Symposium Speakers

Dr. Kimberly Brush, Chief of Staff at NASA Langley Research Center, ensures alignment of messaging, change management, and team-building initiatives with Center strategy while supporting the Director. Starting as a special education teacher in 1996, she joined Langley in 2012 as a Co-op Intern, with her research on internships forming the basis of her dissertation. She later served as STEM Engagement Coordinator and Director of STEM Engagement, championing DEIA initiatives, creating education programs, and fostering community in hybrid environments. Named Chief of Staff in 2023, Dr. Brush remains dedicated to workforce development and is pursuing certification in Executive Coaching.

Dr. Eileen K. Stansbery, Chief Scientist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Chief of the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division, oversees a team of over 300 employees managing NASA’s extraterrestrial samples, the Orbital Debris Program, and planetary surface research. She earned her doctorate in Space Physics from Rice University and a bachelor’s in mathematics and physics from Houston Baptist University. Previously, she served as JSC Deputy Director for Exploration Integration and Science and as NASA’s Acting Deputy Chief Scientist, advising senior leadership and the Executive Office of the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy. A critical contributor to the Genesis Mission, she led efforts to recover scientific data after a sample capsule crash. Recognized with numerous honors, including NASA’s Distinguished Service Medal and the AAS Carl Sagan Memorial Award, Dr. Stansbery drives advancements in human and robotic exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

James Ainsworth is the Vice President of Engineering Services for Collier Aerospace – HyperX Software. He earned his B.S. in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University and received an NC Space Grant research scholarship during his studies there.

Since joining the company in 2009, Ainsworth has focused his structural engineering career on performing analytical trade studies and has developed analytical solutions for many aerospace and space launch companies, including NASA, Blue Origin, SpaceX, TSC, Bell, Bombardier, Boeing, Gulfstream, Embraer and many others. Ainsworth has authored and presented several technical papers and provided many training courses focused on structural engineering for metal and composite airframes. In 2013, Ainsworth received the NASA NESC Engineering Excellence Award for his work on the Orion crew capsule.

Since 2016, Ainsworth has managed a team of engineers that perform certification analysis on aircraft and spacecraft structures. In 2021, Collier Aerospace opened an engineering office in Raleigh, North Carolina, for which Ainsworth is the managing director.

Jeff Mobley is the Sr. Chief Engineer for Spacecraft Systems at Sierra Space where he provides technical oversight on strategy, proposals, design execution, milestone reviews, and failure resolution. He has 31 years of experience related to design, development, fabrication and testing of electro-mechanical systems, including 26 years in the Space industry.

He received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and in 2021 was inducted into the NCSU Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Hall of Fame. He has previously served on the technical advisory board of the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) Aerospace Gearing Committee as a Space Industry gearing expert.

His projects have included mechanisms in support of space programs such as Mars Perseverance Rover, Mars Curiosity Rover, Global Precipitation Measurement, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Solar Dynamics Observatory, Mars Phoenix Lander, the Sierra Space Dream Chaser™ spaceplane, and multiple Defense satellites. These custom designed products perform functions such as antenna pointing, solar array positioning, robotic arm articulation, flight surface control, wing folding, camera pointing, and descent braking.
Jeff has authored and presented multiple technical papers for the Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium. He is a co-author on U.S. Patent, #6667564 “Mechanically-Commutated DC Motor”.

Jamie Coker has worked for Sierra Space for 17 years as a Program Manager and Director of Programs, managing the Motion Systems Technology program portfolio. Sierra Space primary responsibilities include: directing all phases of programs from inception through completion; managing cost, schedule and technical performance of programs; serving as the primary interface for customers; developing new business; and supervising the Program Management Office (PMO) team.

Jamie has 27 years of experience in program management including 10 years serving in the US Air Force as a Developmental Engineer and Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR). While in the Air Force, Jamie was assigned to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Communications Technology Division, serving as Deputy Division Chief and COTR for a portfolio of communications R&D projects. Previous to that, Jamie was assigned to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Sensors Directorate, serving as team leader, managing a portfolio of Precision Navigation & Timing (PNT) programs including GPS anti-jam, precision timing, and emitter geolocation. Jamie holds an MSEE degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), a BSEE degree from North Carolina State University, and an MBA from Oklahoma City University.

Bridget Simmons graduated from High Point University, where she majored in Human Relations. Bridget currently serves at Machine Specialties, LLC’s as an HR Leader. In this role she is responsible for recruiting, hiring and retaining top tier talent necessary for MSI to support its customers requirements. MSI is a precision manufacturing firm, in business since 1969, serving the Aerospace, Defense and Space industries. With its multi-site operation, it provides turn-key solutions for its partners complex requirements. MSI is fortunate to be strategic partners with key Aerospace & Space OEM’s and support on many successful platforms that are actively flying around the world.

Rafael Loureiro is a Botany and Plant Physiology Associate Professor at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), specializing in plant stress physiology. He received his Master’s and Ph.D. from Brazil’s National School of Tropical Botany, where he gained extensive experience in controlled environment crop science and plant ecophysiology. Dr. Loureiro’s research currently focuses on analyzing phytohormonal data and microbial-plant interactions to reduce stress and assess the viability of in situ resources for growing crops on the Moon and Mars. Dr. Loureiro has also established the first space act agreement between WSSU and NASA’s crop production team at Kennedy Space Center. Through this agreement, students from MSI/HBCU have the opportunity to collaborate with NASA scientists and participate in NASA research.

A’nya Buckner is a Biology major and a Chemistry minor at Winston-Salem State University. She was awarded a NC Space Grant STEM Bridge scholar (2023-2024) and an Undergraduate Research Scholar (2024-2025). The core of her research involves comparing the growth, stress responses, and phytohormonal balances of wild-type Arabidopsis alongside iron-resistant and aluminum-resistant mutants when grown in lunar and Martian regolith simulants against the control of regular soil. A’nya is pursuing a career as a physician and will continue to work as an emergency medical technician during her gap year in medical school.

Sarah Lang is a Biology major and a Psychology and Criminal Justice minor at Winston-Salem State University. She was awarded a NC Space Grant STEM Bridge Scholarship (2022-2023) and an Undergraduate Research Scholarship (2023-2024). Her research focuses on identifying the genetic pathways responsible for the root architecture of crops grown in Lunar regolith to increase crop yield and reduce water consumption in situ. Sarah will continue her academic work as a Master’s student at the Florida Institute of Technology’s Cell and Molecular Biology program under Dr. Andrew Palmer.

Michael Rice was born and raised in North Carolina. He has worked in satellite mission operations for over 20 years. Michael received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and later earned a M.S. degree in Technology Systems from East Carolina University. He began his career as a Space Systems officer in the U.S. Air Force, working with the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. After a four-year stint in the military, he became a contractor at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD.

Michael has worked with a myriad of different unmanned space programs, including the Relay Mirror Experiment (RME), NASA Small Explorers Program (SMEX), Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Landsat-7, and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), to name a few. He has worked in all phases of the spacecraft mission lifecycle, from pre-launch requirements development, integration and test (I&T), Launch and Early Orbit (LEO), and normal mission operations. Currently, Michael works as a contractor for KBR in their Science & Space Business Development unit, as a senior technical writer.

Aurora’s dissertation research focuses on plant adaptation to spaceflight.  In support of this research, she received two NC Space Grant fellowships for projects focused on plant response to simulated microgravity and the effects of spaceflight-isolated microbes on plant growth.  As part of her PhD, she has gained several years experience as a teaching assistant for general botany and plant molecular biology lab classes.  Previously, Aurora received a BS in Biology with a focus on Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a MS in Entomology from the University of Tennessee.  Her MS research focused on the community ecology of urban ants and the nesting behavior of the pest ant species Tapinoma sessile. Prior to returning to grad school for her PhD, she worked for a couple years on an organic farm and several more as a research associate in an agricultural entomology lab.  In the latter role, she supported research on pests and beneficial insects associated with North Carolina specialty crops.  

Aurora is an avid supporter of science communication and outreach.  She blogs about entomology and gardening at The Biologists Garden and space biology at Sprouts in Space. She coordinates outreach events for the North Carolina Entomological Society, the Orange County Radio Amateurs, and (from 2021-2024) the NCSU Biology Maker Group.  Her volunteer work as a middle school First Lego League coach is what originally inspired her to pursue space biology.  Upon graduating, she hopes to find work where she can do meaningful research related to plants and microbes, continue formal or informal science teaching, and remain engaged with the space biology community.

Olivia Scott is an Aerospace Structural Engineer for Collier Aerospace. She earned her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University and received a NC Space Grant sponsored internship during her collegiate career.
 
Olivia joined the company in 2022 as a NC Space Grant career intern, where she began her structural engineering career focusing on traditional analytical structural analysis and working with the commercial space and military aviation industries. Following the internship, she transitioned into a full-time position in 2023, further deepening her expertise in evaluating and optimizing aerospace structures. With a deep understanding of the industry’s technical challenges and practical applications, Olivia brings valuable insight to projects requiring rigorous evaluation of structural integrity and performance.