The following individuals are involved in the design and implementation of the Maine Space 2030.
Dr. Terry Shehata is the Executive Director of the Maine Space Grant Consortium and has over 35 years experience in economic development and research infrastructure building. He is one of the leaders behind the Maine Space Complex concept to engage Maine in the new space economy, and the legislatively created Maine Space Corporation to manage the development and growth of the complex.
As Principal of strategy consulting firm The Bull Rock Consulting Group, Emily Dwinnells has been working in close collaboration with Dr. Shehata and the Maine Space Grant Consortium since 2018 as the lead strategist of the Maine Space Complex. She has assisted in bringing this bold vision into reality by establishing feasibility, estimating the local , architecting the operating and organizational model, driving business development, and developing a strategic implementation plan among other efforts.
Jeremy has contributed to much of the research involved in our drafted strategic plan, alongside strategic input into the direction of the initiative, and related research tasks involved. Jeremy has a background in business management, data-driven solutions, and private venture capital work. He currently acts as Principal Consultant for Ashlock and Company LLC, his freelance consulting business. Jeremy serves on the board of the Augusta Downtown Alliance, and is passionate about contributing to his community.
Steven Levesque possesses over 43 years of experience in large asset redevelopment and management, land use planning, community and economic development, environmental services and business management in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Levesque is currently the President of SHL Enterprise Solutions, an economic development management consulting firm, supporting businesses and governmental organizations throughout the U.S.
Stephen Von Vogt has served as the managing director of the Maine Composites Alliance (MCA) since 2008. Von Vogt has been active in the offshore wind industry for over fifteen years and is a principal in several energy and engineering companies. He currently serves as the President & CEO of Maine Marine Composites, an ocean engineering firm based in Portland.
Ali Abedi received his PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, from University of Waterloo in 2004. He joined the University of Maine, Orono in 2005, where he is currently Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Associate Vice President for Research. Dr. Abedi is founding Director of WiSe-Net Lab where he directs research programs in wireless communications and sensor networks for structural monitoring, and space explorations. He served as principal investigator for the International Space Station Wireless Leak Detector project as well as MESAT1, Maine's 1st small satellite.
Dr. Shane Moeykens is the Maine EPSCoR Director and the Director of Advanced Research Computing, Security, and Information Management (ARCSIM) at the University of Maine. Dr. Moeykens supports strategic initiatives at the discretion of the UMaine VPRDGS. Dr. Moeykens has a diverse background with both technical and operational work experience across multiple industrial sectors, and he received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University.
With an expansive background in various start-up and established business endeavors, Brian is an experienced executive that excels at collaboration, ingenuity, mentorship and team building. Brian utilizes his in-depth knowledge of the State of Maine’s Business Development Assistance Programs to strengthen his Business Development ventures.
Mr. Stephenson is the director of Strategic Initiatives & Events for CompositesWorld, at Gardner Business Media. He also serves as President and Acting CEO of the Society of Advanced Materials & Process Engineering (SAMPE) North America.
Martin S. Grimnes, president of Arcadia Alliance Inc. a company focused on introducing environmentally friendly carbon fiber commercial ferries to the North American market. Martin S. Grimnes, has spent years in the composites and marine industry with both publicly traded and private companies with markets worldwide ranging from aerospace, marine and infrastructure as primary markets. He has a textile engineering degree from the Technische Akademie Hohenstein, Germany and a B.S. in Industrial Mgm. from University of Vermont.
April is owner of Safire Connections LLC, an Event Coordinating and Consulting Firm. She is the Coordinator for the Maine Space Conference. With nearly 20 years of Event Coordinating, Administrative, Organizational and Public Relations/Marketing experience, April has a diverse and unique background in assisting with projects she is passionate about. She has worked with several non-profits large and small. April is an expert at recognizing each situation’s individual needs and will ensure that every part of the plan is executed with precision and professionalism. Event Planning and Coordinating has become and true passion that she enjoys bringing to the Space Industry!
Jessica Masse is the Managing Partner at Designlab, a design and communication firm. Jessica and her team support branding, marketing and communication efforts of businesses and organizations with a focus on economic and community development.
Mike Roughton is the executive director of the Manufacturers Association of Maine, joining it in 2022 after leading a metal stamping business in greater NYC that supplies cosmetics manufacturers with packaging components globally. Following his graduation from the University of Maine with a BS in civil engineering, Mike worked in construction and industrial equipment business. Mike also earned an MBA in Operations from the University of Scranton.
Bill Kitchen is the principal of KitchenSync, a 20 year brand-building, communications and event strategy firm, and the Town Manager of Machias, the seat of Washington County on the Bold Coast of Downeast Maine.
Adrian is the Director of Trade Services for the Maine International Trade Center (MITC), Adrian leads a team of talented Trade Specialists, Sr. Trade Specialists, Trade Information Specialists, and foreign investment experts. The MITC has five major initiatives as part of Trade Services; Defense Industry Maine (DIME), Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO), Invest in Maine, Life Sciences & StudyMaine. He is also Co-Chair of the New England Regional Defense Industry Collaboration connecting all six New England states to the Department of Defense.
Alan is a former naval aviator with over 25 years’ experience flying helicopters and fixed wing turboprops for the US Navy. Alan has served as a Systems Engineer and Project Manager for the Naval Air Systems Command, and as the US Naval Attaché to Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Alan has been Director of Aviation for Maine’s Department of Transportation since May 2022.
Ben Sturtevant is a Business Development Manager with the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. Previously, he was Marketing and Real Estate Manager for the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority where he worked closely with a number of aerospace companies during the redevelopment of former Naval Air Station Brunswick.
Master’s Degree in Plastics Engineering from University of Massachusetts – Lowell (1991). Over 40 years of engineering and engineering management for process, product development and analytical characterization of both unreinforced and reinforced polymeric materials. Established the Composites Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) which over the past eleven years has supported the advanced materials analysis, product development, and technical training for over 80 companies and institutions throughout New England.
Peter is currently Owner of FiberDesign LLC, a composites design firm that assists manufacturers and engineering companies design projects involving composites including FRP, carbon and thermoplastics. Peter also developed a pultruded FRP calculator (PulCalc) that interfaces with FEA based building structure modeling programs.
Dr. Daniel Martínez is owner and principal of Random Walk Research LLC. Daniel has navigated a diverse career as a civil servant at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center (astrochemistry branch), as an environmental science professor, and as an energy sustainability technical subject author. Daniel’s current interests are in life cycle analysis, ground and space-based remote sensing, and small satellite development. Daniel earned his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester in 2007.
Jourdan Johnson is an international relations scholar. She uses an interdisciplinary approach to study the role of international norms and institutions on space sustainability. She is the CEO of Space Futures Consulting LLC and contributes her expertise to local and multinational corporations. Jourdan also offers mentoring opportunities to those looking to join the space industry. Jourdan actively dedicates herself to contributing to a sustainable, equitable future on and off Earth. She has volunteered with several international nonprofits, supporting their fundraising efforts. She currently serves on the Mustard Seed Project-Being With board in Portland, ME.
