Speakers

Aaron Smith

Product Manager for Imagery - Planet

Aaron is a geographer and experienced remote sensing scientist. His career in natural resources and satellite image analytics has taken him from the arctic circle to the Atacama desert. Aaron is excited to rejoin Planet at the beginning of a new era where our understanding of the Earth's systems continues to accelerate every day.

Sessions by Aaron Smith

Wed, Oct 14, 2020 | 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm | Towards A Sensor Fusion Future: A Deep Dive Into Planet's New Seamless, Gap-filled Analysis Ready Data

Dr. Benjamin Koetz

Senior Application and Mission Scientist - Earth Observation Directorate of the European Space Agency (ESA)

Benjamin Koetz works as Senior Application and Mission Scientist in the Earth Observation Directorate of the European Space Agency. His tasks focus on the development of Earth Observation (EO) applications in close collaboration with relevant user communities, scientists and EO service providers. In recent years he worked closely with the agricultural sector to develop national scale agricultural monitoring systems for agricultural ministries, National Statistical Offices and Paying Agencies in the context of the European Common Agricultural Policy.

He is further involved in the GEO-Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative (GEOGLAM) launched by the G20 Agricultural ministers. As Mission Scientist of the Land Surface Temperature Monitoring (LSTM) mission he prepares one of the proposed Copernicus candidate missions aiming at improved agricultural management. Working with African-European research communities, he is further responsible for the TIGER initiative dealing with EO for water resources management in Africa and for the recently launched EO AFRICA (EO African Framework for Research, Innovation, Communities and Applications) initiative.

Benjamin Koetz received his M.S. degree in Environmental Sciences with a major in Remote Sensing from the University of Trier, Germany. He also holds a Ph.D. with a specialization in Earth Observation from the University of Zürich, Switzerland. His scientific expertise focuses on the development of physically-based methodologies to derive geo-biophysical EO products with a total of 20 years experience in the field of satellite Earth Observation.

Sessions by Dr. Benjamin Koetz

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm | Country-led Geospatial Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security

Susan Kalweit

Director of the Analysis Directorate - National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Ms. Susan Kalweit is the Director of the Analysis Directorate at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. As the Director of Analysis, she is responsible for leading NGA’s geospatial intelligence analytic capabilities and resources as well as modernizing NGA’s analytic efforts toward the future, consistent with the NGA Strategy. She is proud of the work her team does to support our national security and help keep American and Allied troops safe.

Before joining NGA, Ms. Kalweit was a senior business manager at Booz Allen Hamilton, serving clients in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, and commercial sectors. At Booz Allen, Ms. Kalweit led the Global4Sight™ business area, providing open source and social media analytics services to multiple clients. She was responsible for staffing, client delivery, and continuous technology innovation for the Global4Sight™ platform, tools, and technologies. During the 12 years Ms. Kalweit was with Booz Allen, she also performed as a geospatial capability leader and business manager for more than 100 staff, providing analytic services to the intelligence community. Ms. Kalweit was also a member of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Academic Advisory Committee and the Penn State University Master of GIS Program Advisory Board. Among her achievements with the USGIF was the establishment of the USGIF accreditation program for geospatial intelligence certificate programs offered by post-secondary institutions.

Prior to her employment at Booz Allen, Ms. Kalweit enjoyed a 17-year career with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and its predecessor organizations where she was recognized for her outstanding achievements with the NIMA Outstanding Woman of the Year Award, the Meritorious Unit Citation, and the Distinguished Civilian Service Award. Her roles at NGA included Deputy Chief for the Homeland Security mission, Director of the Prototyping Facility, Program Manager for Research and Development, and early on, she worked as an imagery analyst. Ms. Kalweit entered the Executive Service in 2016.

Ms. Kalweit earned an A.B. in political science and German from Duke University, an M.S. in information management systems from Marymount University, and an M.S. from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University. In August 2017, Ms. Kalweit was awarded a certificate of completion for the Senior Managers in Government Program at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education.

Sessions by Susan Kalweit

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 11:30 am - 12:00 pm | Government Collaborations to Deliver Timely GEOINT

Hercilo Odorico

- Mozambique Forest Investment Project

Hercilo Odorico was born and raised in Maputo, Mozambique. He holds a degree in Forest Engineering by the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, since 2015. With 5 years of experience, he is an expert in the use of GIS and remote sensing methods/techniques and tools for natural resource management. In 2015, he worked at the Eduardo Mondlane University as Research Assistant for the USAID Climate Change Adaptation Project (CCAP), with the responsibility for creating thematic maps for analysis. The CCAP targeted Pemba and Quelimane cities. Since 2016 to the present, he works at the National Sustainable Development Fund (FNDS) as M&MRV for REDD+ Assistant Technician under the REDD+ Readiness Preparation Support Project and Mozambique Forest Investment Project (MozFIP), with the responsibility for monitoring and estimating carbon emissions from deforestation. He was involved in the provision of technical support for the implementation of 4th National Forest Inventory (NFI), in the carrying out the national historical assessment of deforestation for the period 2001 – 2016, elaboration of the first national forest reference emission level report, production of 2016 national land use and land cover map, development of an algorithm in Google Earth Engine for annual national forest area loss mapping, and elaboration of standard operating procedures for annual monitoring and estimating carbon emissions from deforestation in Mozambique.

Sessions by Hercilo Odorico

Wed, Oct 14, 2020 | 11:00 am - 11:30 am | UNFAO & Planet: SEPAL Collaboration Drives Conservation Solutions Across Tropics

Kaiyu Guan

Blue Waters Assistant Professor - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Dr. Kaiyu Guan is a Blue Waters Assistant Professor in ecohydrology and remote sensing in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES), College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). His group uses satellite data, computational models, field work, and machine learning approaches to address how climate and human practices affect crop productivity, water resource availability, and ecosystem functioning. His group has keen interests in applying their knowledge and skills in solving real-life problems, such as large-scale crop monitoring and forecasting, water management and sustainability, and global food security. His group closely works with scientists in computer science (deep learning, high performance computing), plant physiologists, agronomists, and economists in addressing the above real-world challenges. Guan has published 80+ papers in leading scientific journals, including Science, Nature, Global Change Biology, etc. Guan is the awardee of NSF CAREER Award, NASA New Investigator Award, AGU Early Career Award in Global Environmental Change, and SoAR Foundation’s 2019 annual selection of the 20 U.S. national agricultural research highlights.

Sessions by Kaiyu Guan

Wed, Oct 14, 2020 | 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm | Sensor Fusion with Planet Imagery

Samuel Myers

Principle Research Scientist, Planetary Health - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Samuel Myers, MD, MPH studies the human health impacts of accelerating disruptions to Earth’s natural systems, a field recently dubbed Planetary Health. He is a Principal Research Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is the founding Director of the Planetary Health Alliance (www.planetaryhealthalliance.org). Sam received his BA from Harvard College, MD from Yale University School of Medicine, and MPH from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. He performed his internal medicine residency at UCSF and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.

Sam’s current work spans several areas of planetary health including 1) the global nutritional impacts of rising concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere; 2) the health impacts of land management decisions in SE Asia associated with biomass burning and particulate air pollution 3) the global consequences of fisheries decline for human nutrition and health; 4) the global impact of animal pollinator declines on human nutrition today and in the future; and 5) the impact of climate shocks on human nutrition as mediated through global food trade. As the Director of the Planetary Health Alliance, Sam oversees a multi-institutional effort (over 240 organizations in over 40 countries) focused on understanding and quantifying the human health impacts of disrupting Earth’s natural systems and translating that understanding into resource management decisions globally. Dr. Myers serves as a Commissioner on the Lancet-Rockefeller Foundation Commission on Planetary Health and a member of the Lead Expert Group of the Global Panel on Agriculture, Food Systems, and Nutrition. He was the inaugural recipient of the Arrell Global Food Innovation Award in 2018. He has also been awarded the Prince Albert II of Monaco—Institut Pasteur Award for research at the interface of global environmental change and human health. He is the co-editor with Howard Frumkin of Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves.

Sessions by Samuel Myers

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 9:00 am - 9:30 am | Opening Plenary: A Fireside Chat with Achim Steiner and Dr. Samuel Myers

Karen M. St. Germain

Earth Science Division Director - NASA

Dr. St. Germain is the Division Director of the Earth Science Division, in the Science Mission Directorate at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters. She provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and overall management for the entire agency’s Earth Science portfolio, from technology development, applied science, research, mission implementation and operation.

Prior to coming to NASA, Dr. St. Germain was the Deputy Assistant Administrator, Systems (DAAS), for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service. She guided the ongoing development and deployment of NOAA’s two major satellite programs (the Joint Polar Satellite System and Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite – R series), the COSMIC-2 mission, and the Space Weather Follow-On. She also led the development of the next-generation capabilities that will replenish and augment these systems in the future.

Prior to becoming the DAAS, Dr. St. Germain served as the Director of the Office of Systems Architecture and Advanced Planning (OSAAP) where she led NOAA’s enterprise-level architecture development to define NOAA future spaceborne capabilities. Dr. St. Germain is a leader in enterprise-level planning and multi-organizational programs of national significance. She is also an expert in major systems acquisition, with particular proficiency in transitioning new technology into operational systems. Prior work for NOAA included leading all aspects of system performance during the development of the Suomi-NPP system, from 2006 to 2011.

From 2011 to 2016, Dr. St. Germain served in the Space, Strategic and Intelligence Systems (SSI) Office, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (OUSD AT&L). There, she led the DoD 2014 Strategic Portfolio Review for Space, a special assignment task for the Deputy Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy and implementation plan for adapting to evolving challenges in the space domain. Dr. St. Germain also led the Remote Sensing and Prompt Strike Division within SSI, where she was responsible for acquisition shaping and oversight of DoD strategic missile warning and space-based environmental monitoring portfolio.

Dr. St. Germain had a successful research career at the University of Massachusetts, the University of Nebraska, and the Naval Research Laboratory. She has performed research aboard ice-breakers in the Arctic and Antarctic, flown through hurricanes and tropical storms on NOAA’s P-3 airplanes and measured glacial ice on a snowmobile traverse of the Greenland ice sheet. She also led the modeling and calibration of the WindSat Coriolis mission, the first space-borne radiometer to measure ocean surface wind direction.

Dr. St. Germain holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Union College (1987) and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts (1993). She is also a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College, National Defense University where she earned a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy in 2013.

Sessions by Karen M. St. Germain

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 11:30 am - 12:00 pm | Government Collaborations to Deliver Timely GEOINT

Dr. Stacey A. Dixon

Deputy Director - National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)

Dr. Stacey A. Dixon is the eighth Deputy Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). In this role, she assists the director in leading the agency and in managing the National System for Geospatial Intelligence. She became NGA’s deputy director on June 23, 2019.

Prior to this, she served as IARPA’s fourth director from September 2018 to June 2019, after serving as IARPA’s deputy director from January 2016 to August 2018. Before joining IARPA, Dr. Dixon served as the deputy director of NGA’s research directorate, where she oversaw geospatial intelligence research and development. Previous to that, she served as the chief of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs and then deputy director in NGA’s Office of Corporate Communications.

From 2007 to 2010, she was a staff member for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and from 2003 to 2007, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, where she was assigned to the National Reconnaissance Office’s Advanced Systems and Technology directorate.

Dr. Dixon holds both a doctorate and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. She was also a chemical engineer postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Dixon is a native of the District of Columbia, where she currently resides.

Sessions by Dr. Stacey A. Dixon

Wed, Oct 14, 2020 | 9:30 am - 10:00 am | Fireside Chat with Stacey Dixon

Danielle Wood

Director of the Space Enabled Research Group - MIT MediaLab

Professor Danielle Wood serves as an Assistant Professor in Media Arts & Sciences and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Within the MIT Media Lab, Prof. Wood leads the Space Enabled Research Group which seeks to advance justice in Earth's complex systems using designs enabled by space. Prof. Wood is a scholar of societal development with a background that includes satellite design, earth science applications, systems engineering, and technology policy. In her research, Prof. Wood applies these skills to design innovative systems that harness space technology to address development challenges around the world. Prior to serving as faculty at MIT, Professor Wood held positions at NASA Headquarters, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Aerospace Corporation, Johns Hopkins University, and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs. Prof. Wood studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned a PhD in engineering systems, SM in aeronautics and astronautics, SM in technology policy, and SB in aerospace engineering.

Sessions by Danielle Wood

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 9:30 am - 10:15 am | Computing the Planet: How Cloud, AI and Remote Sensing Technologies Can Illuminate New Pathways to Sustainable Development

Dr. Lucas Joppa

Chief Environmental Officer - Microsoft

Dr. Lucas Joppa leads sustainability at Microsoft, as the company’s first Chief Environmental Officer. In this role, he works to advance Microsoft’s core commitment to sustainability through ongoing technology innovation, program development, policy advancement, and global operational excellence. With a combined background in both environmental science and data science, Lucas is committed to using the power of advanced technology to help transform how society monitors, models, and ultimately manages Earth’s natural resources. He founded Microsoft’s AI for Earth program in 2017—a five-year, $50-million cross-company effort dedicated to delivering technology-enabled solutions to global environmental challenges.

With a Ph.D. in Ecology from Duke University and extensive publication in leading academic journals, such as Science and Nature, Dr. Joppa is a uniquely accredited voice for sustainability in the tech industry. In addition to formerly serving on the Federal Advisory Committee for the Sustained U.S. National Climate Assessment, Lucas is an Associate Editor in Chief for the Ecological Society of America’s EcoSphere journal and an honorary Fellow at the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC). He serves on the boards of leading scientific organizations, such as NatureServe and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) Director's Council at UC Santa Barbara.

Prior to his current role, Lucas was Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Scientist and led research programs at the intersection of environmental and computer sciences in Microsoft Research, the company’s blue-sky research division. He remains an active scientist, speaking frequently on issues related to Artificial Intelligence, environmental science, and sustainability. Along with his Ph.D., Lucas holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and is a former Peace Corps volunteer to Malawi.

Sessions by Dr. Lucas Joppa

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 9:30 am - 10:15 am | Computing the Planet: How Cloud, AI and Remote Sensing Technologies Can Illuminate New Pathways to Sustainable Development

David Jensen

Digital Transformation Task Force - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

David Jensen is the coordinator of the Digital Transformation Task Force at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In this capacity, he is responsible for developing the new digital transformation strategy and for accelerating the uptake of digital technologies across the organization. David has been advising the UN Science Policy Business Forum on these topics since 2018 and was the co-author of a flagship discussion paper entitled The Case for a Digital Ecosystem for the Environment. He also co-wrote a series of Medium articles on a Digital Ecosystem for the Planet (1, 2, 3). Within the digital space, David has co-founded numerous platforms including MapX, Earthschool, the UN Biodiversity Lab, and the Environmental Peacebuilding Platform.

David is also the Head of Policy and Innovation at the Crisis Management Branch of UNEP. Since 2009, David has been a leader in a global effort to establish a new multidisciplinary field of environmental peacebuilding. This field aims to promote environmental and natural resource management to prevent, mitigate, resolve, and recover from conflict. It also seeks to use shared dependence on natural resources and ecosystems as a platform for cooperation and confidence building among communities and countries. David is one of the core faculty members of the Massive Open Online Course on Environmental Security and Sustaining Peace – currently the most popular course offered by the SDG Academy with over 20,000 enrollments. David is also a founding board member of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association and has appeared on TEDx in the talk: Natural resources and peacebuilding: is the United Nations united?

David has a number of significant publications in this field. He is the coordinator or co-author of six flagship policy reports on risks and opportunities from natural resources across the conflict lifecycle. He is also a series co-editor of a six-volume set of books on post-conflict peacebuilding and natural resource management, with 150 chapters from 225 authors published by Routledge. This material covers 60 conflict-affected countries and 12 natural resource categories. The cases are open source and can be freely downloaded. David has worked with and advised all of the key peace and security institutions of the UN, including the peacebuilding, peacekeeping, and mediation communities, as well as UN country teams, Resident Coordinators and Special Representatives of the Secretary General. A summary of his publications is available here.

David holds an MSc in Biology from Oxford University (UK) and an undergraduate degree in Geography from the University of Victoria (Canada). He is an Alumnus of the Peace Mediation Platform (Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs) and a Beahrs’ Environmental Leadership Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He was also certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Sessions by David Jensen

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 9:30 am - 10:15 am | Computing the Planet: How Cloud, AI and Remote Sensing Technologies Can Illuminate New Pathways to Sustainable Development

Hugh Sturrock

Chief Science Officer and Co-founder - Locational

Dr. Hugh Sturrock is Chief Science Officer and co-founder of Locational, a startup dedicated to making spatial analysis more accessible. A spatial epidemiologist by training, Hugh leads the development and implementation of spatial statistics and machine learning at Locational.

Hugh was formerly an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the UCSF Global Health Group and led the Google and Bill and Melinda Gates funded Disease Surveillance And Risk Monitoring (DiSARM) project. He has experience working with satellite imagery and other remotely sensed data and has over 50 peer reviewed publications. Prior to joining the Global Health Group, he completed a MSc in Zoology at the University of Otago, New Zealand and a PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, investigating optimal survey methods for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Malaria.

Hugh has worked in, or with, a number of countries including Kenya, South Sudan, Namibia, Swaziland and Yemen. His work has been featured in numerous peer-reviewed publications as well in media articles in The Guardian, BBC, New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. Hugh was also featured on a PBS Newshour segment focused on the DiSARM project.

Sessions by Hugh Sturrock

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm | Using Geospatial Intelligence to Deliver Precision Public Health

Dr. Erik Lindquist

Forestry Program Officer - UN-FAO

Dr. Erik Lindquist is currently a Forestry Officer with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization based in Quito, Ecuador. He has 23 years of experience in remote sensing and GIS. He started his career working for the US Forest Service as a plant ecologist in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. He then moved to central Africa and worked with the Wildlife Conservation Society leading botanical and wildlife surveys in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His current focus with FAO is creating platforms that facilitate the use of geospatial data for autonomous land surface monitoring at local to national scales, especially in developing countries. Erik is currently the Lead Technical Officer of the FAO cloud-based computing platform called SEPAL (System for Earth Observation Data Acquisition, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring). SEPAL is a big-data processing platform that combines super-computing power, open-source geospatial data processing software and modern geospatial data infrastructures like Google’s Earth Engine to enable researchers and technicians anywhere in the world to create data and produce locally relevant results that can affect decision making. Erik has a Bachelor’s degree in Botany from Miami University (Ohio) and a PhD in Geospatial Science and Engineering from South Dakota State University.

Sessions by Dr. Erik Lindquist

Wed, Oct 14, 2020 | 11:00 am - 11:30 am | UNFAO & Planet: SEPAL Collaboration Drives Conservation Solutions Across Tropics

Josef Aschbacher

ESA Director - Earth Observation Programmes

Josef Aschbacher is the ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes and Head of ESRIN, ESA’s centre for Earth Observation, located in Frascati (near Rome), Italy. Born in Austria, he studied at the University of Innsbruck, graduating with a Master’s and a Doctoral Degree in Natural Sciences. He became a Research Scientist at the university’s Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics, 1985–89. Josef Aschbacher began his career in ESA in 1990 as a Young Graduate at ESRIN. From 1991 to 1993 he was seconded as ESA Representative to Southeast Asia to the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand. From 1994 to 2001 he worked at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, where he was, in his last post, the Scientific Assistant to the Director of the Space Applications Institute. He returned to ESA Headquarters, in Paris, in 2001 as Programme Coordinator, where he was primarily responsible for advancing Copernicus activities within ESA. In 2006, he became Head of the Copernicus Space Office, where he led all activities for Copernicus within the Agency and with external partners, in particular the European Commission. In 2014, he was promoted to Head of Programme Planning and Coordination at ESRIN, where he was responsible for planning ESA’s Earth Observation programmes and for formulating and implementing programmatic and strategic decisions across the Directorate. He took up duty as Director of Earth Observation Programmes on 1 July 2016.

Sessions by Josef Aschbacher

Wed, Oct 14, 2020 | 11:00 am - 11:30 am | The Next Chapter for European Space: Priorities, Vision and Leadership, Moderated by Agnieszka Lukaszczyk

Tara O'Shea

Director of Forest Programs - Planet

Tara is passionate about realigning natural and human systems to forge more sustainable models of economic development, and has worked across the academic, nonprofit, finance and technology sectors towards this end. As the Director of Forest Programs at Planet, she oversees the company’s strategy for leveraging its Earth observation and analytics technologies to improve global forest monitoring systems today, and account for the value of forests in the global economy tomorrow.

Trained in the natural sciences, Tara began her career advancing ecosystem services research at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions. In 2012, she helped start a nonprofit focused on engaging the private sector in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), a financial mechanism for sustainable land use under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Prior to joining Planet, Tara advised several foundations and investment firms on integrating the reality of climate and environmental change into their portfolios, including organizing the Climate & Capital summit that brought together investors representing over $1 trillion AUM alongside the COP21 in Paris.

Tara holds a Master’s of Environmental Management and International Development from Duke University, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Gettysburg College.

Sessions by Tara O'Shea

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 11:15 am - 12:00 pm | Monitoring Ecosystems and Protecting Biodiversity from Space

Agnieszka Lukaszczyk

Senior Director for European Affairs - Planet

Agnieszka Lukaszczyk is the Senior Director for European Affairs at Planet. A Polish/American national, has worked at the European Commission, Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Space Data for Societal Challenges and Growth Unit. She also worked at the Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry, Space Policy and Research Unit. Before she joined the Commission, Agnieszka was the Brussels Office Director for the Secure World Foundation. In addition, she is the former Chairperson and the former Executive Director of the Space Generation Advisory Council in Support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. Agnieszka also worked at the European Space Policy Institute as a research fellow. Agnieszka serves as the Vice President - Europe for the World Space Week And Sits on the Board Of Directors for the Women in Aerospace-Europe. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Space Security at the Polish Defence Academy. She holds a Master's degree from the Warsaw School of Economics in Management of Space in New Economies and a Master's degree from the American University School of International Service in International Politics plus a Bachelor degree in Political Science from the University of Tennessee. She also studied at the Universite Catholique de Louvain in Brussels, Belgium; the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland and the World Trade Institute in Berne, Switzerland. She gained professional experience at the Political Section of the Polish Embassy in Washington DC, American Electronics Association in Brussels, European Department of the Polish Senate in Warsaw and the Warsaw Business Journal.

Sessions by Agnieszka Lukaszczyk

Wed, Oct 14, 2020 | 11:00 am - 11:30 am | The Next Chapter for European Space: Priorities, Vision and Leadership, Moderated by Agnieszka Lukaszczyk

Chris Hadfield

Astronaut - First Canadian Commander of the International Space Station (2013)

Referred to as “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong,” Colonel Chris Hadfield is a worldwide sensation whose video of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” – seen by over 75 million people online — was called “possibly the most poignant version of the song ever created”, by Bowie himself. Acclaimed for making outer space accessible to millions, and for infusing a sense of wonder into our collective consciousness not felt since humanity first walked on the Moon, Colonel Hadfield continues to bring the marvels of science and space travel to everyone he encounters. In 1992, Colonel Hadfield was selected as a NASA Mission Specialist, and three years later he was aboard the Shuttle Atlantis, where he helped build the Mir space station. In 2001, on Shuttle Endeavour, Colonel Hadfield performed two spacewalks and in 2013, he became Commander of the International Space Station for six months off the planet. A heavily decorated astronaut, engineer, and pilot, Colonel Hadfield’s many awards include the Order of Canada, the Meritorious Service Cross, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. He was named the Top Test Pilot in both the US Air Force and the US Navy, and was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.

Colonel Hadfield is the author of three internationally bestselling books, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, You Are Here, and his children’s book, The Darkest Dark. Additionally, he released his musical album, Space Sessions: Songs From a Tin Can, in 2015. He is also featured on Ted.com for his talk, What I Learned from Going Blind in Space. Currently, Colonel Hadfield can be seen as the co-creator and host of the internationally acclaimed BBC series Astronauts, and he is co-hosting, with actor Will Smith, the National Geographic series One Strange Rock, directed by Darren Aronofsky. Colonel Hadfield is also the producer of the celebrated Rare Earth series on YouTube, and the creator of the on-stage celebration Generator, which combines science, comedy, and music for sold-out audiences.

Additionally, Colonel Hadfield is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Waterloo and a founding director of the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation, the national advocate for initiatives enabling Canada’s children to achieve their full potential through literacy and to become the most literate in the world.

Sessions by Chris Hadfield

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm | Guest Keynote

Will Marshall

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Planet

Will Marshall is the Co-Founder and CEO of Planet. He leads the overall company strategy and direction. Prior to Planet, Will was a Scientist at NASA/USRA where he was a systems engineer on lunar orbiter mission “LADEE”, a member of the science team for the lunar impactor mission “LCROSS”, served as Co-Principal Investigator on PhoneSat, and was the technical lead on research projects in space debris remediation. Will received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Oxford and his Masters in Physics with Space Science and Technology from the University of Leicester. Will was a Postdoctoral Fellow at George Washington University and Harvard.

Twitter profile: @Will4Planet

Sessions by Will Marshall

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 8:00 am - 8:30 am | Opening Keynote with Will Marshall

Wed, Oct 14, 2020 | 11:00 am - 11:30 am | The Next Chapter for European Space: Priorities, Vision and Leadership, Moderated by Agnieszka Lukaszczyk

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 12:10 pm - 12:30 pm | Guest Keynote

Al Gore

Former Vice President

Former Vice President Al Gore is the cofounder and chairman of Generation Investment Management, and the founder and chairman of The Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit devoted to solving the climate crisis. He is also a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and a member of Apple Inc.’s board of directors.

Gore was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1982 and to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and 1990. He was inaugurated as the 45th vice president of the United States on January 20, 1993, and served eight years.

He is the author of the #1 New York Times best-sellers "An Inconvenient Truth" and "The Assault on Reason," and the best-sellers “Earth in the Balance,” "Our Choice: A Plan To Solve the Climate Crisis," "The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change," and most recently, The New York Times best-seller "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.”

He is the subject of the documentary movie “An Inconvenient Truth,” which won two Oscars in 2006 -- and a second documentary in 2017, “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.” In 2007, Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for “informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change.”

Sessions by Al Gore

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 8:30 am - 9:00 am | Guest Keynote

Andrew Zolli

VP, Global Impact Initiatives - Planet

Andrew oversees Global Impact Initiatives at Planet, working to ensure that the company’s data, products and services achieve their highest humanitarian, sustainable development and scientific potential. He works closely with all parts of the company and with the United Nations, NGOs, philanthropies, conservation organizations, and disaster response entities to incubate and deliver new forms of social and environmental impact. Andrew is also the author of the bestselling book Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back. He received a BA in Cognitive and Computer Science at Vassar College, and did graduate studies in foresight at the University of Houston.

Sessions by Andrew Zolli

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 9:00 am - 9:30 am | Opening Plenary: A Fireside Chat with Achim Steiner and Dr. Samuel Myers

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 9:30 am - 10:15 am | Computing the Planet: How Cloud, AI and Remote Sensing Technologies Can Illuminate New Pathways to Sustainable Development

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 4:15 pm - 4:20 pm | Closing Remarks

Creon Levit

Chief Technologist & Director of Research - Planet

Since 2015 Creon has worked at Planet Labs, where he is the Chief Technologist, Director or R&D, and a Planet Fellow. Prior to that, he worked at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, where he was one of the founders of the NAS (NASA Advanced Supercomputing) division, co-PI on the Virtual Wind Tunnel project, co-founder of the NASA Molecular Nanotechnology Group (the first federally funded research lab devoted to molecular nanotechnology), co-PI on the hyperwall project, investigator on the Columbia accident investigation board, member of the NASA engineering and safety center, investigator on the millimeter-wave thermal rocket project, the Stardust re-entry observation campaign, PI on the LighForce project, special assistant to the center director, and chief scientist for the programs and projects directorate. From 1999 to 2001 Creon was director of the International Space Sciences Organization - a privately funded R&D organization with about 15 full-time employees investigating and funding breakthrough technologies for space propulsion and energy production. Creon is the author of numerous papers, book chapters, and software packages. He serves on the advisory boards of several aerospace and biotechnology companies and has served on numerous NSF, DARPA, and NASA committees including (from 2010 to the present) on the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC). He is the recipient of many awards and prizes including the 1997 Richard P. Feynman Award for Molecular Nanotechnology and he is a senior research fellow at the Foresight Institute.

Sessions by Creon Levit

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 10:30 am - 11:00 am | A Look Into Spacecraft Engineering at Planet

Işıl Demir

Director of Mission Systems - Planet

Işıl is Director of Mission Systems at Planet, where she has worked for the last 5 years, building Mission Control systems to fully automate large constellation satellite operations in low-Earth orbit. She began her career as a software engineer at a startup in Istanbul, where she built geospatial web applications. She pursued a Masters of Science in Software Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Silicon Valley in 2013, during which she collaborated with NASA Ames engineers to develop an electronic field notebook application for astronauts and scientists. Upon graduating in 2014, Işıl joined Planet as a DevOps Engineer. She worked on Planet’s Missions Software team to build the software infrastructure and platform to fully automate the operations of the largest Earth-imaging constellation of satellites in the world. The software she and her team are developing is at the heart of Planet’s Agile Aerospace approach and is integral to the constellation’s functioning with minimum-to-no human supervision. She became Director of Mission Systems in 2019. When Planet acquired Terra Bella in 2016, Işıl began working on fully integrating SkySats into Planet’s satellite operations, expanding existing systems into a design that enables scalable, predictable and accountable operations of constellations of heterogeneous satellites. Outside of work, she participates in programs designed to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering and computer science. Işıl was also a presenter at Grace Hopper Celebration 2018, the world’s largest gathering of women technologists.

Sessions by Işıl Demir

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm | A Look Into Mission Control & Operations at Planet

Achim Steiner

Development Program Administrator - United Nations

Achim Steiner became UNDP Administrator on 19 June 2017 and will serve for a term of four years. The United Nations General Assembly confirmed his nomination on 19 April 2017, following his nomination by Secretary-General António Guterres. Mr. Steiner is also the Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which unites 40 entities of the UN system that work to support sustainable development. Over nearly three decades, Achim Steiner has been a global leader on sustainable development, climate resilience and international cooperation. He has worked tirelessly to champion sustainability, economic growth and equality for the vulnerable, and has been a vocal advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining UNDP, he was Director of the Oxford Martin School and Professorial Fellow of Balliol College, University of Oxford. Mr Steiner has served across the United Nations system, looking at global challenges from both a humanitarian and a development perspective. He led the United Nations Environment Programme (2006-2016), helping governments invest in clean technologies and renewable energy. He was also Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi. Achim Steiner previously held other notable positions including Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams. Achim Steiner has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and the United States. He graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (MA) from Worcester College, Oxford University and holds an MA from the University of London/School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

Sessions by Achim Steiner

Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | 9:00 am - 9:30 am | Opening Plenary: A Fireside Chat with Achim Steiner and Dr. Samuel Myers

Catherine Nakalembe

Assistant Research Professor - University of Maryland - Department of Geographical Sciences

Catherine Nakalembe is part of the University of Maryland Harvest Hub, providing support and coordination for Harvest activities in East Africa, working in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda and expansion in the region. Catherine Nakalembe is an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Maryland. She grew up in Kampala, Uganda where she earned a BSc. at Makerere University in Environmental Science. She earned an MSc. in Geography and Environmental Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University and her Ph.D. in Geographical Science at the University of Maryland. Catherine has broad interest ranging from agriculture remote sensing, food security to climate change. She has worked with the World Bank Environment Group and Climate Change Unit, The Nature Conservancy, Washington Adventist University, The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the NASA LCLUC program. She is currently working with government agencies in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda as a co-investigator on the NASA SERVIR Applied Sciences Team and NASA Harvest. Catherine also serves as the Program Assistant for the NASA Land Cover and Land Use Change Program. Her doctoral research focused on drought and its impacts on land use and livelihoods in the Karamoja region of North Eastern Uganda. Catherine pioneered the repurposing of remote sensing by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from agricultural monitoring, to the survey of major refugee camps in her native Uganda.

Sessions by Catherine Nakalembe

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm | NASA Harvest: Food Security Around the World, Moderated by Tanya Harrison

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm | Country-led Geospatial Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security

Dr. Jeffrey Lewis

Director, East Asia Nonproliferation Project (EANP) - Middlebury Institute of International Studies

Dr. Jeffrey Lewis is the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at CNS. Before coming to CNS, he was the director of the Nuclear Strategy and Nonproliferation Initiative at the New America Foundation. Prior to that, he was executive director of the Managing the Atom Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, executive director of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs, a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a desk officer in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. At the Middlebury Institute, He teaches courses on arms control issues in Northeast Asia and Chinese nuclear policy. The work of his team was recently covered in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and VICE. He is the author of Minimum Means of Reprisal: China’s Search for Security in the Nuclear Age (MIT Press, 2007), and Paper Tigers: China’s Nuclear Posture (IISS, 2014). He is a regular columnist for Foreign Policy, and has published articles in Foreign Affairs, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. He is the founder of ArmsControlWonk.com, the leading blog and podcast on disarmament, arms control and nonproliferation.

Sessions by Dr. Jeffrey Lewis

Tue, Oct 13, 2020 | 11:00 am - 11:30 am | A Behind the Scenes Look at a Breaking News Story

Mike Berzinis

Director of GIS - Southern Forestry Consultants

Mike Berzinis is a Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Registered Forester in North Carolina (NCRF 1513) and a forest technology expert. He has led the creation and growth of two commercial technology teams which provide both professional services and commercial software products, patents and supply chain solutions. Currently Mike leads the forestry geospatial group at Southern Forestry Consultants which provides cutting edge, cloud-based business solutions to an industry which has had few options which reflect modern tech standards. Specializing in helping natural resource professionals, Mike’s leads innovation and and modernization efforts so businesses can better function in the digital age where information demands have changed and where all employees carry a smart device. As a registered forester and geospatial technology business line lead, Mike has feet in two very disparate worlds: the slowly changing world of growing trees sustainably over decades and predictability of seasons and the world of rapid change, disruption and the questioning of “how it’s always been done”. With these disparate backgrounds and experience, Mike has a knack for helping organizations bridge the gap between the rapidly changing tech landscape and a professional realm which prides itself in being old fashioned and largely rurally based.

Sessions by Mike Berzinis

Wed, Oct 14, 2020 | 11:00 am - 11:30 am | Digitally Enabling Commercial Forestry with Modern Forest Technologies and Real Time Imagery

Speakers

Keynote and Featured Speakers

Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty

Assistant Professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society - Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University

Jack Dangermond

Founder and President - Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri)

Dr. Stacey A. Dixon

Deputy Director - National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)

Chris Hadfield

Astronaut - First Canadian Commander of the International Space Station (2013)

Robbie Schingler

Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer - Planet

Will Marshall

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer - Planet

Kenneth Roth

Executive Director - Human Rights Watch

Al Gore

Former Vice President

Achim Steiner

Development Program Administrator - United Nations

Speakers

Aaron Smith

Product Manager for Imagery - Planet

Matthew Gray

Managing Director - Carbon Tracker

Margarita Mora

Managing Director, Partnerships - Nia Tero

Dr. Ron Dembo

Rosanne Saccone

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) - Planet

Theresa Hitchens

Space & Air Reporter - Breaking Defense

Dr. Benjamin Koetz

Senior Application and Mission Scientist - Earth Observation Directorate of the European Space Agency (ESA)

Susan Kalweit

Director of the Analysis Directorate - National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Peter Muend

Director, Commercial Systems Program Office, GEOINT Directorate, - National Reconnaissance Office

Tanya Harrison

Manager of Science Programs - Planet Federal

Dheeraj Mehra

Founder and CEO - Micronet Solutions

Dr. Anna Winters

Co-founder and CEO - Akros

Tim Schaub

Principal Geospatial Architect - Planet

Rasmus Houborg

Geospatial Systems Engineer - Planet

Hercilo Odorico

- Mozambique Forest Investment Project

Brittany Dahl

Geospatial Solutions and Imagery Product Consultant - Geoplex

Sella Nevo

Senior Software Engineer - Google

Christopher B. Anderson

Co-Founder - CTO, Salo Sciences

Kaiyu Guan

Blue Waters Assistant Professor - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Thomas Jarzombek

Federal Government Coordinator - German Aerospace Policy

Marek Mlčoušek

Director - Forest Management Institute (FMI)

Jin Wu

Professor - School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong

Zachary Cohen

Reporter - CNN

David Kroodsma

Director of Research and Innovation - Global Fishing Watch

Charlie Whiton

Director of Product - Allen Coral Atlas

Beau Legeer

Imagery and Remote Sensing - Esri

Jesse Hamlin

Global GIS & Database Officer - Halo Trust

Xiaoxiang Zhu

Head of Earth Observation Data Science - German Aerospace Center

Nathan Dickerman

Chief Commercial Officer - Planet

Austin Coates

Sales Engineering Manager - L3Harris