Rex D. Agler

Mr. Agler serves as the Space Systems director of research & development activities and is responsible for R&D planning and execution. In this capacity, Rex is responsible for allocating R&D funds across eight lines of business and major functional areas. He is a major contributor to enterprise strategy in which he leads the assessment of candidate investments to position SSC to meet its long-range business objectives. Previously, Mr. Agler was the director of business development for the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Systems line of business within the Space and Systems Company. As a systems engineer, Rex developed the space shuttle ascent simulation used at Marshall Space Flight Center and built the Peacekeeper flight dynamics simulation used by the Assembly, Test and System Support (AT&SS) contract.

Mr. Agler holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters degrees in Mechanics & Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas.

Frank Backes

As CEO, Mr. Backes has been instrumental in delivering more than 100 percent revenue growth in two years while maintaining profitability percentages. During this time of extreme growth, Braxton has expanded its workforce by 400 percent. In addition to general CEO duties, Frank is responsible for sales, marketing, and business infrastructure. Prior to joining Braxton Technologies, Frank was the President and CTO of a software development and products company specializing in knowledge management and collaborative business products. He has over 24 years of project management, operations management, systems development, and deployment experience. As the CFO for a publically traded company, Frank has had extensive experience with mergers, acquisitions, and SEC compliance and has received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 Award for the Services category in the Rocky Mountain Region. Frank holds a Bachelors degree in Semiconductor Physics with minors in Computer Hardware Engineering, and Communications/Marketing from the University of California at San Diego.

Daniel N. Baker

Dr. Daniel Baker is Director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences and Professor of Physics there. His primary research interest is the study of plasma physical and energetic particle phenomena in planetary magnetospheres and in the Earth's vicinity. Following postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology with Edward C. Stone, he joined the physics research staff at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and became Leader of the Space Plasma Physics Group at LANL in 1981. From 1987 to 1994, he was the Chief of the Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. From 1994 to present he has been at the University of Colorado. Dr. Baker obtained his Ph.D. degree with James A. Van Allen at the University of Iowa and is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the International Academy of Astronautics, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Jeffrey M. Forbes

Jeffrey M. Forbes earned his B.S.E.E. from the University of Rhode Island (1968), his M.S.E.E. from the University of Illinois (1970), and his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University (1975). After a research appointment at Boston College between 1975 and 1984, he joined the faculty at Boston University where he held the positions of Professor of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering and Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering until August, 1994. At Boston University, he served as Director, Division of Engineering and Applied Science; Associate Director, Center for Space Physics; and Chairman Ad Interim of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. In 1992, he retired as Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force Reserves. He now holds the Glenn Murphy Endowed Chair in the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, and is also Department Chair.

Cary W. Ludtke

Cary Ludtke is the Vice President and General Manager of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp’s Civil and Operational Space strategic business unit. In this role, Cary is responsible for the acquisition and execution of space programs for civil and commercial customers. Cary brings proven experience in spacecraft and space instrument management, systems and design engineering to the position. During his 25-year career, Cary has demonstrated the ability to execute and manage fixed-price and cost-plus contracts. Cary has held numerous positions of leadership at Ball Aerospace. He has previously served as Vice President and General Manager of the Operational Space and Commercial Space Operations business units. He also served as Vice President of Engineering and Technology Products. Cary attended the AeA/Stanford for Executive Institute for High Technology Companies and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University.

R.C. "Merc" Mercure

After graduating from the University of Colorado with a Ph.D. in physics in 1957, Merc helped start the Ball Brothers Research Corporation, which later became Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation. He also was one of the founders of Colorado Venture Management, Inc., in 1980. In 1988, he returned to the University of Colorado to serve in a number of high-level positions, including: Director, Master of Engineering in Engineering Management Program; Managing Director, Optoelectronic Computing Systems Center; and Professor Adjunct, Engineering Management. Merc currently sits on the Board of Directors of several private companies, is the president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Foundation, and is a director of the Boulder Innovation Center. His list of civic activities includes a former stint as a Boulder City Councilman, a member of the Boulder City Planning Board, and as co-chairman of the Boulder Housing Authority.

Merri Sanchez

Dr. Merri Sanchez has over 25 years experience as a NASA engineer and manager. She is assigned as the NASA Liaison to the Air Force Space Command and the Northern Command where she represents NASA-wide interests. Most recently, Merri served as the NASA Liaison to the DoD Operationally Responsive Space Office where she was the Field Support Division Chief and Program Manager of the first ORS mission satellite, Jumpstart. Previously, she was a NASA Increment Manager for the International Space Station Program, where she managed three crewed increments on ISS and was responsible for the definition and management of program requirements and objectives to be accomplished on orbit, negotiating these requirements with the international partners, and international coordination of vehicles visiting the ISS; she was also the Deputy Project Manager for the X-38 spacecraft.

Merri earned a B.S. in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University, an M.M.E. in mechanical engineering from University of Houston (UH), an M.S. in physical sciences (planetary geology) from UH-Clear Lake, and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering (human factors) from UH. Merri is an AIAA Fellow and serves on the AIAA Board of Directors as Vice President, Education.

Mark N. Sirangelo

Mark Sirangelo is currently Executive Vice President of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), responsible for the company’s Space System Group and also is Chairman of the SNC Space System Board.  From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Sirangelo was CEO and Chairman of  SpaceDev ,Incorporated, which was acquired by SNC in December of 2008.   Prior to his tenure at SpaceDev, Mr. Sirangelo was the managing member and Chief Executive Officer of The Quanstar Group, LLC, an advanced technology development organization.  Earlier he founded and managed two leading communications companies.  Among his memberships, Mr. Sirangelo is a board member of the California Space Authority and Vice Chairman of the Space Flight Federation.  He has a Bachelor's degree in science, a Master's degree in business, and Juris Doctorate and served as an officer in the US military.

George Sowers

Dr. George F. Sowers is vice president of Business Development for United Launch Alliance (ULA) headquartered in Denver, Colorado. He is responsible for strategic planning, advanced technology development, advanced concept development and new business acquisition efforts.

Before joining ULA, Dr. Sowers was director of Business Development & Advanced Programs for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Space Transportation line of business located in Denver, Colorado.

Dr. Sowers previously served as director of Mission Integration for the Atlas launch vehicle program. In this role, he was responsible for all activities to integrate and fly satellites on Atlas launch vehicles. This included interface requirements development, mission design, dynamics and systems analysis and flight software development.

M. Scott Trimboli

Dr. Trimboli is the Director of the Center for Space Studies (CSS), National Institute of Science, Space and Security Centers (NISSSC), at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS). The Center promotes space through research, education and outreach with a focus on military space. In addition to his role as CSS director, Dr. Trimboli serves as Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science where he directs masters degree programs in Space Operations, Systems Engineering and Engineering Management; he also teaches advanced courses in control theory within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr. Trimboli held various positions in both the commercial and defense industry before joining the staff of UCCS in 2007. His industry experience includes positions with two commercial software companies where he worked as a director of product strategy and then as program manager for a cutting edge information fusion and data visualization system. He received his M.S from Columbia University and Ph.D. from Oxford University; current research interests include multivariable robust control, model predictive control, and information fusion.