Bio

Lori Garver is a leading figure in the US space program and frequent contributor to the public dialogue on national civil space policy. Garver’s book, Escaping Gravity: My Quest to Transform NASA and Launch a New Space Age will be released on June 21, 2022. As the principal advisor on aerospace issues to three presidential candidates, NASA transition team lead for President-elect Obama and Deputy Administrator of NASA from 2009 - 2013, Garver’s first hand account offers new insight into the intersection of politics and human spaceflight. Ms. Garver is an Operating Advisor at Bessemer Venture Partners, a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and a member of the Board of Directors of Hydrosat. She founded the Earthrise Alliance in 2019, a philanthropic initiative dedicated to utilizing satellite data to address climate change. Previous senior positions have included General Manager of the Air Line Pilots Association, Associate Administrator for Policy and Plans at NASA and Executive Director of the National Space Society. She is a Co-Founder of the Brooke Owens Fellowship, an educational organization providing internships and mentorship to collegiate women and gender minorities pursuing degrees in aerospace fields. She served on the Board of Directors of Maxar Technologies (NYSE: MAXR) and is a former President of Women in Aerospace and the American Astronautical Society. Garver is the recipient of the 2022 AIAA Public Service Award, the 2020 Women in Aerospace Lifetime Achievement award, three NASA Distinguished Service Medals and an Honorary Doctorate from Colorado College. She holds a B.A. in Political Economy from Colorado College and an M.A. in Science, Technology and Public Policy from George Washington University.