Suzanne Saltz is a director and first assistant director for television. Prior to making her directorial debut on NCIS: Los Angeles, Suzanne worked her way up on a variety of television shows, including Beverly Hills 90210, JAG, NCIS, Six Feet Under, Bones, Pushing Daisies, and NCIS: Los Angeles. Suzanne received her bachelor degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. After graduation, she was accepted to the Director’s Guild of America Producer Training Plan. Attending Space Camp in August of 1985 was pivotal because Space Camp the movie was being filmed during her time at the Space and Rocket Center. Suzanne is an active member of the Director’s Guild of America, Alliance of Women Directors and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Suzanne has two adult children and resides in Bakersfield, California with her husband and two dogs; they spend their holidays in Bella Vista, Arkansas.

David Hernly, is the CEO of Mythric Studios. He first became interested in simulations during his time at Space Camp. He lives in Newport News, Virginia with his family.

Meghan Predenkoski is a 9 time alumna of Space Camp, Space Academy, and Aviation Challenge MACH II, MACH III, and MACH III Elite (2003-2011). In an effort to keep in touch with the many friends made during the years at Space Camp and Aviation Challenge, Meghan started an unofficial Aviation Challenge Alumni & Friends Facebook page which has grown to include over 600 members. Meghan earned her Bachelor of Science in Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, her Masters of Science in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and her Masters of Business Administration with a focus on Operations Management from the University of Scranton.

Currently living on the Space Coast of Florida, Meghan is a Lead Test Engineer with Blue Origin supporting a Blue Moon lunar lander program. In her spare time, she loves baking for her friends and coworkers, cuddling up with her cat Milo, and experimenting with resin and 3D printing.

As a boy in a small Georgia town, Tim Bailey explored his fascination with space through the pages of the Worldview Encyclopedias. He desperately wanted to go to Space Camp, but his family’s finances couldn’t stretch to send him. After high school, he headed to the Florida Space Coast for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and finally made it to Space Camp. As a Space Camp Florida counselor, he shared his passion for space with kids from all over the world, helping launch his own future in the process. After a couple years at Embry-Riddle, he switched from Engineering Physics to his true calling – space studies and communication. In 2010, he joined with Space Camp Hall of Famer George Whitesides and Space Camp alumna Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides to create Yuri’s Night, a global celebration of space exploration. He served as executive director of that organization with its myriad missions, including Mission AstroAccess to advance disability inclusion in space; the SpaceKind Foundation leadership training program; and Cosmic Odyssey, a scholarship program to send families affected by pediatric cancer to Space Camp. Bailey is now floating in microgravity as Inflight Manager for Zero-G, a company that supplies microgravity flights for astronaut training, scientific research, and public enjoyment.

Michele O’Shaughnessy is a two-time Space Camp program alum and has gone through the Adult Space Academy and Advanced Adult Space Academy programs. Professionally, Michele is an engineer/project and program manager with over twenty-nine years of experience. Ms. O’Shaughnessy has held a wide range of positions in areas such as Program/Project Management, Emergency Management/Preparedness/Response, and Waste Management. She earned her BS in Civil Engineering with an Environmental Focus from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a MS in Environmental Systems Engineering with a Nuclear Focus from Clemson University. Michele was selected and has participated in several NASA Socials including the Parker Solar Probe Mission, State of NASA and Artemis Day. She is an active member of her community and is a Board Director, officer, and member for several non-profit and professional/technical organizations. She is a graduate of the Leadership South Carolina and Leadership Aiken County Programs. Michele lives in Aiken, SC with her two Ragdoll cats.

Cassie Brown is a two-time Space Camp alumna and former Space Camp Crew Trainer, who received the Right Stuff award during her crew trainer training.

She graduated from The University of Tennessee with her Bachelor of Science in Business Management and collateral in Entrepreneurship. She now gets to return to her alma mater for various panel speaking events at the Haslam College of Business.

Cassie lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband. She works at The Trust Company of Tennessee where she oversees the new-hire and systems trainings for client-facing team members at the investment firm. She volunteers with PJ Parkinson’s, a local non-profit that provides assistance for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

Rob Gray is a 1985 alumnus of Space Camp (Level I), a counselor at Aviation Challenge in 1996 and 1997, and was the first dedicated Web Marketing Specialist at the Space & Rocket Center. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Science and Technology in Society and an MBA from the University of Tennessee, a Master of Medical Science (MMS) degree from Nova Southeastern University, and a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree from the University of Lynchburg.

Professionally, he is a practicing Physician Associate in emergency medicine and urgent care in Georgia and Florida, and is the Associate Program Director and Associate Professor in the Doctor of Medical Science program at the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Professor at Nova Southeastern University's PA program in Jacksonville, Florida. One of his highest-rated lectures as an Aviation Challenge counselor was Flight Physiology, but it took him over 15 years to figure out that the subject might make a pretty good career.

Rob is passionate about STEM leadership, disaster response, and global health. He is a Fellow of the International Board of Disaster Medicine (FIBODM), a candidate for Fellow in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, and looks forward to leading students on global health missions and wilderness settings. In the past year, he has taken students to Tanzania, Panama, and Mexico and cared for local residents in hospital and urban environments, from organized medical care to street medicine. He has a background in project management, operations leadership, marketing, and software design. He is an instrument-rated private pilot and has over 15 years of experience in air and ground search and rescue.

He lives in St. Simons Island, Georgia with his wife Jennifer and a rolling average of at least 1.75 beagles in the house at all times. His goal is to do at least one thing every day to make Sergeant Major Jerry Gleason proud.

Will Hudson grew up in Greensboro, NC and was born June 5th, 1992. Will grew up loving aviation and space, as well as Star Wars and Star Trek. Will attended Aviation Challenge from 2003-2010 starting with Family Camp and going through Mach 3 Elite 12 Day. He attended and graduated from The Citadel in Charleston SC. In 2013 Will moved to Huntsville to work a summer at Aviation Challenge. Fast forward a year and he returned, this time permanently. Will worked from 2013-late 2022 in various roles at Space Camp and Aviation Challenge both as a crew trainer and member of the camp and simulations leadership teams. In 2017 Will married Tosha, who he met while working at Space Camp. In November of 2022 Will left the USSRC for a PAYCOM position at NASA supporting the International Space Station. In October of 2023 he certified as a PAYCOM. While doing this he along side his co-president started and ran the Huntsville chapter for Space Camp Alumni.

Mike Marzano, known by his callsign “MARZ,” attended Space Camp in October 1994 through the adult/child program, an experience that profoundly influenced his career trajectory in aerospace and aviation. During high school, he joined the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet, where he learned to fly gliders and advanced to the grade of Cadet Major. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Aviation from Lewis University while simultaneously obtaining his private pilot’s license. Concurrently, he enlisted in the Illinois Air National Guard’s 169th Airlift Squadron, deploying to Afghanistan and earning the Air Medal for his service. He departed the Illinois Air National Guard in 2015 as a senior-rated aviator on the C-130 aircraft.

Following his departure, Marzano returned to the Civil Air Patrol in various capacities, including as a pilot and squadron commander of the Lake in the Hills Composite Squadron in Illinois. He was later selected as the deputy director of the former Civil Air Patrol Space Command Familiarization Course at Cape Canaveral. Since 2020, he has served as the Illinois Wing’s Director of Aerospace Education, holding the Civil Air Patrol grade of Major. In 2019, he was appointed to the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador program, conducting ongoing public outreach on NASA missions and topics. In 2021, he rejoined the Air National Guard in California at Vandenberg Space Force Base as a senior-rated space systems operator, completing the Space Force’s Space 100 and 200 courses, and continues to serve in this role. In his civilian career, he joined SpaceX in 2022 within the security department, undertaking responsibilities such as escorting spacecraft and hardware, accompanying VIPs, participating in launch Red Teams, and serving as Launch Security Officer. He currently acts as the point of contact for SpaceX UAS flight operations at Kennedy Space Center and remains a rated private pilot with endorsements for high-performance aircraft and spins/acrobatics. In addition to his bachelor’s degree, he holds two Associate of Applied Science degrees from the Community College of the Air Force in Aviation Operations and Air & Space Operations Technology. He is presently pursuing a Master of Science degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the STEM Space Systems program.

Beth Mund is an analog astronaut, science comm advisor, and former NASA Public Affairs Officer for the Johnson Space Center and the International Space Station. Beth currently serves as the Chief Narrative Officer at Stellar Communications where she helps organizations discover, design and deliver inspirational science- based narratives. Beth is the host and creator of the Casual Space Podcast, where she shares her weekly conversations with astronauts, engineers, authors and artists about our future in space exploration, and why it matters.

Jessica Ports Robbins has worked in the field of disaster preparedness and response for 20+ years, currently serving as the Senior Partnerships and Innovation Lead for the Global Disaster Preparedness Center, a reference center established by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and hosted by the American Red Cross. Her areas of expertise include: digital technology and innovation, disaster preparedness, international development, project management, animal welfare, emergency sheltering, qualitative research, early warning systems, volunteer management, and agile methodology. She holds a BA in History from Elon University, an MS in History and Sociology of Technology and Science from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in international development from Tulane University. She is a certified Project Management Professional and serves on both the Advocacy Council for the Louisiana SPCA and as Secretary of the Board of Directors for TMTP Labs, Inc. She lives in New Orleans with her partner Seann, black lab mix Lucy, and a clowder of cats.

Vanessa Rutherford (Hernandez) grew up in San Jose, CA with stories of the space program regularly told around the dinner table from her father, Micky (Aviation Challenge alumni), who supported programs from Mercury to the Space Shuttle during his engineering career. After seeing an ad in a magazine, she finally was sent to Huntsville at the age of 12 and fell in love with camp from day one. She attended Space Camp programs four times in her youth, Space Camp in 1991, Academy Level 1 in 1993, Academy Level 2 in 1995, and Advanced Space Academy in 1997. She even received the Right Stuff award while attending Academy Level 1. She attributes her path to engineering from the experiences at Space Camp, and interacting with the counselors who were majoring in engineering and could speak to the experience.

After graduating from MIT with a degree in Materials Science and Engineering, she returned to camp as an Advanced Space Academy counselor in 2002 before relocating to Santa Clarita, CA, and embedding herself in the local community. She has worked in aerospace most of her career on programs such as the B-2 Bomber, James Web Space Telescope, various satellites, and contributed to sample submission for MISSE-8.

She recently returned to Family Space Camp in 2023 with her husband and daughter, which inspired her to apply to SCAAB. She currently serves on the USA Honda Foundation and Circle of Hope boards. She can also be found performing at the local community theater alongside her daughter.

Jeff Schramm is a two-time Space Camp program alumnus, having attended the original Space Camp in 1983 and the Level II program in 1984. A Chicago area native, he earned his PhD in history from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He is a history professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology where he teaches courses on the history of technology, environmental history, and the history of modern architecture. He has been recognized for his exceptional teaching with several teaching awards. He is a globally recognized authority on 20th and 21st century rail transportation, mining and industrial history, the history of engineering and engineering education, and innovation and technological change. He is also an avid listener and supporter of independent and college radio and occasionally even takes over the airwaves as a DJ on KMNR, 89.7fm Rolla.

Ashlee Stevenson (née Weeks) is a five-time alumna of Aviation Challenge MACH II, MACH III, and MACH III Elite (2003-2007), recipient of the Right Stuff award, and a former Aviation Challenge Crew Trainer (2010 & 2011). She comes from a long line of barnstormers and pilots stretching back to 1918. She grew up in Marietta, Georgia just a few miles from the Lockheed-Martin F/A-22 assembly line. Watching their daily test flights has led to a lifelong love of aviation.

Ashlee earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a concentration of studies in Digital Marketing and International Affairs. She has a background in digital marketing and customer experience that shifts marketing focus from products to customers in order to drive sustainable brand loyalty.

Currently, Ashlee manages Digital Dealer Programs that drive efficient operations and protect brand integrity across 300+ dealerships for Mercedes-Benz USA. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Dustin and their dogs.

David Vuletich is a Managing Director in EAB’s Research Advisory Services and is an expert in Higher Education Academic and Administrative Strategy. He provides expert insight into cross-cabinet issues that help institutions set strategy and execute on short and long-term goals. He is responsible for driving value for universities through decision support, guidance on best practices implementation, and consensus building at the board, cabinet, and senior leadership levels. In particular, his strong focus on financial sustainability helps him support strategic initiatives around university budget models, cost efficiency in administrative and academic operations, and revenue growth through optimization of the academic program portfolio and university advancement.

David started his career as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at SUNY Brockport and left academia in 2012 to join the team responsible for creating the 2015 MCAT. He has also worked in healthcare, biotech, and pharmaceutical consulting. He earned bachelor's degrees in Astrophysics and Chemical Physics from Michigan State University, a dual-title Ph.D. in Chemistry and Astrobiology from the Pennsylvania State University, and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. David attended Space Camp in Florida in 1990, Space Camp in Huntsville in 1991, Space Academy in Huntsville in 1993, and Adult Space Camp in Huntsville in 2023.

Emily Pietrzyk is the Assistant Director of Donor and Alumni Relations from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation. She has many fond memories of visiting the Center and Space Camp as a young girl which led to her moving to Huntsville in 2015 to become a Crew Trainer. Although it was only supposed to be for a summer, Emily loved the impact on trainees and the impact that it had on her. Since 2015, Emily has worked various roles with Space Camp including working in Camp Leadership, developing Custom Programs such as the American Girl and Smithsonian Journeys programs, managing Cyber and Robotics and assisting with camp program development. She joined the Foundation Team in 2021 and has focused on scholarships, major gifts, and alumni outreach.