CSG Author-Analyst Kathleen M. Connell
Sustainable commercial space benefits for humanity
Web site: http://www.missiontohumanity.com
Kathleen M. Connell is currently a Principal of The Connell Whittaker Group, LLC (CWG), a consulting firm dedicated to the expansion of strategic solutions of benefit to humanity, with a focus in renewable energy. Kathleen is an accomplished strategic innovator, dedicated to achieving constructive, large-scale social and economic change, as well as the renewable energy missions of communities, organizations, enterprises, initiatives and programs. She has led new initiatives, and founded new for-profit and nonprofit entities for NASA, state and local government and for the private sector. Her leadership in successful technical and development projects has generated billions of direct and indirect revenues for the economy and improved capabilities for society.
Kathleen has a distinguished science and technology leadership career at NASA, and is a core team founder of the science of astrobiology; an inter-disciplinary science composed of biosciences, earth sciences, space sciences and related fields.
In addition to her space expertise, she is currently engaged in providing strategic consultation to clean tech applications and climate change organizations. In San Diego, she is currently developing a menu of new sustainability events with “San Diego Loves Green” and is in a leadership role in the founding of a new sustainability policy coalition.
Kathleen’s demonstrated and broad areas of expertise include:
- Start-up vision, leadership, management, strategy, crisis management
- Enabling innovation, new R&D and rapid adoption of applications
- Advocacy, public affairs, public engagement, advising public policy makers at the international, federal, state and local levels
- Enterprise, program and project management
- Business development, partnerships, coalitions and movement building
- Research and analysis, future scenarios
- Socially responsive local economic development
- Marketing, strategic communications, web, media, print and special event planning, coordination and execution.
Recently, Kathleen initiated and co-led the creation of a virtual Exploration, Life and Medical Sciences Coalition (ELMS Coalition), representing 100,000 life scientists across the country. This coalition created a community of concurrence and policy rebuttal, in response to the cancellation of the national space life sciences program. Congress, The National Academy of Sciences and others responded to the call for relief, and new legislation resulted in both Authorization and initial Appropriations with more restoration expected under a new Administration.
At the federal level, prior to founding CWG, Kathleen was appointed Adjunct Faculty, San Jose State University (SJSU) at NASA Research Park in Silicon Valley. While with SJSU, Kathleen proposed a new results-oriented rationale for space exploration, captured as The Center For Humanity and Space Exploration. Kathleen came to SJSU after a tour as Associate Director/Senior Scientist, Bio/IT Integration for the Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science, a division of the University Space Research Association (USRA), NASA Ames Research Center. While co-managing a 100-person research institute, she worked with the new field of space genomics. She was Principal Investigator for societal investigations in life, earth and space sciences benefits, with Alvin Toffler and other experts.
Kathleen proposed and co-led a Bio-Info-Nano Fusion and NASA Missions Initiative, which developed advanced technology concepts for next generation applications. Kathleen was the fist to envision and articulate a multi-partner California Space Center, realized by Ames as NASA Ames Moffett Park Development Plan.
At the state level, Kathleen was a founder and first Policy Director of the Aerospace States Association (ASA) reporting to Ambassador Governor Gail Schoettler, (CO). Concurrently, she was an invited adviser to the Director of NASA’s Life Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. At the project level, Kathleen is a Group member, Return to Flight, of the first Shuttle flight and landing, post-Challenger Accident; acquisition of emergency imaging for the Comet Haley Encounter, which became the U.S. effort in an international flotilla after the loss of Haley’s payload on Challenger; on-site manager and liaison with the Air Force and Japan for the first Leonids Comet encounter, Okinawa, Japan.
In addition, prior to working with NASA, she was a community leader involved in every aspect of planning and development of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency parcels in and around the Moscone Convention Center in downtown San Francisco. She led the final discussions with the Mayor, which resulted in a historic collaborative agreement and final development of the disputed aspects of the redevelopment project.