THE HONORABLE PAMELA A. MELROY (COLONEL, USAF, RET.)
Pam Melroy is a senior aerospace executive with government and industry experience across civil, commercial, and national security space. She is the former Deputy Administrator of NASA, a former NASA astronaut and Space Shuttle commander, and a retired US Air Force test pilot.
Pamela Melroy was commissioned in the United States Air Force and served as a KC-10 copilot, aircraft commander, and instructor pilot. Female speaker Pam Melroy is a veteran of Operation Just Cause and Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, with over 200 combat and combat support hours. She attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. She was assigned to the C-17 initial test team as a test pilot until her selection for the Astronaut Program. She has logged more than 6’000 hours flight time in more than 50 different aircraft.
Pamela Melroy Speaker Topics
- Visionary Keynote – Why exploration should be more like Star Trek
- Responsible Exploration: Preserving the Cosmos for Tomorrow.
- The Future of Commercial Space
- Driving Innovation and Change – Space is a Catalyst for Global Corporation
- Small Steps, Giant Leaps – Behind the Strategy
- Leadership, Truth & Trust – Benefits to Humanity
Pam Melroy was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in March 1995. She flew three missions in space: as Space Shuttle pilot during STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002, and as Space Shuttle Commander during STS-120 in 2007. All three missions were assembly missions to build the International Space Station. She has logged more than 38 days in space and was one of only two women to command the Space Shuttle.
Pam Melroy was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2021.
Colonel Pamela Melroy retired from the Air Force in 2007, and left NASA in August 2009. After NASA, she served in executive roles at Lockheed Martin, the Federal Aviation Administration, DARPA, Nova Systems Pty, and on multiple boards. In 2021 she was appointed by President Joe Biden as the Deputy Administrator of NASA, serving until January 2025. She now serves as President and Managing Partner for MH Technology Partners, a consulting firm.
Melroy is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and the Royal Aeronautical Society. She is a Member of the US National Academy of Engineering.
Pamela Melroy Key Achievements
- Over 6000 hours in over 60 aircraft
- Set 7 aviation world records as a test pilot
- Led her crew on STS-120 through an emergency space walk to repair a torn solar array, saving the International Space Station (received American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award)
- Flew three times in space on the Space Shuttle to assemble the International Space Station, including one of only two women to command the Space Shuttle.
- NASA executive leading the formation of the Moon to Mars Strategy, the Commercial LEO Microgravity Strategy, the NASA Space Sustainability Strategy, the NASA Climate Strategy, and the NASA AI Strategy.
- Won The Stellar Trophy (Lifetime Achievement Award) from the Rotary National Awards for Space Achievement Foundation
Pamela Melroy is worldwide one of the best speaker on topics such as the future of space, leadership, strategy and change management, and the state of the space industry.