AstroAccess Executive Leadership
Anna Voelker
Executive Director, Co-Founder
Anna Voelker is the founder and Executive Director of the SciAccess, Inc., an international nonprofit organization that promotes disability inclusion in STEM education, outreach, and research. Through SciAccess, Anna leads numerous science accessibility programs, including Mission: AstroAccess and the annual SciAccess Conference, which unites an international audience with a shared passion for science equity. Anna was named to the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 List for their work in social impact.
Anna specializes in accessible science outreach for diverse audiences and is passionate about making STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) accessible to all, as detailed in their 2017 TEDx Talk. Anna is an avid public speaker and has given over 50 presentations on space science accessibility across 4 continents. In 2021, Anna hosted a live NASA event where astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) answered questions from students with disabilities. This was the first ISS event to feature American Sign Language in over a decade. Anna was named a 2018 Brooke Owens Fellow, 2021 Future Space Leader, and previously worked at NASA Kennedy, NASA Goddard, the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Ohio State University Department of Astronomy, the International Astronomical Union’s Office of Astronomy for Development, and the Aerospace Corporation.
George Whitesides
Co-Founder Emeritus
George Whitesides is the Co-Founder Emeritus of AstroAccess. George is a U.S. Congressman for California's 27th Congressional District. George served as the first CEO of Virgin Galactic, and over the course of ten years brought the company to successful spaceflight operations and a public listing on the NYSE. He served as the Chief of Staff for NASA under President Obama and Administrator Charlie Bolden. He serves on advisory councils for Caltech, Princeton, and the Giant Magellan Telescope. He is committed to opening space for the benefit of all.
Caitlin O'Brien
Assistant Director
Caitlin O’Brien (she/her/hers) is doctoral student in Astrophysics at Cornell University studying cosmology. She received her B.S. in Astronomy and Physics from The Ohio State University with a specialization in Science and Engineering in the Public Interest. Her current work is funded by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) testing General Relativity on the largest observable scales of the universe.
Caitlin is the Assistant Director of SciAccess, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing disability inclusion in STEM. As part of this work, she serves on the leadership board for the AstroAccess program, which applies universal design principles to space architecture toward the future of human space exploration. In 2024, she received the NASA Space Tech Catalyst Prize for her work with SciAccess.
Caitlin is the Founder and Director of Solstice Outreach, a social enterprise that provides interactive astronomy outreach to underserved communities through portable planetarium shows. She is also a James A. Abrahamson Fellow with the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab and an Educational Outreach Subcommittee member of the ISS National Lab User Advisory Committee. In 2023, she was named a Brooke Owens Fellow, working as a space policy researcher with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.
Kyle J. Horn
Director of Flight Operations
Kyle Horn is a Ph.D. Candidate at MIT in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, practicing EMT, and avid adventurer. As an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, his research focus is on space systems engineering as it pertains to in-situ resource utilization for space habitation and planetary exploration. He has previously worked for NASA JPL, Blue Origin, and NASA Langley.
For AstroAccess, Kyle serves as the Director of Flight Operations. He is also the PI for the MIT-sponsored investigation of insulin delivery pumps in microgravity, and he co-authored the AIAA Space Architecture Decadal Survey (2025-2034) chapter on space accessibility. In addition to his research, Kyle is a volunteer EMT, student pilot, SCUBA diver, and backcountry adventurer.
Sheila Xu
Director of Development
Sheila Xu (she/her) is currently pursuing dual MPP and MBA degrees at Harvard University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Sheila earned her Bachelor of Science in Humanities and Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is the first Deaf Asian female pilot and has interned at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Sheila is interested in developing and investing in accessible space technology and advocating for policy changes to open up aerospace and aviation traditionally closed to people with disabilities.
Andi Limon
Director of Communications
Andi Limon is an accomplished marketing manager with a strong background in the aerospace & defense industry. As a deaf traveler with cochlear implants, Andi is a dedicated advocate for accessible transportation from ground to space. Holding a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science in Communications from Syracuse University, she brings a wealth of expertise to her role as a Director of Communications at AstroAccess.
Eric Ingram
Executive Leadership Advisor
John Lee
Chief Accessibility Officer
John Lee has over 25 years of experience as an assistive technology professional and occupational therapist. John currently provides assistive technology (AT) consultations and training to students registered with the Disability Resource Center at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA. In addition, he consults with Cal Poly faculty and staff in the area of digital accessibility, ensuring that all campus members and visitors have equal access to electronic documents, audio/video, websites, and electronic products. He enjoys collaborating with Cal Poly engineering students on assistive technology design projects.
John is also an active member of the local disability/accessibility advocacy group, Access For All, which strives to cultivate an accessible San Luis Obispo county where people with disabilities have equal opportunities in all aspects of life. As a lifelong disabled person who uses a power-assist wheelchair, he is passionate about promoting disability as diversity and accessibility as inclusion, both on Earth and beyond.
AstroAccess Organizing Team
Dr. Emily Matula is currently at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX working as an EVA flight controller/instructor. She earned her undergrad degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), master’s degree in space engineering from the University of Michigan, and her PhD in Bioastronautics (human spaceflight) at the University of Colorado (Boulder). Her passion is human spaceflight and making sure humans can explore the universe as safely as possible. Outside of work she enjoys working on cars, riding motorcycles, playing with Arduinos, and volunteering with k-12 students to get them excited about STEM fields.
John D. Kemp, Esq. (he/him), is the President & CEO, Lakeshore Foundation and is a widely respected leader in the disability rights movement. He is also an accomplished executive in the corporate and nonprofit worlds. A person with a disability, John co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities. He currently serves as President and CEO of Lakeshore Foundation, an internationally recognized organization providing opportunities for individuals with physical disability to lead healthy, active lives through physical activity, sports, research, and advocacy. In addition, John chairs Delta Air Lines’ Advisory Board on Disability and serves on the boards of directors of Inclusively.com and Galt Foundation. Among his many honors, two of the most meaningful to John are the Henry B. Betts Award, regarded as America’s highest honor for disability leadership and service, and the Dole Leadership Prize. Dole award recipients include Nelson Mandela and two former U.S. Presidents. A renowned global speaker, John inspires others to achieve greatness through knowledge, experience, vision, and persistence. His latest book, Disability Friendly: How to Move from Clueless to Inclusive, is a clarion call to businesses around the world to realize the opportunities presented by employing people with disabilities. It explains the potential of disabled employees and how to create a culture of inclusion and, in the process, help people with disabilities become proud contributors. John believes everyone should have the opportunity to reach for the stars, including participating in space travel.
As an AstroAccess Ambassador, John is helping to make that future a reality by having participated in a zero-gravity flight with fifteen other disabled ambassadors in December 2022. The tests they conduct during the two-hour flight should open the way for inclusive space travel and encourage STEM careers. John is a graduate of Georgetown University and Washburn University School of Law. He and his wife, Sameta, enjoy spending time with their family, including five grandsons.
Dr. Ariel Ekblaw is the founder and former Director of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative, a team of over 50 graduate students, staff, and faculty actively prototyping the artifacts of our sci-fi space future. Founded in 2016, the Initiative includes a portfolio of 40+ research projects focused on opening access to life in space, and supports an accelerator-like R&D program for payload development and flight testing across MIT and many outreach communities. For the Initiative, Ariel drives space-related research across science, engineering, art, and design, and charters an annually recurring cadence of parabolic flights, sub-orbital, and orbital launch opportunities. Ariel graduated with a B.S. in Physics, Mathematics and Philosophy from Yale University and designed a novel space architecture habitat for her MIT PhD in autonomously self-assembling space structures. Her research work and engineering lab builds towards future habitats and space stations in orbit around the Earth, Moon, and Mars. Ariel’s work has been featured in WIRED (March 2020 cover story), MIT Technology Review, Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, CNN, NPR, PRI’s Science Friday, IEEE and AIAA proceedings, and more. Ariel serves on the NASA Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) Executive Committee, guiding and shaping the coming decade of burgeoning activity on the moon, and is the author/editor of the forthcoming "Into the Anthropocosmos: A Whole Space Catalog from the MIT Space Exploration Initiative" with MIT Press (September 2021). Ariel has had the rare honor and pleasure of working directly on space hardware that now resides on the surface of Mars. Humanity stands on the cusp of interplanetary civilization and space is our next, grand frontier. This opportunity to design our interplanetary lives beckons to us—Ariel strives to bring our space exploration future to life.
Tim Bailey is a catalyst, working in various fields to initiate and accelerate opportunities. For the past 18 years he has been a a part-time Flight Attendant with the Zero Gravity Corporation, racking up over 7,500 parabolas across more than 350 flights. He also serves as Executive Director and Board member for Yuri’s Night, the global nonprofit organization supporting grassroots celebrations on the anniversary of human spaceflight, April 12. Tim has also worked on projects with various agencies including NASA, DARPA, the Department of Energy, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). He is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and proud father of two adventurous kids.
Zach Damon is an award-winning professional actor, voice actor, and broadcaster. His voice can be heard on stations all across the United States and Canada. He is also the owner of Zach Damon Productions, LLC. The company produces local television, radio, and web-based media content for distribution. Since the early 1990s, Zach has been an advocate for disability issues through public speaking and media work. He first joined Astro Access as Member of the Ground Crew for Zero-G Mission Flight 2 in Houston, Texas. He believes strongly in the mission of Astro Access in promoting disability inclusion in space exploration and is humbled and honored to be a part of the Astro Access team.
Dr. Jim Vanderploeg has over 40 years of experience in aerospace medicine with a career spanning medical support for the NASA Space Shuttle program, serving as Chief Medical Officer and now Senior Medical Advisor for Virgin Galactic, and the clinical practice of civilian aviation medicine. He is Adjunct Professor of Aerospace Medicine in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Population Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. His previous work included Executive Director and Principal Investigator on multiple research projects of the FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation; evaluation of airline pilots seeking special issuance authorization for medical certification following recovery from medical or psychological problems; and training physicians in the specialty of aerospace medicine. Dr. Vanderploeg served as a medical advisor and participant on the Zero-G flight for Professor Stephen Hawking in 2007 and has continue his interest in making space flight available to people with all levels of ability. As Virgin Galactic’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Vanderploeg was responsible for developing and implementing the medical programs for spaceflight participants, Virgin Galactic pilots, and other employees.
Dr. Vanderploeg is President of the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine, Past President of the Aerospace Medical Association, and is Board Certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine in both Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Medicine. He has numerous publications, including medical results from research using centrifuge exposure to simulate the G forces of a suborbital space flight.
Rebecca M. Bresnik is the Associate Chief Counsel for International Matters at NASA. Ms. Bresnik started her legal career in 1999, clerking for the Superior Court of New Jersey, in Camden, New Jersey. She then took a position as Associate General Counsel for the Office of the General Counsel of the Air Force at the Pentagon in 2000. During her time at the Pentagon she also worked for the Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. In 2004, Ms. Bresnik took a position with Northrop Grumman’s Air Combat Systems and Unmanned Air Systems. In 2004, Ms. Bresnik joined the Office of Chief Counsel at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) and is presently the Associate Chief Counsel for International Matters and the lead attorney for International Space Station legal issues. She is also a Professor of Space Law and faculty advisor for the Space Law Society at the University of Houston Law Center. She has also lectured as a Fulbright Specialist overseas on topics of space law.
Tracey Knutson's law practice focuses completely on defense of recreation and adventure activity entities (commercial operators, non-profits, public land administrators, educators, insurers, etc.) so she sees risk management issues from both the proactive stance (drafting releases, permit applications, operations plans, legislation, in-house training, etc.) to the reactive stance (dealing with litigation and defense of actual claims made against operators). She has been speaking publicly in the arena of recreation risk management for 25+ years and has spoken both nationally and internationally to groups that range from the emerging Commercial Human Spaceflight industry to the America Outdoors Association to the Colorado River Outfitters Association to the Dude Ranchers Association, WRMC, etc. She serves as general counsel to large entities like the American Alpine Club, O.A.R.S., etc. and is regularly hired by insurance companies both to defend lawsuits and to look at underwriting standards for recreational insurance products.
Dr. Sheyna Gifford is an Aerospace Researcher and Rehabilitation Physician. She is also the founder of Women in Aerospace Medicine, a STEM mentor and educator, professional science communicator, and simulated astronaut. She was the crew health and safety officer for HI-SEAS IV, the longest space analog in US history, and a mission specialist on HERA VI, a simulated mission to Mars-crossing asteroid Geographos. She received dual-degrees from the University of California at Berkeley in 2003, a Masters of Science in Biotechnology in 2005, an MD in 2013, a Masters in Science Journalism in 2015, and an MBA in 2019. She has worked as an aerospace engineer for Berkeley Space Science Laboratories (rHESSI satellite, power systems), a cosmologist (DEEP2 sky survey, Dr. Marc Davis), a researcher in psychology and neuroscience at Berkeley, Brown, Harvard, and Massachusetts General Hospital, and has more than a hundred publications spanning health, space, science, and medical education. She has given numerous public presentations on how Space Needs Everyone and aspires to make space travel safe, affordable, and accessible to everyone who needs space.
Dr. Erik Viirre M.D. Ph.D. is a Professor in the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Department of Neurosciences, and is the Director of the UCSD Arthur C Clarke Center for Human Imagination. His interests in spaceflight include information systems, spatial orientation in weightlessness and the physiology of spaceflight. He is the PI and co-PI of the UCSD BOARDS missions to the International Space Station. He has worked on wearable astronaut information systems for NASA and served as a medical consultant to ZERO-G, Virgin Galactic Corporation, and Blue Origin. Dr. Viirre has had the privileges of meeting Sir Arthur C. Clarke in person in Sri Lanka and serving as the Chief Medical Officer of ZERO-G leading the medical team that took Professor Stephen Hawking into weightlessness. Dr. Viirre received his Ph.D. in Neurophysiology in 1987 at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada and his M.D. in 1988. He was a graduate of the Inaugural Class of International Space University (ISU) in 1988.
Dr. Daniel J. Lundberg is a Deaf professor of chemistry and the director for both the Biology and Chemistry & Physics Programs at Gallaudet University. After becoming deaf from spinal meningitis at the age of 15 months, his family and educators worked hard to ensure he had full access to the knowledge and experiences that his hearing classmates had growing up. After graduating from Gallaudet with a biology B.S., working as a post-bac at the National Cancer Institute, and completing his pharmacology Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Dan returned to his alma mater and has taught at Gallaudet for the past 13 years. He currently serves as the Gallaudet affiliate for the NASA DC Space Grant consortium and is the faculty advisor for the astronomy club. Dan enjoys sharing the wonders of the sciences with his family, students and advocating for the deaf/hard of hearing’s equal access and opportunities in space exploration.
Jody Greenhalgh
She is a leader in various fields, such as hospital ethics, disability advocacy, and emergency medical care. She has extensive experience in facilitating critical incident debriefings, moderating groups of high-risk women living with HIV, and supporting children with life-threatening diseases and their families. Her work has been published in academic journals and books, and she has co-authored articles on topics such as wheelchair selection and muscular dystrophy. Jody has also coordinated outreach events for children with special needs and promoted therapeutic canine assistance services. She is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and professional conferences, and an international traveler who has participated in the OT Ambassador Delegation to Costa Rica and attended the World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress in South Africa and France.
Marilyn McPoland's professional career has piloted her into holding such positions as Senior Director of Operations for the X PRIZE, Director of Programs for the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, and Executive Producer, and Founder of the Pierfest Sea and Air Show. Currently Marilyn holds the position of Executive Director of Events at California State University, Dominguez Hills. In this role, she oversees a department that manages in excess of 60 annual events, including the annual South Bay Economic Forecast now in its 9th year which she founded, and is attended by more than 250 leading industry professionals. She is also involved in creating a documentary on the Dominguez Hills 1910 Air Meet. Marilyn has served on Boards for the American Marketing Association, the Association of Western States Aviation Museums, the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She formerly held the position Treasurer for the LA-LV AIAA Section, and currently serves as the Deputy Director Finance, Regional Advisory Committee VI for AIAA.
Dr. Vanessa Farsadaki is the preeminent thought-leader towards advancing the discipline of Space Medicine. A proud American citizen of Greek descent and a Medical Doctor, Dr. V as she is known colloquially, is on-track to become Greece’s first-ever Astronaut in history. She is a scuba diver, a pilot in training and a skydiver. As the President and Managing Partner of Space Exploration Strategies LLC, Dr. V’s impressive bona fides include advanced degrees in Biology, Genetics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Business Leadership. She has authored and co-authored a plethora of articles advocating for advancements in her field of expertise, and her deep experiences with Radiation Exposure and Protection have made her a sought-after advisor on high-end programs of note for the gravitas she brings to the discussions. Additionally, her fluency in 18 languages is a testament to her ability to engage with a broad range of audiences, and thus she continues to serve as a keynote speaker at numerous fora to include the prestigious Kings College in London, England and many other universities internationally. She has won numerous awards among which the International Trailblazer award for her futurist work in Space Medicine. She is a British Interplanetary Society fellow and the youngest Space Ambassador to be ever recognized by the National Space Society.
Luticha André Doucette is the author of the groundbreaking book: Cultivating An Intersectional Mindset. She graduated from the
Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in Bioinformatics where she developed protein surface prediction algorithms. After graduating, she was a Fellow at the University of Rochester where she worked in a genomics lab that focused on analyzing the venom of parasitoid wasps to develop new drug therapies for various diseases. In 2017 she authored a report on wage disparities across race, gender, and disability in Rochester and Monroe County in conjunction with the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative and in 2018 authored a follow-up report on employment barriers for disabled people in Rochester and Monroe County. She is a graduate of the Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship program and an AUCD Emerging Leader an inductee into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame established by the National Disability Mentoring Coalition and the 2020 – 2021 Distinguished Alumni Awardee from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Luticha’s research and writing has been featured in various publications such as Insect Molecular Biology, Toxicon, The New York Times, and Yes! Magazine. She is a former founding member of Rochester Accessible Adventures and she helped change the landscape, and attitudes, around inclusive recreation in New York State. She is the owner of Catalyst Consulting, which helps organizations, leaders, and advocates examine equity across race, gender identity, and disability in policies, practices, procedures, and relationships. In her spare time she is a fencer, cyclist and outdoor enthusiast.
AJ Link (he/him) is openly autistic. He received his JD from The George Washington University Law School and his LL.M in Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, while also serving as the inaugural director of The Center for Air and Space Law Task Force on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Aerospace. AJ is the Director of Communications for Mission: AstroAccess and works as a research director for the Jus Ad Astra project. He also serves as the president of the National Disabled Law Students Association, which he co-founded.
AJ has been actively involved with disability advocacy in the Washington, DC area and nationally within the United States. He serves on several advisory boards and steering committees that focus on disability advocacy and broader social justice movements.
Brenda Williamson is a graduate of aerospace engineering at UC San Diego. She was the Chairperson of the AIAA Student Branch at UCSD as well as a board member and project manager for the Themed Entertainment Association at UCSD. She previously served as the Director of Logistics with AstroAccess. Her passion in the aerospace industry is to make it possible for the average person to explore outer space. She strives to promote the exploration and development of space with an interest in human factors engineering, systems engineering, and project management. Brenda flew with AstroAccess on Aurelia Horizon in 2024, running an experiment to research accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing astronauts.