeden is the associate administrator for the NASA Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) within the office of the NASA administrator. The office provides data- and evidence-driven technology, policy, and strategy advice to NASA leadership and supports NASA leadership in developing and guiding the agency’s activities across its six mission directorates. As the lead for the organization, Weeden brings her extensive experience and background in space sustainability, and policy and regulatory issues to the role.