Kristen Smithson is Chief of Staff for Spaceflight where she has previously served as VP of Business Operations, VP of Strategic Initiatives, and Director of Mission Management. In her current role she drives cross-functional alignment for strategic and operational initiatives. She manages the priority efforts of the CEO and the entire executive team. During her time at Spaceflight, she has built their best-in-class Mission Management team, overseen the creation Spaceflight’s online customer portal and launch booking platform, managed pre- and post- acquisition efforts with the Mitsui acquisition, and managed the construction and move into a new facility, an undertaking that earned her recognition from NIAOPWA as Renovation of the Year.

Kristen has 15 years of experience leading people in technical organizations, and spearheading major projects and initiatives. Beginning with her early career in mission operations for the NASA, through managing the lead customer on Spaceflight’s groundbreaking SSO-A rideshare satellite launch mission, Kristen is an expert at bringing together talented individuals with distinctive skillsets into a highly effective team that can take an organization to new heights.

Kristen holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University, and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University. When she’s not awestruck by rocket launches, Kristen enjoys taking in the awe of the mountains while skiing or biking.