Colorado State of Aerospace

Christie Lee is the State and Local Affairs Director for United Launch Alliance (ULA) headquartered in Centennial, Colorado. She has over 20 years of experience in state and local government and prior to joining ULA in 2022, she worked for 10 years in State and Local Government Relations at Lockheed Martin Space. She is involved in many local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations throughout multiple states and is the current Chair of the Colorado Competitive Council in the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, a past Board Chair of the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, and currently sits on the Denver South, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast Boards. She is also on the Board of the Colorado Space Business Roundtable where she developed a two-week aerospace internship for rural high school and college students in the state of Colorado for 9 years and has since expanded the program to Alabama in 2021. She serves as the Co-Chair of the Colorado Chapter of Citizens for Space Exploration and manages and coordinates Aerospace Day at the Capitol in Colorado and is involved is many other outreach events across multiple states including Alabama, Colorado, and Florida. Christie worked for Legislative Council at the Colorado General Assembly prior to her role at Lockheed Martin. Christie graduated from Colorado State University with a BA in Political Science and holds a paralegal certificate from Denver Paralegal Institute.

Joe Rice is Director of Government Relations for Lockheed Martin Space (LMS). Lockheed Martin Space Government Relations (LMS GR) works primarily at the state and local level in areas where LMS has business interests to facilitate relations with federal, state, and local government officials as well as business, education, and community organizations. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in August 2011, Mr. Rice served two terms in the Colorado State Legislature from 2007-2010 as State Representative for House District 38. While in the legislature, he focused primarily on transportation and economic development, passing legislation resulting in significant transportation improvements and job creation. He also previously served two terms as the Mayor of Glendale, Colorado, from 1996-2003. His professional business experience includes more than 10 years of customer service management experience with MCI Telecommunications, JDEdwards, and Wells Fargo Bank. Mr. Rice has over 32 years of military service, primarily in the United States Army Reserve. He currently holds the rank of Colonel and entered the Retired Reserve in June 2017 where he is subject to recall in the event of a large scale mobilization of the reserve components. Military service includes UN peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and five combat tours of duty in Iraq including serving as the Senior Military Officer facilitating establishment of the first democratically selected Baghdad City Council and subsequently as an advisor to both Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces on the streets of Baghdad. He is Airborne and Ranger qualified. Mr. Rice is on the Board of the Colorado Space Business Roundtable and is active with the Colorado Space Coalition and Citizens for Space Exploration. He served on the Colorado Aeronautical Board, from 2015 to 2020, appointed by then-Governor John Hickenlooper. He previously was an adjunct professor of history, government, and public administration at the University of Phoenix, Colorado Campus. He served on the Board of Directors of Sister Cities International and helps coordinate the Baghdad-Denver Region Partnership (BDRP). Mr. Rice holds an associate’s degree from the New Mexico Military Institute, a bachelor's degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver, a master’s of public administration degree from the University of Colorado at Denver, and a master’s of strategic studies degree from the U.S. Army War College. Military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, the Combat Action Badge for actions under enemy fire, and the Expert Infantryman’s Badge. Mr. Rice has been recognized for leadership in global diplomacy by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He was recognized for collaborative problem solving by Club 20, a coalition representing western Colorado, by receiving the Johnson-Theos Bridge Builder Award. Along with Astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin, Joe Rice is one of six recipients of the Thomas R. Hobson Aerospace Distinguished Service Award by the Aerospace States Association.

Eve Lieberman was appointed by the Governor to serve as the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade on January 2nd, 2023. Prior to that, she had served as the Chief Policy Advisor and Legislative Counsel for Governor Jared Polis for all four years of his first term. She managed the legislative policy and federal affairs teams and oversaw many successful Governor priorities, including the passage of Free Full Day Kindergarten, the implementation of universal preschool, historic investments in transportation, and economic recovery programs. Eve served over ten years on Capitol Hill, working as Governor Polis’ Deputy Chief of Staff & Legislative Director and then Chief of Staff when then-Congressman Polis represented the 2nd Colorado Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Eve also served on the Rules Committee in her capacity working for another senior member of Congress. Eve earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and attended law school at the George Washington University Law School, completing her Juris Doctorate in 2011. During her time in law school, Eve served as a Law Clerk for the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, for a DC Superior Court Judge, for the House Judiciary Committee, and for the US Department of Justice. Eve lives in Denver with her husband and two children.

Brad Henderson is the CEO of Western and is an experienced developer and construction manager with over 35 years in the real estate development industry. He has experience in a wide variety of building systems including aviation and aerospace, commercial/ industrial, retail, medical, educational, and financial facilities. He specializes in aviation and aerospace real estate development including commercial terminals, MROs, FBOs, GSE facilities, DOD, corporate aerospace campuses, fuel farms, airport infrastructure, and air cargo facilities. Brad has completed projects spanning across the U.S. including developments in California, Colorado, Texas, and North Carolina. He received a B.S. in Construction Management from Colorado State University.

John oversees product development and research innovations for advanced manufacturing, materials development, and software development. ‍ Before founding Canopy, John was Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Microsphere Material Solutions (MMS). John led the technical teams to develop prototype manufacturing processes for higher strength hollow glass microspheres and foams for buoyancy and radome applications. In this role, he successfully licensed a patent portfolio for manufacturing lightweight glass foam from a Navy lab, leveraged state and federal funding to scale up manufacturing volume 50x in partnership with the University of Maryland, and secured initial sales to both commercial and federal customers. In the process, MMS raised the TRL level of the technology from 4 to 9 and the MRL from 3 to 7. This initial traction allowed Dr. Howard to secure SBIR awards from both the Navy and the Air Force (>$1.2M to date), building out additional use cases for the foam and evaluating the potential to reduce cost through additive manufacturing methods. ‍ Dr. Howard completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland - College Park. His doctoral research focused on leveraging different environmental microscopy methods to identify failure modes in emerging optoelectronic materials and using the data to build predictive models of their serviceable lifetime. His PhD research contributed to 10 publications and 15 conference presentations, culminating in a best poster award at the 2019 Fall MRS meeting. Prior to UMD, Dr. Howard worked as a software engineer at NIST, building out datasets and related analytics for natural language processing evaluations. Earlier, he obtained his undergraduate degrees in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst.

Ryan has proven experience building strong, collaborative, and value-based relationships with key stakeholders across the public and private sectors, from the local through to the international level. Prior to joining the University of Colorado Boulder, Ryan served as Deputy Director of Community & Economic Development for Adams County, Colorado. He directed the County’s economic development efforts and led business development at the Colorado Air & Space Port, which is operated by the County and one of only 13 FAA-licensed spaceports in America. Before moving to Colorado, he served as a British diplomat leading on aerospace and security policy at the British Embassy in Washington D.C. In his over 7 years with the UK Government, Ryan helped to shape UK aerospace strategy and represent the UK Government in negotiations with the FAA, USDOT, USDOD, NASA, and the private sector. He also supported on official State Visits of UK Ministers and British Royalty to the United States. Ryan holds a dual Master’s Degree in Transportation Policy and Business Management awarded jointly by Imperial College London and University College London. Originally from Montana, he now lives in Denver with his wife, Ashley, and their Tortie cat, Wicklow.

Autymn Rubal is a distinguished industry professional with over two decades of expertise in the dynamic realms of construction and commercial real estate. Her career, characterized by versatility and innovation, has seen her evolve from preconstruction and operational roles to her current role focused on business development and strategy, with a specific focus on Advanced Technologies and Life Sciences. A Precocious Beginning: Autymn's journey in the construction and real estate sector commenced in her early years, where she displayed an innate knack for understanding the intricacies of these industries. Her youthful curiosity led her to long term assignments on construction sites, taking part in real estate transactions, which helped her leverage understanding of the vibrant world of commercial real-estate development. This initial exposure ignited a lifelong passion for the field. Two Decades of Excellence: Over the past twenty years, Autymn Rubal has been instrumental in shaping the construction and commercial real estate landscape. Her professional journey has been marked by an unwavering commitment to quality, a keen eye for detail, and a relentless pursuit of innovation. A Visionary in Business Development: Autymn's transition to her current role in business development leverages her preconstruction and operational backgrounds. Her approach has seen her embrace the ever-evolving landscape of Advanced Technologies and Life Sciences, recognizing the potential for these sectors to revolutionize the built environment. She is a respected thought leader who envisions and implements groundbreaking strategies that align the built environment with the needs of these cutting-edge industries. Navigating Complexity: In her present capacity, Autymn Rubal is well-known for her ability to navigate the complexities inherent in the convergence of construction, real estate, and economic development with a keen focus on Advanced technology and Life Sciences. She possesses an innate understanding of the demands and nuances of these sectors, ensuring that her clients receive unparalleled solutions that cater to their precise needs. Leadership and Legacy: Autymn Rubal's contributions extend beyond her daily professional pursuits. She is a dedicated mentor and advocate for women in the construction and real estate industry, working to break down barriers and encourage diversity in traditionally male-dominated fields.

Frederic de Loizaga is a Senior Vice President with CBRE's Advisory & Transaction Services Group and exclusively represents office Occupiers throughout the Denver Metro area. Frederic provides customized, creative commercial real estate solutions that align with his client's business, financial and operational objectives. Since joining CBRE in 2007, Frederic has been a part of in excess of 12 million square feet of lease and sale transactions. Frederic grew up in South Denver where he attended Arapahoe High School. He played college baseball at Regis University where he was drafted from by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Frederic participates in numerous community initiatives including sitting on the Board of Project Helping (a mental wellness focused non-profit) and CBRE Cares Denver Chapter and has been involved with other charities including Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Colorado, CU Cancer Center, and LLS (Leukaemia Lymphoma Society).