Episode 42: Heather Roden

Heather Roden is the Director of Space Camp Education at the US Space and Rocket Center. With a long career in informal education and museum experience, Heather oversees the Space Academy for Educators program, a Space Camp experience for teachers.

Jeff Haars is the Vice President and General Manager Space Exploration Division at Amentum, an advanced engineering and innovative technology company that has supported projects with the United States Military and NASA. Their current projects include parts of the Space Launch System and Human Landing System for the Artemis program.

Brenda Carr is the Executive Director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation. Prior, she served as Vice President of Development at the US Space and Rocket Center, led the marketing department at Community Bank, and was the Director of Public Information in the Office of the Alabama Secretary of State for a decade.

PeggyLee Wright was a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot who flew with the 82nd Airborne Division. She is the founder and president of The Company You Keep, a leadership consulting company working with government, military, academia, non-profit, and industry organizations. She serves on multiple boards in the Huntsville, Alabama area, including the Huntsville Special Operations Forces Network.

Rey Almodóvar is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Emeritus of INTUITIVE, an aerospace and defense company in Huntsville, Alabama. As a civilian engineer for the U.S. Army, Rey worked on multiple weapons systems, including the Patriot missile. Rey has received a number of prestigious awards, is a member of the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission, the Von Braun Center Board of Control, and the Industry Advisory Board of his alma mater the University of Puerto Rico School of Engineering.

Lieutenant Commander Diallo Wallace is a Naval Aviator and Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer in the NAVAIR Reserve Program. Wallace has a bachelor’s in Electronics Engineering and a Masters degree in Astronautical Engineering. He has served as an analog astronaut, is a K-12 teacher, and an alumni of Space Camp.

Joseph Corso is a senior studying planetary science at Purdue University. He is a former Aviation Challenge crew trainer and is currently working as an intern at Polaris Dawn. He has participated in microgravity campaigns, civilian spacesuit research, and a variety of other exciting programs in his pursuit of becoming an astronaut.

Rebecca Torzone is the Division Vice President and General Manager, Airborne Multifunction Sensors at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. She has more than 20 years of experience within the aerospace and defense industry. Rebecca attended Space Camp three times as a teenager, and today serves on the US Space and Rocket Center Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Ashlee Stevenson attended Space Camp Aviation Challenge five times in her youth before returning as a Crew Trainer during college. A graduate of Georgia Tech, today she is the Digital Dealer Platforms Performance Lead at Mercedes-Benz USA, and serves on the Space Camp Alumni Association board of directors.

William Hudson holds a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections from The Citadel in South Carolina. He worked at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in various roles at Space Camp and Aviation Challenge before leaving for a position at Marshall Space Flight Center as a Payload Communications Manager for the International Space Station.