Mr. Charles F. Bolden

Mr. Charles F. Bolden is a former NASA Administrator under President Obama. During his tenure, NASA initiated and developed the Commercial Cargo and Commercial Crew programs, beginning the current era of commercialization in space. He oversaw the agency’s transition from 30 years of Space Shuttle missions to a focus on full utilization of the International Space Station and established the Space Technology Mission Directorate to develop next-generation technologies for future space missions. Prior to this, he served a 34-year career with the Marine Corps as a Naval Aviator. In the Marine Corps, Bolden flew more than 100 combat missions while stationed in Thailand. He subsequently joined NASA’s Astronaut Office where his roles included Safety Officer, Chief of the Safety Division, and lead astronaut for vehicle test and checkout. He traveled to space four times aboard the Space Shuttle. His flights included deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint U.S.-Russian shuttle mission, which featured a cosmonaut as a member of his crew. Bolden serves today as the CEO of the Charles F. Bolden Group, specializing in space/aerospace exploration, national security, leadership, education (STEM+AD) and health initiatives. He has a B.S. in Electrical Science from the U.S. Naval Academy and M.S. in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.