July 7, 2020, via Zoom webinar Phil McAlister from NASA Headquarters provides an insider’s look at the partnerships between the space agency and private companies and what it means for future space missions. The speaker: Phil McAlister is Director of the Commercial Spaceflight Division at NASA Headquarters where he oversees NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. This program is re-establishing U.S. human access to space through a new and innovative partnership whereby the private sector is responsible for the development of the human space transportation systems and NASA is a buyer of crew transportation services to the International Space Station. Prior to this assignment, Mr. McAlister oversaw the successful Commercial Cargo Program, which facilitated the development of the SpaceX Dragon and Orbital Sciences Antares cargo transportation systems. He also served as the Executive Director for the “Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee” (also known as the Augustine Committee). In 2010, he earned NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal. Prior to NASA, he was a Director at Futron Corporation where he managed a division that performed aerospace business analysis and technology assessments. Before joining Futron, he served as a Senior Manager during a ten-year career at TRW Corporation. Phil has a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, an MS in Systems Engineering from George Mason University, and an MBA degree from Averett University.

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