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Camille Alleyne1 ASCEND2022

Camille Alleyne

Deputy Manager, Commercial LEO Development Program, NASA Johnson Space Center

A rocket scientist, internationally acclaimed speaker, trailblazer and world leader, Dr. Camille Wardrop Alleyne is a force to be reckoned with. Her accomplishments in the field of space exploration have been nothing short of extraordinary. In the highly technical fields of science and engineering where women are in the minority, she is one of the most-recognized women in aerospace engineering, one of the few women of color senior leaders at NASA and the first African American to lead a major human spaceflight program at NASA Johnson Space Center. She is a leading voice in the area of space, science and technology application in international and sustainable development, specifically focused on developing countries. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Alleyne migrated to the United States at the age of 17 years old and with her passion for space, she pursued a career designing and developing space and rocket systems.

​She has spent her 29-year career advancing the areas of aerospace and space technology development, including space vehicle design and test and space research. In the last few years, she has emerged as an expert in the areas of space, science and technology application for sustainable global development. Dr. Alleyne currently serves as the Deputy Manager for Commercial LEO Development Program at NASA Johnson Space Center, a role in which she serves as the architect of building $B space economies and enabling commercialization of Low Earth Orbit. Prior to that she served as the Deputy Manager for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services where she developed and managed the foundational strategy for commercializing the moon. She also served as the Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters where she provided technical and executive leadership of over 100 of NASA’s planetary, earth, heliophysics and astrophysics science missions.

Dr. Alleyne has a deep commitment to being of service and making a difference in the lives of young people all across the world, and as a result, has been and continues to be in a unique position to create immense change through her expertise in STEM, advocacy for global education, especially with regards to girls. She is a leading advocate for creating the next generation of female scientists, engineers, technologist and explorers – work she does through her Brightest Stars Foundation.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Florida A&M University, a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from University of Maryland, College Park and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Houston. Dr. Alleyne has received countless awards and recognition for her excellence both nationally and internationally and serves on several boards including the Houston Women’s Commission. Having a dream of one day flying in space, Dr. Alleyne was a finalist in the 2004 Astronaut Selection Program. She is a private pilot and is also know as an icon in the Caribbean in the fields of Science and Technology. She resides in Houston, Texas and has a daughter Kiarra, a Yale and Columbia alum and current law school student at Georgetown University.

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