Season 2026

Michael Dyment is Founder and Managing Partner of NEXA Capital Partners, LLC, and brings more than 40 years of experience advising institutional investors, government agencies, and executive leadership across the aerospace, transportation, and financial sectors. He is widely regarded as a trusted strategic advisor on corporate finance, M&A, business strategy, enterprise value dynamics, and long-term value creation for complex, capital-intensive aerospace and infrastructure programs. ———- ACCORDION —— Read More… Mr. Dyment has served as a senior advisor on several landmark aerospace and space-based initiatives, including advising Iridium during its formal agreement establishing a global air traffic joint venture with major airlines and NAV CANADA, as well as supporting the financing and deployment of Iridium’s next-generation satellite constellation. He was also principal advisor to ITT on its $1.85 billion ADS-B contract award from the Federal Aviation Administration, providing deep insight into satellite-enabled airspace modernization, government procurement, and large-scale program execution. Throughout his career, Mr. Dyment has held officer, principal, senior managing partner, and managing director roles within the aerospace and transportation practices of A.T. Kearney, Booz Allen Hamilton, PwC, and Arthur Andersen. His client experience includes advising leading aerospace manufacturers such as Boeing, Embraer, and Rolls-Royce, as well as major airlines including American Airlines, SWISS, and easyJet. He has also served as a senior advisor to multiple FAA Administrators and is frequently sought by the media for commentary on aerospace, satellite systems, and aviation infrastructure policy. Mr. Dyment holds a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Geodesy and Geomatics from University of New Brunswick. His background provides a rare combination of technical depth, financial rigor, and policy fluency directly applicable to spaceport feasibility, satellite-enabled systems, and next-generation aerospace infrastructure planning.

David A. Koplow is a Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where he has been on the faculty since 1981. His primary fields for teaching and scholarship involve public international law and national security law, with a particular emphasis upon arms control, non-proliferation, and outer space. ———- ACCORDION — Read More… In addition, he has directed a legal clinic in which students provide pro bono representation to refugees seeking asylum in the United States due to fear of persecution in their homelands. He has published six books and numerous law review articles regarding treaty negotiation, verification, and implementation, and regarding the intersection between international legal standards and U.S. constitutional law. He has served in government as Attorney-Advisor, and as Special Assistant to the Director, at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency from 1978 to 1981; as Deputy General Counsel for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Defense from 1997 to 1999; as Special Counsel for Arms Control to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 to 2011; and as a consultant to NASA 2017-19. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Yale Law School and was a Rhodes Scholar. Webpage at Georgetown Law — SPEAKER —-

Amber McIntyre is the Senior Director of Civil Space at the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). A seasoned space policy expert, she brings extensive experience in federal and international space policy, having led key initiatives across multiple U.S. government agencies. ———- ACCORDION — Read More… McIntyre joined AIA from the National Space Policy Council in the Executive Office of the Vice President, where she served as Director of International Space Policy. She led U.S. space policy coordination across agencies like NASA, the State Department, and the Department of Defense, advancing national security, global partnerships, and the Artemis Accords. Prior to her time at the White House, McIntyre served as Counselor for Interagency and International Relations at NASA, where she advised the Administrator on space diplomacy, international partnerships, and strategic agency priorities. She also worked at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, managing key diplomatic engagements and intergovernmental relations. Earlier in her career, she held various public affairs and policy roles at the U.S. Department of State, supporting foreign policy initiatives across Africa, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. McIntyre holds a B.A. in political science and religion from Florida State University, an M.P.A. from American University, and a business administration certification from Georgetown University. — SPEAKER —-

Katherine Melbourne is a policy analyst in the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation. In this role, she writes about national security space strategy issues informed by technical understanding, and performs international comparative research. Prior to joining Aerospace, Melbourne was a systems engineer at Ball Aerospace (now BAE Systems) where she worked on a national security program and served on the commissioning team as a wavefront sensing scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope helping to align its mirrors. ———- ACCORDION — Read More… Melbourne designed a wargame for the United States Space Force on cislunar operations and strategy during her time as graduate research assistant at the University of Colorado Boulder. She has previously published work on stellar activity and its effects on exoplanet habitability and assisted with drafting and negotiating agreements between NASA and its foreign partners. Melbourne earned a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from Yale University and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. Melbourne received a Future Space Leaders Foundation grant and the Secure World Foundation’s Dr. Michael Simpson scholarship in 2025. She is also a Brooke Owens Fellowship alumna. Center for Space Policy and Strategy — MODERATOR SPEAKER —-

Dr. Hays is a professorial lecturer of Space Policy and International Affairs at George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute, Space Chair at Marine Corps University, and a senior policy advisor with Falcon Research. He is a Fellow at the Prague Security Studies Institute, Space Advisor for the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, and Nonresident Senior Affiliate with the Aerospace Security and Missile Defense Projects at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. ———- ACCORDION — Read More… He supports the Space Staff in the Pentagon and has been directly involved in helping to develop and implement major national security space policy and strategy initiatives since 2004; he also serves as a senior advisor on governance, force design, and strategic messaging issues. Dr. Hays was presented the National Intelligence Professional Award by the Director of National Intelligence in 2014 and was chosen as the SAIC National Security Solutions Employee of the Year in 2008. He served as a staff augmentee at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in 1988 and at the National Space Council in 1990. Dr. Hays serves on the Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project Advisory Board, was a term member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Space Security from 2010-2014, and is a member of the editorial board for Space and Defense and Astropolitics. He holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School and was an Honor Graduate of the USAF Academy. Dr. Hays served as an Air Force officer from 1979-2004; flew C-141 cargo planes; and taught international relations, defense policy, and space policy courses at the USAF Academy, School of Advanced Airpower Studies, and National Defense University; he now teaches the air- and spacepower seminars at the Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting at Quantico and the Space and National Security and Science, Technology, and National Security Policy graduate seminars at GW. Primary research interests are defense policy and space security. Recent publications: On the Precipice: Artificial Intelligence and the Climb to Modernize Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (Washington: Federation of American Scientists, January 2026). https://fas.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026_on-the-precipice.pdf What’s Possible to Build in 39 Months with $175 Billion, in Henry D. Sokolski, ed., Golden Dome: What’s Its Story? (Washington: Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, 2025). https://npolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Golden-Dome-Book-Cover.pdf Strategic Implications of Hypersonic Attacks from Space, AirSpace Journal, November 2025. https://www.diacc.ae/assets/diacc_airspace-journal_english_peter-hays.pdf The Evolving United States Space-Enabled Reconnaissance-Strike Complex: Theory, Practice & Challenges, Hellenic Air Force Review, 134 (April 2025): 54-69. https://www.haf.gr/news/publications/aeroporiki-epitheorisi/aeroporiki-epitheorisi-teychos-134/ Peter Hays bio at GWU Peter Hays contributes to book Oxford Handbook of Space Security ———- END OF SPEAKERS ———- ———- DONATIONS ———- GREAT TALK is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Please donate now to help offset the cost of this FREE event! Paypal | Stripe | Venmo ————————————- ————— END ————————- ——————————————————————– NEXT EVENT ———————————————————————- ————————————- AND THE ALEXANDER GRASS HUMANITIES INSTITUTE, Johns Hopkins University Present a Series of Special Events What Happens When the Courts Are Ignored: In accordance to what laws, to what courts, and with what consequences? Wednesday, October 22, 2025 @ 7PM Eastern Hosted by: NCO Club at Pikesville Armory Foundation 640 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville, MD Free parking at the Pikesville Armory Foundation FREE In-Person & Livestream via Zoom REGISTER HERE FOR FREE! ———— MEDIA SPONSOR————- Featuring a panel of experts: MEDIA SPONSOR — SPEAKER —-