Virginia Air and Space Science Center Names Industry Advisory Board
Contact: Melvin Ferebee, Interim Executive Director and CEO
757/303-6704; MFerebee@vasc.org
For Release: May 4, 2026
The Virginia Air and Space Science Center has created an Industry Advisory Board (IAB) comprised of industry leaders from across the aviation and aerospace sectors. The newly formed Board will advise the Center’s Executive Director and CEO on content for programs, exhibits, and events. Members will provide access to expertise and potential collaborators. The Board will contribute to the Center’s mission to ignite curiosity and innovation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through education, discovery, and interactive experiences for explorers of all ages.
Seventeen individuals will serve as the first IAB members. They are:
- Laura T. Blumberg, Vice President, Analytical Mechanics Associates
- A. Che Bolden, CEO, The Bolden Group
- David E. Bowles, Senior Research Fellow, Virginia Institute for Spaceflight and Autonomy at Old Dominion University
- Chris Carter, Director, Virginia Space Grant Consortium
- Gregory Campbell, Director, Virginia Department of Aviation
- Kurt D. Eberly, Director of Space Launch Programs, Northrop Grumman Corporation
- Jonathan Kelley, Chief Growth Officer, Columbus Technologies and Services
- John S. Langford, Founder and Board Chairman, Electra
- Captain Robert R. Littman, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station Oceana
- Roosevelt “Ted” Mercer, Jr., Major General, USAF (Ret.), CEO and Executive Director, Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority
- Daniel “Bud” Oakey, Executive Director, Virginia Aviation Business Association and Managing Director, Advantus Strategies
- Jill Prince, Director, Research Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center
- Erik D. Rison, Senior Manager of Government Operations, The Boeing Company
- Stephen P. Sandford, Founder and CEO, Psionic, Inc.
- Jack Schlank, Senior Technical Advisor, Sierra Lobo
- Vasu Unnam, CEO, Analytical Services and Materials
- Colonel Andrew M. Weidner, Commander of the 192nd Wing of the Virginia Air National Guard, headquartered at Joint Base Eustis-Langley
More information on each member is available at https://vasc.org/vasc-industry-advisory-board/
“We welcome the wealth of knowledge, perspectives and experience that the Industry Advisory Board members bring to advising Center programming,” notes Melvin Ferebee, the Center’s Interim Director and CEO. “The Board will help the Center stay abreast of new directions and opportunities in aviation and aerospace.”
The Industry Advisory Board will hold its inaugural meeting at the Center in Hampton, Va. on May 6.
