Saeed Al Mansoori

MBRSC

Eugene Avenant

SANSA

Nathalie Corcoral

CNES

Thomas F. Kuch 

DLR retired

Thomas Kuch studied telecommunications engineering at the Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany. In his first position at the German Telekom with the then new topic “digital communications” he was involved in bi-lateral German-French projects. Early on he represented Germany in his field of expertise in international satellite organisations. Since 1987 after his change to DLR, the German Aerospace Center in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, he was involved in international space projects, working together with numerous colleagues from other European countries.

He was assigned as head of DLR’s mission operations department in 1999 and in this position, he was responsible for the teams operating the flights of satellites and the activities of the European laboratory Columbus on-board the International Space Station.

In 2002 he took over the role as the German representative within the SpaceOps Executive Committee, in 2008 he was a founding member of the Space Operations Committee of the International Astronautical Federation. Since May 2023 after his retirement from DLR he works as space operations expert providing his expertise and experience to various customers.

Philip Liebrecht

NASA, retired

Mr. Philip Liebrecht was the Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) and Deputy Program Manager for the SCaN Program for a decade before his retirement from NASA in August 2019. Prior to his assignment at NASA Headquarters he spent over 30 years at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in various engineering and leadership positions related to Space Communications and operations. Since his retirement he has been helping to mentor SCaN Student Interns and organize the Ka Band Communications Conference.

Mr. Liebrecht’s over four decade career at NASA spanned the end of the Apollo Program through the start of the Orion Project test flights and countless science missions. He has decades of experience with International collaboration on space communications and navigation enabling space missions across the globe. Phil was a member of NASA’s Senior Executive Service cadre and is the recipient of the SpaceOps Lifetime Achievement Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and the NASA/GSFC Exceptional Achievement Award. He was honored to accept then National Space Club’s Nelson P. Jackson Aerospace Award for the Agency’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.

Isabelle Tremblay

CSA

For over 25 years, Isabelle Tremblay has been dedicated to the field of space exploration with the belief that this bold quest, intrinsic to human nature, propels us toward the future, catalyzes innovation, and unites us in the face of the fragility of our planet and the immense challenges of our future, both on Earth and in space. Ms. Tremblay is responsible for the development and operations of Canada’s space infrastructure. The areas of activity are diverse, including telecommunications and satellite positioning systems, Earth observation, space situational awareness, and satellite maintenance in orbit. Essential to our daily lives, this infrastructure allows us, among other things, to contribute to environmental protection, monitor and preserve natural resources, support disaster response efforts, and ensure the security of the space environment.

Previously, Ms. Tremblay held positions as a research and development engineer in space robotics and as a lead engineer for Canada’s contributions to NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander and the James Webb Space Telescope. She also led Canada’s Human Spaceflight Program, which includes the Canadian astronaut corps, conducting scientific studies aboard the International Space Station focused on health research, as well as developing future contributions to the autonomous delivery of healthcare during crewed deep-space exploration missions (on the Moon and Mars).
Isabelle Tremblay holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Polytechnique Montréal, with a specialization in space technologies.

Gareth Williams

Eumetsat

Young Lee

Ms. Young Lee is the Advanced Design Engineering Technical Group Supervisor and Project Support Lead in the Project Systems Engineering and Formulation Section in Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Over the last fifteen years, she has held many diverse leadership positions in NASA programs and projects, establishing strategic and collaborative working relationships across many organizations within NASA, including its domestic and international partners. Moreover, she has over twenty years of experience in the development and deployment of operations systems for deep space missions, focusing on operations cost reduction, user-productivity improvements and increased information throughput to support many NASA’s deep space missions. She has served on the International SpaceOps Committee since 2014. She has a M.S. in Management of Information Systems from Claremont Graduate University in California.

Gladys Magagula 

Ms. Gladys Magagula is the Projects Manager at the South African National Space Agency’s Space Operations directorate which is situated at Hartebeesthoek. Over the past 19 years, she has worked for a diverse range of organizations and held various positions including Software Developer, Satellite Mission Control Specialist Science Communicator, etc.

She has served on the International SpaceOps Committee since 2019. She holds a master’s degree in engineering science (M. Eng. Sci.) from the University of Stellenbosch and is currently studying for an MBA degree at the Business School Netherlands.

Stéphanie Tessier

In September 2022, Stephanie joined the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) as an Operational Assistant. For the past decade, she has been a dedicated professional in Canada’s federal government, playing a vital role in the Space Utilization division, where she’s known for her meticulous approach and problem-solving skills. With many agendas demanding her attention, she adeptly balanced her responsibilities, ensuring the division ran smoothly with her efficient multitasking. 
Stephanie, a new member of the SpaceOps committee from CSA, is contributing to the local organizing team for the SpaceOps 2025 conference, which will be held at the Montreal Convention Center in May 2025. She also plays a key role in coordinating the Student and Young Professional (SYP) program, ensuring its smooth running and engaging activities.