Navia, Melissa | ISDC

Melissa Navia

Actor & ISDC 2024 Host

Years of ISDC:
2024

Melissa Navia stars in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as Lt. Erica Ortegas, helmsman of the USS Enterprise. Born and raised in New York, she is a Colombian-American actor and writer who has portrayed a myriad of singular characters on both the stage and screen, including guest star appearances on Billions, Dietland, and Bull. Her STEM outreach and space advocacy work harnesses the power of storytelling and interdisciplinary collaborations to engage, educate, and inspire audiences.

Past Speakers at ISDC

Jessy Maria Aguilar

Attorney-At-Law

Aguilar, Jessy Maria

Justin C. Ahasteen

Executive Director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office

Ahasteen, Justin C.

Robert Aillon

CEO, Leviathan Space Industries & Guayaquil Space Society & Ambassador Milo Space Science Institute

Stevan Akerley

Space Ambassadors Program Director National Space Society

Akerley, Stevan

Dr. Andrew Aldrin

President, Aldrin Family Foundation

Dr. Leon Alkalai

CEO and Founder, Mandala Space Ventures

Alkalai ,Dr. Leon

Al Anzaldua

National Space Society Board of Directors

Isaac Arthur

President of the National Space Society

Adriano V. Autino

Space Renaissance International, CEO, Founder, Space Renaissance International

Autino V., Adriano

Dr. Greg Autry

Clinical Professor and Director, Thunderbird Initiative for Space Leadership, Policy, and Business

Phnam Bagley

Partner and Creative Director at Nonfiction

Gary Barnhard

President & CEO, Xtraordinary Innovative Space Partnerships, Inc

Kevin Barry

Business Analyst

Larry Bartoszek

Owner, Bartoszek Engineering

Bartoszek, Larry

Dr. Sherry Bell-Wakefield

Dean of Psychology, Kepler Space University

Bell-Wakefield, Sherry

Howard Berger

Co-owner, KNB EFX Group

John Billingsley

Actor

Billingsley, John

Gerald Blackburn

Aerospace Legacy Foundation

Blackburn, Gerald

R Andrew Bond

Student, Member of NSS and AIAA

Savanna Box

Graduate Student, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Finn Braun

High School Student, Mars Institute

James Burk

Executive Director, The Mars Society

Dr. Hao Cao

Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

David Caponio

Senior Vice President, Product & Business Development, Vast

Joe Carroll

Retired Aerospace Engineer

Timothy Cassidy-Curtis

Aerospace Legacy Foundation

Cassidy-Curtis, Timothy

Ellen Chang

Vice President Ventures, BMNT

David Cheuvront

Founder, Earth-Space Demonstration and Conservation Center

Cheuvront, David

Annamaria Chilimintris

Music Teacher

Chilimintris, Annamaria

Damian Clogher

Aerospace Engineer, Planetary Sunshade Foundation

Clogher, Damian

Eileen M. Collins

Former NASA Astronaut

Collins, Eileen M.

Samuel Coniglio

Author, Space Futurist, Space Tourism Society

Coniglio, Samuel

Teviet Creighton

Professor & Theoretical Astrophysicist

Creighton, Teviet

Hoyt Davidson

Founder and Managing Partner, Near Earth LLC

Alyson Decker

Chief Executive Officer, Alyson Claire Law, Prof. Corp.

Dr. Don Deever

County Agriculture Extension Agent, University of Nevada-Reno, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources

Benjamin Dickow

President & Executive Director, Columbia Memorial Space Center

Dickow, Benjamin

Jonah Dijoux

Undergraduate College Student, Butte College

Leah Cheli Doolittle

Managing Director & Secretary, The EarthLight Foundation

Doolittle, Leah Cheli

Caleb Dorris

University Student, University of Mississippi School of Law

Dave Dressler

Director of Information Systems, NSS

Dr. Bonnie Dunbar

Retired NASA Astronaut, Engineer and Educator

Steve Durst

Director, International Lunar Observatory Association

Jerry Eddy

Dual Space Access Strategy

David Epstein

United States Foreign Service Officer (U.S. Diplomat), United States Department of State

Megan Eskey

Founder and CEO, Reloquence

Chris Ferguson

Former NASA & Boeing Astronaut

Ferguson, Chris

José Pedro Ferreira

Doctoral Researcher, University of Southern California

Ferreira, José Pedro

William W. “Bill” Gardiner

Laboratory Director, Analytech Division of Laboratory Consulting Sources, Inc.

Gardiner, William

Robert "Hoot" Gibson

Former NASA Astronaut

Gibson, Robert “Hoot”

Richard Godwin

Founder and President, Space Technology Holdings LLC

Godwin, Richard

Anna Golendukhina

Graduate Student, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Author

Golendukhina, Anna

Dr. Aidyl Gonzalez-Serricchio

CalTech Scientist and Outreach Director, International Institute of Astronautical Sciences

Gonzalez-Serricchio, Aidyl

Steven Griggs

President, Space Railway Corporation

Loretta Hall

Author, NSS Space Ambassadors

Michelle Hanlon

Executive Director, Center for Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi

Hanlon, Michelle

Max Haot

CEO, Vast

Art Harman

President, The Coalition to Save Manned Space Exploration

Maria Harney

MD, Scientist, Business Owner, NSS

Dr. Gregory Harrison

CTO, Gravitronics

Harrison, Gregory

Krista Heinemann

High School Student, Mars Institute

Heinemann, Krista

José M. Hernández

Former NASA Astronaut

Hernández, José M.

Tyler Horvath

University of California, Los Angeles

Chris Huie

Astronaut, Aerospace Engineer, Astro Chuie

Aidan Hurley-Kalici

Programming Intern, International Space Elevator Consortium

Hurley-Kalici, Aidan

Jared Isaacman

Mission Commander Polaris Dawn & Inspiration4

Isaacman, Jared

Janet Ivey

Host of Janet's Planet

Fredrick Jenet

National Space Society Board of Directors

Jenet, Fredrick

Karlton Johnson

Chairman, National Space Society Board of Governors

Johnson, Karlton

John Jossy

Chief Web Content Designer, Space Settlement Progress

Elizabeth Kennick

President, Teachers in Space, Inc.

Kennick, Elizabeth

Susan Kilrain

Former NASA Astronaut

King Kumire

Student, UNISA

Lisa La Bonté

Principal, Carnegie Ventures

La Bonté, Lisa

Andrea Lani

Research Expert & Manager, Center for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics at KU Leuven

Alexander Layendecker

Director, Astrosexological Research Institute (ASRI), SpaceBorn United Inc. (SBU)

Layendecker, Alexander

Dr. Pascal Lee

Co-founder and Chairman, Mars Institute

Dr. Claire Leon

Director, Space Systems Integration Office, Space Systems Command, U.S. Space Force

Dr. Dana Levin

Medical Director, Flight Surgeon, Vast & OSMED

Levin, Dr. Dana

Matthew LeVine

Director of the Gerard K. O'Neill Space Settlement Contest, National Space Society

LeVine, Matthew

Allison Lewis

Program Manager, Center for Air and Space Law

Michael Lewis

Government and Legislative Affairs Associate, The Navajo Nation

Mike Lewis

Chief Technology Officer, Voyager Space Exploration

Patrick Lin

Director, Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group / Cal Poly

Dr. David Livingston

Founder and Host, The Space Show®

Livingston, David

Sergio Lucero

Operations Officer for Stellar Access

Bruce Mackenzie

NSS Director Elect, Mars Society, Mars Foundation

Mackenzie, Bruce

Tariq Mailk

Editor-in-Chief, Space.com

Alla Malko, PhD

NSS Awards Committee

John Mankins

President, Mankins Space Technology

Rob Manning

JPL Chief Engineer Emeritus, Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA/Caltech

Brian McManus

Founder, Junto Media Ltd

Cliff McMurray

Freelance Writer

McMurray, Clifford

Nahum Melamed

Project Leader, The Aerospace Corporation

Holly Melear

CEO & Founder, STEAMSPACE Education Outreach

Bryce Meyer

NSS Space Ambassador, Space Farms, St Louis Space Frontier

Christian B. Meza

CEO and Director of Exothermic Films

Meza, Christian B.

Matthew Monahan

Aerospace Legacy Foundation

Monahan, Matthew

Spoorti Nanjamma

Graduate Student, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Nanjamma, Spoorti

Larry Niven

Science Fiction Writer

Mohamed Njah

Vice President, XYZ Landing

Jordan Noone

Co-Founder and General Partner, Embedded Ventures

Bekar Oikashvili

Founder & Chairman of ATIC (Advanced Technologies and Innovations Center), Associate Professor, University of Georgia

Oikashvili, Bekar

O'Raphael Okoro

Analog Researcher Intern, MMAARS (Mars-Moon Astronautics Academy and Research Sciences)

Okoro, O’Raphael

Thomas Andrew Olson

Board Chair, Center for Space Commerce and Finance

Olson, Thomas Andrew

Haroon Oqab

Co-Founder and President, Kepler Space University

Ayse Oren

Architect, DesignArt

Dr. Shawna Pandya

Director of Medical Research Orbital Assembly Corporation

Dr. Paul Phister

Adjunct Professor, ISEC

Doug Plata

President & Founder, The Space Development Network

Jim Plaxco

President, Chicago Society for Space Studies

Ned Popovich

Disruptive Innovation Consultant

Seth Potter

Vice President, Aerospace Legacy

Rod Pyle

Editor-in-Chief, Ad Astra magazine, Author of 20 space books, Host of "This Week in Space"

Volker Quetschke

Professor & Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs in the College of Sciences at UTRGV

Quetschke, Volker

Saba Raji

Master of Building Science student at the University of Southern California School of Architecture

Jim Ridings

Visionary, Orbital Yacht Club

Danielle Roosa

Founder of Back to Space, Back to Space

Roosa, Danielle

Alex Rosalez

Director of Product, Inclusion, Snap and Amazon

Dr. Martine Rothblatt

Chairman & CEO, United Therapeutics Corporation

Rothblatt, Martine

Ken Ruffin

NSS Space Ambassador, NSS Director, Region 3

Michael Runnels

Assistant Professor of Business Law, California State University, Los Angeles

Runnels, Michael

Greg Russell

Sound Mixer

Kevin Russell

Simulation Innovation Strategist, The Human Space Program

David Schrunk

President, Science of Laws Institute

Ericka Isabella Scuderi

Postdoctoral Associate at George Washington University

Scuderi, Erika Isabella

Erik Seedhouse

Associate Professor, Space Operations, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Seedhouse, Erik

Jane Shevtsov

Co-Founder and Board Chair (Propagule), Mathematical Biology Instructor (UCLA), Propagule Space Ecology Institute and UCLA

Alexander Simmonds

Lecturer in Law, University of Dundee

Simmonds, Alexander

Camisha Simmons

Attorney, Simmons Legal PLLC

Simmons, Camisha

Kevin Simmons

CEO, BLUECUBE Aerospace

Dale Skran

COO/SVP, NSS

Dr Eric Smith

Program Scientist, James Webb Telescope Program, NASA

Aldo Spadoni

President, International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA)

Jeff Stepp

TV Producer, Freelance

Dr. Alan Stern

Associate Vice President, Southwest Research Institute

Dennis Stone

Vice President-Business Development, Vast

Daniel Suarez

Science-Fiction Author

Mary Christine (M.C.) Sungaila

Partner, Complex Litigation Group; LLM Candidate, Center for Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi

Sungaila, Mary Christine (M.C.)

Dr. Peter A. Swan

President, International Space Elevator Consortium

Phil Swan

Director of Infrastructure, The Atlantis Project

Dylan Taylor

Chairman & CEO, Voyager Space

Madhu Thangavelu

Department of Astronautical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering

Thangavelu, Madhu

Bryan Versteeg

Conceptual Designer, Spacehabs.com

Versteeg, Bryan

Nana Visitor

Actor

Dr. Leslie Wickman

Research Scientist & Engineering Consultant

Wickman Dr. Leslie

Adam Williams

PhD Student, University of Minnesota

Steven Wolfe

President and Co-Founder, Beyond Earth Institute

Nancy C. Wolfson

The American institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Wolfson, Nancy C.

Dennis Wright

Vice President, International Space Elevator Consortium

Melodie Yashar

VP, Architecture & Building Performance, ICON Technologies, Inc

Yashar, Melodie

Minghao Zou

High School Junior, Valley Christian High School

Robert Zubrin

President, Pioneer Astronautics

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