Kaplan Astronautics

"Hugely enthusiastic and experienced space systems visionary. Understands the unique politics as well as the technologies around space exploration and science missions."

"I worked with Mike for approximately 2.5 years at LeoStella while he was VP of Business Development and Strategy and I was VP of Engineering. Mike did a great job of finding the intersection of company vision & capabilities and customer needs & market demands, quickly identifying alignment or lack thereof of these, and in cases of disconnects, devising an approach or strategy to close these gaps. This applied both to company-level direction setting and also to individual business opportunities. Mike brought a lot of positive qualities to the role: He's a great big picture thinker and manages to challenge himself and others with outside the box thinking, balanced with pragmatism of working within unmovable constraints. He's easy to work with and open-minded, always participating in a positive culture of collaborate we had among leadership. Mike is a hard worker, always available and responsive, mindful of need dates and deadlines. And through his decades of experience in a diverse set of space sub-industries, he brings both a robust network of contacts and as well as well informed catalog of market insights and lessons learned."

"I had the pleasure of working with Michael during his time at MDA. Michael has a deep knowledge of the space industry, and in particular of NASA procurement process. He interfaces well with customers and has the ability to execute at the tactical level of a pursuit, but also at the strategic level for long term account development."

"Mike is a very energetic and creative person and is a pleasure to work with. He was one of the forces behind the creation of the James Webb Space Telescope in the late 1990's. This telescope is now an international project, under construction to extend the Hubble science far beyond what Hubble can do."

"I've known Mike since the mid-90's - a time when he was a very powerful driving force behind NASA's Space Science Program. Among his other outstanding qualities, Mike has always been an expert "cat herder!" His charisma and leadership qualities stand out, and his ability to gain consensus among and direction within a fragmented group of scientists and/or engineers is admirable. He is a true asset to any organization, and a lightning rod for gaining political and funding support for the enterprise!"

"I had the distinct pleasure of working with Mike during the majority of his time in Raytheon. I can honestly say that his background and experience, his drive and focus, and his willingness to go the extra mile was a direct contributor to many successes in space. Mike is a very intelligent, articulate, thought provoking leader that has the unique ability to blend creativity with business acumen to focus a team towards achievable, winning outcomes. I truly valued our time together and the experiences we shared creating new opportunities that will enhance our understanding of the Earth system."