2024 Conference
2024 Keystone Space Conference | October 28-29 | Omni William Penn Hotel
This year’s conference theme, “Building a Tri-State Space Strategy,” will unite the unique strengths and opportunities of the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia region. The event will bring together key stakeholders in space industry development, research and development, advocacy, and workforce innovation.
Attendees will include leading figures from the Tri-State’s burgeoning space sector, influential federal, state, and local legislators, and top decision-makers from NASA and the Department of Defense. This gathering aims to foster collaboration and drive forward a unified strategy for advancing the region’s role in the national and global space landscape.
We are pleased to share a preliminary agenda that covers a wide variety of topics and offers ample time to network. Check out what we have in store!
Monday, October 28, 2024
|
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel |
Registration Check-In
|
|
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Urban Room |
Exhibit Hall
Software Design Solutions Interested in becoming an Exhibitor? Check out our sponsorship and exhibition opportunities here. |
| 1:00 PM – 1:15 PM Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Welcome Remarks |
|
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Call to Action Keynote |
|
1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
CBRE Fireside Chat |
|
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Urban Room |
Networking Break & Exhibitor Showcase |
|
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Panel Discussion: Planning for the Future of Advanced Technologies |
|
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Panel Discussion: Off-Planet Infrastructure (sponsored by Astrobotic) |
|
5:00 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Closing Remarks |
|
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Urban Room |
Exhibit Hall Happy Hour (sponsored by Blue Origin) |
|
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Speakeasy |
VIP Networking Reception (by invitation only) |
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
| 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM Omni William Penn Hotel |
Registration Check-In
|
| 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM Omni William Penn Hotel | Urban Room |
Continental Breakfast
|
|
8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Urban Room |
Exhibit Hall
Software Design Solutions Interested in becoming an Exhibitor? Check out our sponsorship and exhibition opportunities here. |
| 8:00 AM – 8:20 AM Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Welcome Remarks
Justine Kasznica, Board Chair and Founder, Keystone Space Collaborative |
|
8:20 AM – 8:30 AM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Welcome Remarks Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
|
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
NASA Keynote James Free, Associate Administrator, NASA (virtual) |
| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
NASA Regional Centers Fireside Chat
Dr. John Horack, Professor and Neil Armstrong Chair in Aerospace, The Ohio State University
Dr. James Kenyon, Center Director, NASA Glenn Research Center
Wes Deadrick, Director, NASA Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility
Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, Center Director, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
|
| 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Omni William Penn Hotel | Urban Room |
Networking Break & Exhibitor Showcase
|
|
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Panel Discussion: Upskilling for the Space Economy Dr. Robert Cunningham, Vice Chancellor for Research Infrastructure, University of Pittsburgh Dr. Quintin Bullock, President, Community College of Allegheny County Christopher Allen, COO, Nova Space Jonathan McCallister, Senior Director & Transformation Architect, SAIC Scott Rotruck, Vice President of External Relations, Vertx Partners Lelia Broughton, Director of Workforce Innovation, Pittsburgh Technology Council |
| 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Keystone Space Innovation Challenge Update
Cynthia Bouthot, President, Space Commerce Matters Dr. Jonathan Volk, Board Member, Keystone Space Collaborative Ven Raju, President & CEO, Innovation Works Jennifer Leinbach, Executive Director, PA Department of Community & Economic Development |
|
12:15 PM – 1:30 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Lunch and Keynote Address (sponsored by Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development) Dr. Robert Behnken, Former NASA Astronaut, Director of Technology Acceleration, Lockheed Martin |
|
1:30 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Video Remarks Representative Matthew Cartwright, Pennsylvania’s 8th District |
|
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Panel Discussion: Why This Region?
Moore Capito, Former West Virginia Delegate, Shareholder, Babst Calland
Phil Hahn, Chief Strategy Officer, AFWERX and SpaceWERX Dr. Simon Evetts, Research & Development Director, Blue Abyss Jeffrey Box, President & CEO, NEPA Alliance Representative Adam Holmes, Ohio’s 97th District Jeremiah Leiter, CEO & Co-Founder, Acoustic Research Systems |
| 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM Omni William Penn Hotel | Urban Room |
Networking Break & Exhibitor Showcase |
| 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Panel Discussion: Regional Space Research and Development Dr. John Sankovic, President, Ohio Aerospace Institute Dr. Afshin Beheshti, Director, Space Biomedicine Program, University of Pittsburgh Prof. Charles Doarn, Director, Armstrong Institute for Space, Technology and Research, University of Cincinnati Dr. John Horack, Professor and Neil Armstrong Chair in Aerospace, Ohio State University Dr. Melanie Page, Associate Vice President for Creative and Scholarly Activities, West Virginia University Dr. Meenal Datta, Assistant Professor, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame |
| 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Afternoon Keynote Dr. Jimyse Brown, Executive Director, Moonshot Museum John Thornton, CEO, Astrobotic |
| 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM Omni William Penn Hotel | Grand Ballroom |
Closing Remarks Jason Brown, Henry Buhl, Jr., Director, Carnegie Science Center Zoë Karabinus, Program Director, Keystone Space Collaborative |
| 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Carnegie Science Center | Mars Exhibit The Planetarium Show will begin at 6:00 PM. |
Closing Reception (sponsored by Pittsburgh Regional Alliance) Evening Cocktail Reception at the Carnegie Science Center highlighting the “Mars: The Next Giant Leap” exhibit and the Buhl Planetarium & Observatory, accompanied by light hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and engaging conversation with regional space ecosystem participants. |
2024 Speakers
Christopher Allen
Nova Space
Brian Barritt
Aalyria
Maj Gen (Ret.) Mark Bartman
Parallax Advanced Research
Dr. Afshin Beheshti
University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Robert Behnken
Lockheed Martin
Ryan Blinn
Westinghouse
Cynthia Bouthot
Space Commerce Matters
Jeffrey Box
NEPA Alliance
Lelia Broughton
Pittsburgh Technology Council
Jason Brown
Carnegie Science Center
Dr. Jimyse Brown
Moonshot Museum
Dr. Quintin Bullock
Community College of Allegheny County
Moore Capito
Babst Calland
Senator Shelley Moore Capito
United States Senate
Representative Matthew Cartwright (virtual)
Pennsylvania's 8th District
Dr. Howie Choset
Carnegie Mellon University
Jacki Cortese
Blue Origin
Dr. Robert Cunningham
University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Meenal Datta
University of Notre Dame
Lt. Governor Austin Davis
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Wes Deadrick
NASA Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility
Representative Chris Deluzio
Pennsylvania's 17th District
Prof. Charles Doarn
University of Cincinnati
Stephanie Eftimiades
Ansys Government Initiatives
Dr. Simon Evetts
Blue Abyss
James Free
NASA
Phil Hahn
AFWERX & SpaceWERX
Representative Adam Holmes
Ohio's 97th District
Dr. John Horack
The Ohio State University
Patty Horvatich
Allegheny Conference on Community Development
Secretary Akbar Hossain
Policy and Planning for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Dr. Christie Iacomini
Lockheed Martin
Michael Johanson
Voyager Space (ZIN Technologies, Inc.)
Brian Joseph
Touchstone Research Laboratory
Zoë Karabinus
Keystone Space Collaborative
Justine Kasznica
Keystone Space Collaborative
Dr. James Kenyon
NASA Glenn Research Center
Dr. Makenzie Lystrup
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Jennifer Leinbach
PA Department of Community & Economic Development
Jeremiah Leiter
Acoustic Research Systems
Jonathan McCallister
SAIC
Bryan Muzyka
Advanced Cooling Technologies
Dr. Melanie Page
West Virginia University
Lindsay Papsidero
Astrobotic
Ven Raju
Innovation Works
Scott Rotruck
Vertx Partners
Dr. John Sankovic
Ohio Aerospace Institute
Michael Stuart
CBRE
John Thornton
Astrobotic
Clayton Turner
NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate
Dr. Jonathan Volk
Keystone Space Collaborative
Dr. Scott Zemerick
TMC Technologies
2024 Conference Sponsors
