About Us

Staff Leadership

BRETTON ALEXANDER PRESIDENT
	Bretton Alexander brings rich expertise in government, international and entrepreneurial space efforts as the President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Alexander has previously served as Executive Director for Space and the X PRIZE Cup at the X PRIZE Foundation, where he oversaw all aspects of the Google Lunar X Prize, the Lunar Lander Challenge, and the X PRIZE Cup, and was also Senior Advisor to Transformational Space Corporation (t/Space). Prior to joining the entrepreneurial space community, Alexander served under presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush as Senior Policy Analyst for space issues. During his tenure at the White House, he was one of the primary authors of the "Vision for Space Exploration" announced by President Bush in January 2004. He has also held positions in the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, the Aerospace Corporation, and ANSER Corporation. Alexander holds Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. In October 2009, Alexander was appointed by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden to chair the Commercial Space Committee of the NASA Advisory Council.
JOHN GEDMARK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
	John Gedmark is the Founding Executive Director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, after serving as the first Director of Operations for the X PRIZE Cup. For both the 2005 and 2006 X PRIZE Cup events, Gedmark managed a diverse array of rocket launches, including the first-ever public flight of a Vertical Take-off Vertical Landing (VTVL) rocket vehicle by Armadillo Aerospace in front of a crowd of 20,000 people. Previously, Gedmark spent time at TRW, Ball Aerospace, and Aerojet working in a number of capacities, including spacecraft design and rocket engine development. Gedmark holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University and a Master of Science degree from Stanford University, both in Aerospace Engineering. At Purdue, he received the Herbert F. Rogers Scholarship, awarded each year to the most distinguished graduating senior of the Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. While at Stanford, Gedmark cofounded the Roosevelt Institution, a non-partisan public policy think tank for students that is now active on more than 80 university campuses nationwide.

BRETTON ALEXANDER
PRESIDENT

Bretton Alexander brings rich expertise in government, international and entrepreneurial space efforts as the President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Alexander has previously served as Executive Director for Space and the X PRIZE Cup at the X PRIZE Foundation, where he oversaw all aspects of the Google Lunar X Prize, the Lunar Lander Challenge, and the X PRIZE Cup, and was also Senior Advisor to Transformational Space Corporation (t/Space).

Prior to joining the entrepreneurial space community, Alexander served under presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush as Senior Policy Analyst for space issues. During his tenure at the White House, he was one of the primary authors of the "Vision for Space Exploration" announced by President Bush in January 2004. He has also held positions in the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, the Aerospace Corporation, and ANSER Corporation. Alexander holds Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In October 2009, Alexander was appointed by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden to chair the Commercial Space Committee of the NASA Advisory Council.

JOHN GEDMARK
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

John Gedmark is the Founding Executive Director of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, after serving as the first Director of Operations for the X PRIZE Cup. For both the 2005 and 2006 X PRIZE Cup events, Gedmark managed a diverse array of rocket launches, including the first-ever public flight of a Vertical Take-off Vertical Landing (VTVL) rocket vehicle by Armadillo Aerospace in front of a crowd of 20,000 people. Previously, Gedmark spent time at TRW, Ball Aerospace, and Aerojet working in a number of capacities, including spacecraft design and rocket engine development.

Gedmark holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University and a Master of Science degree from Stanford University, both in Aerospace Engineering. At Purdue, he received the Herbert F. Rogers Scholarship, awarded each year to the most distinguished graduating senior of the Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. While at Stanford, Gedmark cofounded the Roosevelt Institution, a non-partisan public policy think tank for students that is now active on more than 80 university campuses nationwide.