Our Team

We are a world-class team of proven disruptors and innovators working tirelessly to set the foundation for a sustainable space economy.

Voyager Leadership Team

Dylan Taylor

Dylan Taylor is a global business leader, thought leader, commercial astronaut and philanthropist. A vanguard in the NewSpace sector, Taylor has been cited by Harvard University, SpaceNews, the BBC, CNBC, CNN and others as having played a seminal role in the growth of the private space industry. He is also widely considered the most active private space investor in the world.

As the Chairman and CEO of Voyager Space, Dylan Taylor’s influence drives much of the innovation and advancement of the space industry. However, his influence doesn’t end there. His philanthropic impact in the industry began as the founder of the nonprofit and social movement, Space for Humanity, which seeks to democratize space exploration and develop solutions to global issues through the scope of human awareness to help solve the world’s most intractable problems. Dylan is also the Co-Founding Patron of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, which promotes the growth of commercial space activity. Additionally, Dylan serves as a strategic advisor for both the Archmission and the Human Spaceflight Program. He is also a leading benefactor to the Brooke Owens Fellowship, Patti Grace Smith Fellowship and Mission: Astro Access.

Dylan’s technical background and passion for the space industry makes him not only one of the leading experts, but also a unique figure within the industry due to his own personal spaceflight experience. On December 11th, 2021, Dylan became just the 606th human to go to space as part of the crew of Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission 19. Dylan consequently earned his commercial astronaut wings with the FAA.

Dylan’s passion has also primed him as a leading advocate of space manufacturing and the utilization of in-space resources to further space exploration and settlement. In 2017 he became the first private citizen to manufacture an item in space when the gravity meter he co-designed and commissioned was 3D printed on the International Space Station. The historic item is now housed in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

As a thought leader and futurist, Taylor has written several widely read pieces on the future of the space industry for Forbes, FastCompany, SpaceNews, Newsweek, The Space Review, and Space.com. As a speaker, Dylan has keynoted many of the major space conferences around the world and has appeared regularly on Bloomberg, Fox Business, and CNBC.

As a global business leader Dylan has been Fortune 1000 executive in several industries including advanced electronics, finance and real estate serving in the roles of CEO, President and Board Director for multinational companies including Prudential plc, Honeywell, UMB Bank, Colliers and Jones Lang LaSalle. He has had P&L responsibility in excess of $2B with 15,000+ employees in 60+ countries.

For his influence as a global leader and his commitment to creating a positive impact on the world, the World Economic Forum recognized Dylan as a Young Global Leader in 2011 and later named him as a full member of the Forum and a Governor of the Space cohort. In addition, Dylan is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and in 2020, Dylan was recognized by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation with their top honor for business and finance, following in the footsteps of 2019’s inaugural winner, the late Paul Allen.

Dylan Taylor earned his MBA in Finance and Strategy from the Booth School of Business at University of Chicago and holds a BS in Engineering from the honors college at the University of Arizona, where he graduated Tau Beta Pi and in 2018 was named Alumnus of the year. In 2013, he attended the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century program at Harvard University.

Full bio available at www.dylantaylor.org.

 

Matthew J. Kuta

Matthew Kuta is the Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer of Voyager Space. He was also the founding Executive Director for Space for Humanity, a non-profit organization that will send diverse passengers into orbit on commercial space vehicles. Prior to co-founding Voyager Space, Matthew was a key member of the private equity investment team at Goldman Sachs in New York City. Matthew started his private sector career focusing on middle market private equity at Plexus Capital in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Matthew Kuta is also an accomplished leader with global experience. As a former military officer, he has led large multi-national teams in very high-stakes initiatives as an F-15E fighter pilot. He has been recognized for multiple professional accolades to include the Jabara Award, awarded to the top U.S. Air Force Academy alumni for contributions to aviation. He is also a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest medal solely for aviation in the U.S. military that can be awarded in combat.

Matthew holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He is on the Board of Directors of Voyager Space, XO Markets, the United States Air Force Academy Endowment, and Space for Humanity. He is also a Member for the Council on Foreign Relations. Matthew resides in Denver with his wife and two daughters.

Abby Dickes

Abby Dickes is the Executive Vice President of Marketing for Voyager Space. In this role, she is responsible for building and managing Voyager’s marketing, corporate communications, and brand strategy, and providing leadership and coordination across the Voyager enterprise.

Prior to joining Voyager, Abby was the U.S. Government Marketing & Communications Manager at Maxar Technologies, supporting the civil and national security space infrastructure portfolio. She marketed key technologies, capabilities and programs to critical government customers and supported corporate public relations and event strategy.

She also previously served as the Director of Marketing, Communications and Special Events for Nanoracks LLC, now a Voyager company. While at Nanoracks, a leading provider of commercial space systems and services, she oversaw all corporate communications and marketing campaigns, managed public relations, supported commercial business development efforts and public policy strategy, and directed executive engagements. Abby earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics and a Minor in Astronomy from the University of Maryland, College Park, and currently lives in Washington, DC.

Clay Mowry

Clay Mowry has worked for over 25 years in the commercial launch and satellite sectors serving in government, as the leader of an industry trade association and as a senior executive for leading space companies.

Mr. Mowry joined Voyager Space in January 2022 as Chief Revenue Officer. He is responsible for growing sales, aligning operating company product/service offerings, developing analytics, setting strategy, and delivering customer success.

He previously served for five years as Vice President for Global Sales at Blue Origin. His mission was to provide commercial and government customers with safe and affordable space transportation services with the reusable New Glenn orbital and New Shepard suborbital launch vehicles.

Mr. Mowry worked for 15 years as the President and Chairman of Arianespace, Inc. As the head of the Arianespace’s U.S. subsidiary, he was responsible for managing the company’s sales, marketing, strategy, government relations, and communications activities.

Before joining Arianespace, Mr. Mowry served as the founding Executive Director of the Satellite Industry Association, a non-profit alliance of U.S. satellite operators, manufacturers, and ground equipment suppliers.

Prior to his role at SIA, he worked as a space industry analyst, trade negotiator, and Senior International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration.

Clay Mowry received a Master of Business of Administration from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Arts in politics and government from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.

In addition to his work at Voyager, Mr. Mowry is the incoming International Astronautical Federation (IAF) President. He was the former Chair of the IAF Industry Relations Committee, IAF Vice President for Finance, and led the IAC Evolution project to update the Federation’s flagship annual conference.

He currently serves on the advisory boards of Via Satellite magazine and the Space Generation Advisory Council. Mr. Mowry is also the founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Future Space Leaders Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the career development of next generation space and satellite industry professionals.

Eric Stallmer

Eric Stallmer is the Executive Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy for Voyager Space Holdings Inc. Eric leads Voyager’s Washington D.C. office and is responsible for representing the interests of Voyager to key government institutions including Congress, the White House and several federal agencies that impact the success of Voyager and its subsidiaries.

Prior to joining Voyager he was the President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. CSF is the most recognized and largest trade organization dedicated to promoting policies and best practices fostering the development of the commercial spaceflight industry. Under Stallmer’s leadership, CSF worked tirelessly to craft the modern Commercial Space Launch Act, as well as to promote innovation as a national policy to spur the economy and create high technology jobs.

Eric serves on both the Defense Innovation Board, Space Advisory Committee as well as the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC). While at CSF, Eric was appointed to the National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group (UAG) where he sits on the Executive Committee and serves as the Co-Chair of the Economic Development and Industrial Base Subcommittee. He also served as the co-chair of the Federal Aviation Administration Airspace Integration Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) and was a member of the Space Launch and Reentry ARC, and the Spaceport ARC.

Eric has testified several times to Congress, before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the Senate Commerce Committee and the National Space Council. During these testimonies, he has encouraged Congress to support policies that will facilitate growth and innovation in the industry and maintain the American space sector’s competitive leadership.

As a thought leader in the space industry, Eric has served on numerous industry affiliated boards including the Future Space Leaders Foundation and is former Chairman of the Washington Space Business Roundtable. His professional comments have been featured in The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, SpaceNews, and many more.

Before working at CSF, Eric served as the Vice President of Government Relations at Analytical Graphics Inc. (AGI). Stallmer joined AGI in 2002; while there, Eric oversaw all Washington Operations and represented AGI’s commercial off-the-shelf products and technology to defense, intelligence, Congress, and civil government sectors within the aerospace industry.

Eric came to AGI from The Space Transportation Association (STA), a non-profit, industry trade organization providing government representation to companies with a vested interest in the U.S space launch industry. Prior to that, Stallmer worked on Capitol Hill in the office of then Congressman Tom Coburn.

For almost three decades, Stallmer has served as an officer in the United States Army and Army Reserves. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service while engaged in combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is currently assigned, as a reservist, to the Pentagon in the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff Army for Logistics, G-4.

Eric earned a Master of Arts Degree in Public Administration from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and History from Mount Saint Mary College. He and his wife Amy live in McLean, Virginia with their three children, Charlie, Billy and Catherine.

Jeffrey Manber

Jeffrey Manber is President of International and Space Stations at Voyager Space. He also serves as Chairman of the Board for Nanoracks.

Jeffrey is the Co-Founder and first employee of Nanoracks. He served as the Chief Executive Officer from 2009 until 2021 where he broke barriers for access to space and oversaw the growth of numerous commercial International Space Station programs. Jeffrey also directed the development of the Bishop Airlock, the first and only commercial airlock on the space station.

As the only American to ever work officially for the Russian space program, Mr. Manber served as Managing Director of Energia USA, the American arm of RSC Energia. In 1991, he negotiated and executed the first commercial contract between NASA and the NPO Energia in the Soviet Union to use the Soyuz crewed capsule as an escape vehicle for Space Station Freedom. Later, Mr. Manber represented the Energia in contract negotiations to construct and operate the International Space Station.

As CEO of MirCorp, he leased the Russian space station “Mir” and oversaw the first ever commercially funded 70-day crewed mission. His experience developing the business base for Mir and on the International Space Station, paved the way Nanoracks to grow into a commercial space station company.

Jeffrey also co-developed the first fund dedicated to commercial space on Wall Street with Shearson Lehman. He has served as an advisor to numerous space companies and governments. The author of three books, his second Selling Peace, chronicles his time working with the Russian space program. In 2012, Jeffrey was awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal and the Space Frontier Foundation’s 2017 Pioneer of New Space Award.

Jennifer Hiatt

Jennifer is the Chief of Staff for Voyager Space and previously served as its Director of Operations. She joined the company during its inception in 2019. In her current role, Jennifer is responsible for special projects, continuous organizational improvement, and overall coordination and communication across the enterprise.

Prior to joining Voyager, Jennifer worked in the commercial real estate industry providing high level executive support and organizational leadership in the CEO’s office. She was responsible for strategic management of CEO priorities and commitments, implementing workflow policies and procedures, and communications across the executive team.

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Western Washington University. She is currently based at the Voyager headquarters in Denver and enjoys skiing, hiking and exploring the mountains of Colorado.

Phil De Sousa

Phil De Sousa joined Voyager in October 2022 as Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for Voyager’s global financial management and accounting organization. As Voyager accelerates toward its strategic ambitions and growth goals, Mr. De Sousa will be critical in leading the company’s financing, investor relations, M&A and business development transactions.

As a seasoned financial executive and leader, Mr. De Sousa has led large finance organizations and brings more than 20 years capital markets experience. He is skilled at identifying performance challenges and formulating financial measurements and infrastructure to provide critical insights on profitability and cash flow to stakeholders.

He previously served as Chief Financial Officer at Transamerican Auto Parts, a business unit within Polaris Inc. (“Polaris”), a Fortune 500 company. Mr. De Sousa led all aspects of financial reporting, budgeting, strategic investment, capital management, and financial performance in Polaris’ largest finance and accounting organization. This included $3B+ for operations finance in manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, and engineering activities.

Prior to joining Polaris, Mr. De Sousa spent six years as Vice President, Director of Investor Relations at Xylem Inc, a $5B industry leading water technology manufacturer, leading it’s spin-off from ITT Corporation (“ITT”) and building a global investor relations program from inception.

Prior to Xylem’s spin-off from ITT, Mr. De Sousa served as the Manager, Financial Reporting, Planning & Analysis, managing combined segment revenues of $5 billion. He oversaw corporate and regulatory financial reporting for the $11 billion global high technology, engineering and industrial manufacturing company, serving as an integral contributor to the three-way spin-off of Xylem Inc., Exelis and remainco ITT Corp. He also worked for Arthur Andersen LLP and is a New York State licensed CPA.

Mr. De Sousa holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Business Administration both from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York.

Thomas E. Ayres

Tom is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Voyager Space. He is a retired Army major general, having served over 33 years on active duty. Tom is a veteran of multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has extensive litigation experience, and has led large legal teams, to include being the Deputy leader of the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

In civilian life, Tom was a CEO and consultant and earlier was selected by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the 20th General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. In that role, he was the Chief Legal and Compliance officer for an organization with an annual operating revenue equivalent to a Fortune 20 company. He also led a team to draft and then implement the legislation creating the Space Force, simultaneously becoming the first General Counsel for the U.S. Space Force. 

Tom is a distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He began his military career as an airborne rifle platoon leader in Italy. He earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Law.

Voyager Team

Andrew Schnackenberg
Arsen Melconian
Blake Grandsard
Chelsea Sosnowski
Dan Tomanelli
Ethan Haase
Greg Povenski
Keller Seamons
Kristie Wise
Marshall Smith
Meg Vernal
Mike Bowker
Paul Schauer
Rebecca Van Burken
Robert Zubrin
Scott Kennedy
Shay Giles

Shay Giles is the Director of Human Resources at Voyager Space. Prior to joining Voyager, she served as the Director of Operations and Finance at Splash Fiber and the Director of HR & Operations at the Professional Employment Group of Colorado. In these previous roles, she led benefits administration, talent acquisition, employee onboarding and training, maintained internal systems, managed financial accounts, directed office communication, and more. Shay is also an Advisory Council Member of the Women & Girls of Color Fund, part of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado.

Shay’s career started in criminal justice and business before she found her passion for human resources and helping companies develop and implement policies and procedures that cater to the art of employee relations. Shay has master’s degrees in both Business Administration and Human Resource Management, along with a PHR certification. She spends her time away from work with her five amazing children and husband. They love sports, food, and all things Disney.

Yasmine Almond

Meet the rest of our team

Voyager’s team includes over 300 innovators, experienced executives, engineers, and operational leaders.

button image