Will Assume His New Role May 15
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce
that Rear Admiral Craig E. Steidle (U.S. Navy, Ret.) has been named
as President, effective May 15. Admiral Steidle was approved for
the position by a unanimous vote of the Commercial Spaceflight
Federation's board of directors and will serve full-time in this
capacity working from the organization's headquarters in downtown
Washington, D.C.
Retired Admiral Craig Steidle
Admiral Steidle has a long and distinguished track record in
aerospace as a former senior NASA official, flag officer, program
manager, aerospace engineer, Naval aviator and combat veteran, and
technology innovator. At NASA, Adm. Steidle served as the first
Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems, one of the most
senior positions in the agency. In 2004 and 2005, Adm. Steidle
built the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate from the ground
up into a $3 billion a year organization, personally initiating
several innovative programs including efforts to foster commercial
space transportation to the International Space Station, the
Centennial Challenges prize program, and a far-ranging program of
advanced technology development.
During his tenure at the Navy, Admiral Steidle became most well
known for serving in the mid 1990's as Director of the Joint Strike
Fighter Program - the single largest Department of Defense
development program in history. As program manager, he implemented
the innovative "fly-off" competition between the X-32 and X-35
prototype aircraft. Under his command, the Joint Strike Fighter
Program was awarded the David Packard Excellence in Acquisition
Award. Adm. Steidle also commanded the Navy's F/A-18 Program, naval
aviation's largest production, research and development program, as
well as the largest foreign military sales program, and the
Secretary of Defense presented Steidle with the Navy's Outstanding
Program Manager Award. Earlier in his career, Adm. Steidle flew
carrier night combat missions as an attack pilot during the Vietnam
War and has served as a test pilot and test pilot instructor. A
graduate with merit as an aerospace engineer from the U.S. Naval
Academy in Annapolis, Md., Adm. Steidle also has M.S. degrees in
aerospace engineering and aeronautical systems management from
Virginia Tech and the University of Southern California,
respectively. Adm. Steidle is currently a distinguished visiting
professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, and serves as a consultant to
the Department of Defense.
Bretton Alexander
Admiral Steidle will succeed Bretton Alexander, who has served
as the President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation since
December of 2006. Alexander stated, "We are incredibly fortunate to
have someone of Admiral Steidle's caliber able to devote his
full-time attention to our organization. It's been a delight to
serve the Commercial Spaceflight Federation as President these last
four years, during what has truly been a time of dramatic change
for the space industry. Commercial spaceflight is now the law of
the land and will be the primary way NASA gets astronauts to and
from the International Space Station. This robust partnership
between NASA and U.S. industry will transform human spaceflight,
providing the opportunity for all people - not just government
astronauts - to one day travel into space. Membership in the
Federation has grown from under 10 companies when I joined to over
40 now, providing a strong foundation for our members to work
together to open spaceflight to all. Admiral Steidle's vision for
commercial spaceflight while at NASA convinced me then that this
was truly the space program of the future, and I can think of no
better person to lead this effort moving forward."
"We could not have found a more qualified candidate to lead the
Commercial Spaceflight Federation than Admiral Steidle," said Eric
Anderson, Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and CEO
of Space Adventures, Ltd. "He is a true visionary who knows that
commercial spaceflight is the key to unlocking humanity's future in
space, and he is a proven manager and engineer who understands what
is necessary to make our dream of becoming a true space-faring
people a reality. Bretton Alexander has done an outstanding job
leading the organization during a critical period of dramatic
industry and policy changes, operating under very limited
resources, and we look forward to building on his record of
success."
"It is an honor to be selected as President of the Commercial
Spaceflight Federation," said Admiral Steidle. "The commercial
space industry truly represents the future of America in space, and
I'm excited to be a part of it. This industry is inspiring kids,
keeping America economically competitive, creating thousands of
jobs, and ensuring our leadership in space. It is a privilege to
lead the Federation as we embark on the grandest adventure of the
21st century: opening up space to everyone."
"The commercial spaceflight industry encapsulates all that is
best about American entrepreneurship - the Wright Brothers' can-do
attitude, Thomas Edison's penchant for innovation, the job creation
fostered by a Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, and the youthful excitement
of Google and Facebook," Steidle added. "America badly needs
commercial spaceflight to succeed. What could be more motivating to
our nation's youth than a good-news story about job creation,
entrepreneurship, inspiration, and old-fashioned can-do
spirit?"