SGAC Welcomes Two New Members to the Advisory Board
Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2022 – The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) in Support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications is pleased to welcome two new members, Debra Facktor – Head of US Space Systems, AirbusU.S. Space and Defense – and Hebe Romero – Directora General, Agencia Espacial del Paraguay to the SGAC Advisory Board.
We are incredibly grateful for both Hebe’s and Debra’s expertise to support the next generation of space leaders through SGAC!
About Hebe Romero, Director General, Agencia Espacial del Paraguay
Hebe Romero graduated from Universidad Nacional de Asuncion, the leading university in Paraguay, where she got her law degree in 1997 and public notary in 2000. After successful completion, she had continued her education in Didactics in Higher Education and, PhD in Legal Sciences from Universidad Católica de Asunción (Thesis in Process). She got her LLC license: Public Administration (2012). In addition, she had completed the Aerospace Strategy and Policy program (Air Force of Paraguay – 2013). From 2002, she is working as tenured assistant professor at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, teaching Aeronautical and Space Law, and Public International Law. In 2006 and 2011, she worked as professor, lecturing on the legal of energy at the Universidad Nacional de Itapúa. Hebe Romero professional experience as an attorney and law practice started from 1997.
In the public sector, from 1998, she was hired to work as an attorney of Administración Nacional de Electricidad (ANDE), the government utility company in Paraguay. From 2010, she is appointed to be the Director of Legal Affairs of ANDE. She was responsible of providing ANDE legal advice, as well as, instructing in several training courses and, on current developing legal frameworks. From 2015, she is a member of the Ibero-American Institute of Aeronautical Law and Space and Commercial Aviation. From 2016, she is a member and general secretary of Aerospace Research Center of Paraguay. Hebe Romero is an International Deputy Director and National Point Contact of ReLaCa Space (Space Latin American and Caribbean Network). She coauthored the book on space law (2017), the first of its kind in Paraguay. Currently, Hebe Romero is working as the Legal and International Affairs Director of the Paraguayan Space Agency (AEP). From 2018, she is part of the current list of Specialized Panel of Arbitrators established pursuant to the optional rules arbitration of disputes relating to outer space activities. She participated as a Faculty Advisor in the Latin American Test Round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition in Bogotá, Colombia (may, 2019) and virtually in May 2020. She participated in the 2019 Summer Course on Space Law and Policy on Natural Disasters in Messina, Italy, organized by ESCL (ESA). She participated as an Instructor in the Online Expert Course in Air Transportation, Aeronautical and Space Law, of the Ibero-American Institute of Aeronautical Law and Space and Commercial Aviation (2020-2021-2022). She participated in the course organized by the OAS: “International Law of Cyber Operations” (2020). She was the coordinator of the first regional art competition “Tu Propia Misión Espacial” with the Space4Women Latam Mentor. She holds a Diploma in International Contracts and Litigation, Universidad Austral, Buenos Aires (2020/2021). She participated in the Expert Meeting for Space4Women (UNOOSA/New York 2017, Dubai 2021).
About Debra Facktor, Head of US Space Systems, AIRBUS U.S. Space and Defense
Debra Facktor is the Head of U.S. Space Systems for Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. As such, she is responsible for managing the two businesses within U.S. Space Systems: National Security Space and Space Exploration. Debra is also on the board of Airbus OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture operating a state-of-the-art satellite manufacturing facility. Prior to joining Airbus U.S., Debra was Vice President and General Manager of Strategic Operations for Ball Aerospace, leading the company’s Washington DC operations, strategic development, and marketing and communications. Her extensive business experience includes serving as President and Owner of AirLaunch LLC, and as Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Kistler Aerospace Corporation.
Debra is actively engaged as an advisor and mentor in the aerospace community and is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Astronautical Society (AAS). She sits on the University of Michigan aerospace engineering Industrial Advisory Board, the Advisory Committee for the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), and the Future Space Leaders Foundation board. She is also an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA). Debra received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan, and is an alumna of the International Space University summer session program in Strasbourg, France.
Read more about the SGAC Advisory Board here.
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