The SGAC election of a new Co-Chairperson in 2025 has been completed and we are pleased to welcome Sapna Rao (US) as the new Co-Chair of SGAC.

Election Report

The First 2025 Co-Chair Election took place in March 2025 and was contested by two candidates, Gina Petrovici, SGAPP Coordinator, and Sapna Rao, SGx Event Manager. Both Candidates had the required nomination and presented their manifesto, letter of intent, and CV. Throughout March 2025 the Candidates participated in two rounds of written Q&A with the Executive Committee, addressing over 20 questions, and further took part in a Live Q&A with the EC members held on March 15th, 2025.

For the first time in the history of SGAC, voting was open to all current members of the Executive Committee, except the Co-Chairs and the SGAC Staff. After concluding the interactive part of the Election, voting opened on March 20th and closed on March 27th. A total of 27 votes were cast in the election by an equal number of individuals. There have been no abstentions and no declarations of conflict of interest. The Election Officer certified that all votes have been cast in conformity with SGAC Statutes & Bylaws. 

In the election, Gina Petrovici obtained 9 votes, and Sapna Rao obtained 18 votes. As a result, Sapna Rao has been elected as Co-Chair of SGAC. Pursuant to Bylaw 5.4.5, she will shadow the current Chairs throughout April 2025 before assuming office on May 1st, when Joshua Critchley Marrows will become SGAC Chair. Dr. Antonino Salmeri, the outgoing Chair, will remain available for handover and transition during the following two months, until June 30th, 2025.

Pursuant to Bylaw 5.4.5, in 2025 SGAC will hold two Co-Chair Elections to re-align the election timeline with the calendar year. The first 2025 election has now concluded with the election of Sapna Rao, who will assume the role of Co-Chair as of May 1st, 2025, ultimately becoming Chair as of January 1st, 2026. The second 2025 election will be held in the period September – November. The Co-Chair elected in this second election will shadow the current Chairs in December 2025, and assume the role of Co-Chair as of January 1st, 2026, ultimately becoming Chair as of January 1st, 2027.

We are happy to announce that Sapna Rao (US) will be the new Co-Chair of the Space Generation Advisory Council! She will be working alongside the Chair, Joshua Critchley-Marrows (Australia).

About Sapna Rao

Sapna Rao is a Systems Engineer Sr at Lockheed Martin Commercial Civil Space located in Denver, CO. She is currently supporting the GeoXO program as the Systems Test Lead for the next generation of weather satellites. She has previously worked on Artemis II’s Orion vehicle, the Human Lander System, the Cryogenic Demonstration Mission and was leading commercialization for the Lunar Mobility Vehicle. For SGAC she has been on the organizing teams for SGC 2022 and SGFF 2023, was the team lead for the Space Exploration Project Group’s ACHIEVED project, and helped support a project on STEM outreach throughout Europe with the Diversity and Gender Equality Team. She has recently concluded her role as SGx2025 Manager where she successfully led one of the major global events. Outside of work Sapna enjoys skiing, hiking, Formula 1, and Dungeons and Dragons.

When informed of the results, Sapna had this to say:

“I am honored and overjoyed to be selected as the Co-Chair and future Chair of SGAC. I never anticipated to be in this position when I first joined the organization years ago and am excited to grow, strengthen, and unite the team. Together we will build our future and continue to represent the worldwide voices of the next generation of the Space Industry!”

Antonino Salmeri, Outgoing Chair and Election Officer concluded: 

“I am thrilled to welcome Sapna as the new SGAC Co-Chair. Over the past two years, I have been very impressed with her excellent work as SGx Manager and I am confident that together with Joshua she will continue to lead SGAC towards new heights. I am also especially delighted that Sapna is the first Co-Chair to have been elected by the entire SGAC Executive Committee and the last to be elected in March, following some key changes in the co-chair election procedure that we introduced at our last General Assembly in December 2024 to strengthen and improve the governance of SGAC“

Joshua Critchley-Marrows, SGAC incoming Chair, said:

“I am truly happy to have Sapna join alongside me as the new Co-Chair of SGAC. She is a well-managed and thorough, thoughtful and considerate, inspiring leader, and I have no doubt she will do wonderful things, not only for our members but for our sector in changing times. I cannot wait to start working with her, to do the best we can for our community.”

Nikol Koleva, SGAC Executive Director, further added:

“I am delighted to welcome Sapna as the new Co-Chair of SGAC. She has been a dedicated member with an abundance of fantastic experiences. Along with her inspiring personality and wonderful leadership skills, I have no doubt that her contributions will make a meaningful impact—not just for our members but for the broader space community.”