Founding Executive Director John Gedmark Welcomes His Successor
On Board
Eric Anderson, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the
Commercial Spaceflight Federation, is pleased to announce that the
Federation has selected Dr. Alexander Saltman as the
organization’s Executive Director. Saltman is a physicist who
has most recently served as the Legislative Director for
Congressman Adam Schiff of California. His appointment will be
effective November 14. Saltman succeeds John Gedmark, the
organization’s founding Executive Director, who is departing
to pursue a new opportunity.
Separately, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation is currently
conducting an executive search for a new President to replace Rear
Admiral Craig Steidle, who stepped down earlier this fall for
medical reasons.
“I’ve had the privilege to know Alex for several
years now, and he is a talented leader with a diverse technical,
management, and public policy background," Gedmark said . "Alex is
the perfect candidate to continue and expand the achievements of
the Commercial Spaceflight Federation as we move into the
industry’s next phase of development and
operations.”
Saltman called himself "privileged" to join CSF as Executive
Director. "I will have the unparalleled opportunity to help create
a new industry–one that will open a new frontier to Americans
and people around the world," he said. "Commercial spaceflight has
the potential to transform our world the way the automobile and the
airplane did in years past. John Gedmark has done an outstanding
job helping to create and grow this organization, and I look
forward to adding to his record of accomplishment.”
Gedmark has served as Executive Director of the Commercial
Spaceflight Federation since the organization was incorporated in
2006 and has overseen the growth of the Federation from the
original 10 companies to over 50 members today. The Federation has
become well-known to the press, the public, and to policymakers as
a leading resource on the growing commercial spaceflight industry,
and has presided over 12 CEO-level meetings of the Federation
members since 2006.
During Gedmark’s tenure, the Federation played a lead role
in the establishment of a number of major space policy changes and
new programs, including the United States Government's policy that
commercial spaceflight providers shall be the primary means for
transporting American astronauts to Earth orbit. The Federation
also played a lead role in the adoption of new FAA regulations for
commercial human spaceflight, the establishment of NASA’s
Commercial Crew Program and Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research
(CRuSR) Program, as well as funding for the FAA’s spaceport
infrastructure program. In addition, state legislation on
spaceflight liability has become law in Virginia, Florida, Texas,
and New Mexico.
Saltman has a wide range of experience in space policy,
government, and scientific research. He most recently served as the
Legislative Director for Congressman Schiff, who represents an area
of Southern California that includes NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, and who, as a member of the House Appropriations
Committee, has been a leading figure in space policy and NASA
appropriations issues. In that capacity Saltman oversaw a staff of
five and led legislative efforts from conception to enactment,
while advising the Congressman on science, space, energy,
environment, and nonproliferation issues, as well as on relevant
appropriations matters.
Saltman joined the Congressional office after receiving an
American Physical Society Congressional Fellowship, having
previously worked as a scientific researcher at the Stanford Linear
Accelerator National Laboratory. Saltman has also worked for Wired
Magazine and contributed freelance articles to the publication. A
native of Texas, Saltman earned his bachelor’s degree in
physics from Harvard University and his doctorate degree in physics
from Stanford University.