Commission Members
The Honorable Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge, Jr.
Chairman
Pete Aldridge is a 42-year veteran of aerospace technology leadership, serving the Nation for more than 18
years in the Department of Defense, most recently as the Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and
Logistics. His DoD career began as an operations research analyst. Later he became Under Secretary and then
Secretary of the Air Force under President Reagan. Aldridge gained valuable experience in the private
sector as chief executive officer of The Aerospace Corporation, a non-profit organization dedicated to
solving critical national problems through science and technology, and as president of McDonnell Douglas
Electronic Systems Company. Aldridge was born in Houston, Texas. He earned his bachelor's degree in
aeronautical engineering from Texas A&M University and a master's degree in aeronautical engineering
from Georgia Tech. He lives in Virginia.
Carleton S. Fiorina
Carly Fiorina serves as chairwoman and chief executive officer of Hewlett Packard, a familiar brand in
computer technology that today is making the Internet work for business and consumers. She joined HP in
July 1999. Her roots are deep in technology having served in senior executive leadership positions at AT&T
and Lucent Technologies. She holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and history from Stanford; a master's
degree in business administration from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland
as well as a master's of science degree from MIT's Sloan School. She resides in California.
The Honorable Michael P. Jackson
Michael Jackson is senior vice president for AECOM Technology Corporation responsible for international
business development for this Virginia-based firm. Jackson is the former U.S. Department of Transportation
Deputy Secretary, responsible for the department's day-to-day operations in 2002. He also played a lead
role for DOT in the launch of the Transportation Security Administration in the aftermath of the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Before coming to DOT, Jackson was chief operating officer of Lockheed
Martin Corp.'s intelligent-transportation systems unit. From 1993 to 1997 Jackson was senior vice president
with the American Trucking Associations. He had been chief of staff to then-DOT Secretary Andrew Card from
1992 to 1993. Jackson graduated with honors from the University of Houston and received a Ph.D. in
political science from Georgetown. He lives in Virginia.
Laurie Ann Leshin
Laurie Leshin is the director of Arizona State University's Center for Meteorite Studies and the Dee
and John Whiteman Dean's Distinguished Professor of geological sciences at the University. Her research is
focuses on understanding the formation and evolution of our solar system and its planets. She currently
leads a team that is designing a potential mission to Mars for collection of mars soil samples. She is
widely published in her field of study. Her Ph.D. is from California Institute of Technology. She is an
Arizona resident.
General Lester L. Lyles, (Retired)
General Lyles gave more than 35 years of his life to the US Air Force, rising from the Air Force ROTC
program to become a 4-star general, commander of the Air Force Materiel Command. The command conducts
research, development, test and evaluation, and provides acquisition management and logistics support
necessary to keep Air Force weapon systems at-the-ready. Recipient of numerous awards and military
decorations, Lyles holds a bachelor of science degree from Howard University, Washington, D.C., and a
master of science degree in mathematics and nuclear engineering from New Mexico State University.
He presently resides in Ohio.
Paul D. Spudis
Paul Spudis is a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. His
specialty is the geology of the moon. He has also studied the geology of Mars, Mercury, and many other
worlds. He was the deputy leader of the science team for the Clementine lunar mission in 1994. Spudis
remains active with NASA and national Academy of Sciences committees, helping shape the future of space
exploration. His undergraduate degree in geology is from Arizona State University; a master's degree
from Brown University and his Ph.D. is from Arizona State University. He resides in Maryland.
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil Tyson is an astrophysicist and the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.
His professional research interests include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the
structure of The Milky Way. Tyson is a prolific author and outstanding educator. He served on the Future
of the US Aerospace Industry Commission in 2001. He is a life-long New Yorker, a graduate of public
schools. He went on to earn is bachelor of arts from Harvard and his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Columbia
University. He resides in New York.
The Honorable Robert S. Walker
Robert Walker, is chairman and chief executive officer of The Wexler & Walker Public Policy Associates,
a firm specializing in telecommunications and technology issues. Walker served in the Congress of the
United States from 1977 to 1997, representing his home state of Pennsylvania. While in Congress he served
as the Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, with NASA oversight and a key influencer in
the development of technology, including the Internet. Walker is a frequent public speaker and served the
Nation as the Chair of the US Commission on the Future of US Aerospace Industry in 2001. He holds a
bachelor of science from Millersville University, a master of arts from University of Delaware. A veteran
of the National Guard, Walker also taught school in Pennsylvania before launching his Washington career.
He is a resident of Pennsylvania.
Maria Zuber
Maria Zuber is the E. A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and leads the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. Zuber has
been involved in more than half a dozen NASA planetary missions aimed at mapping the moon, Mars, Mercury,
and several asteroids. Her MIT research focuses on the structure and evolution of the Earth and
terrestrial planets and combines implementation of spacecraft laser and radio tracking with theoretical
modeling of geophysical processes that shape planetary surfaces. She received her bachelor of arts in
astrophysics from the University of Pennsylvania and her Sc. M and Ph.D. in geophysics from Brown
University. She has taught at Johns Hopkins University and served as a research scientist at Goddard
Space Flight Center in Maryland. She resides in Massachusetts.
