Dr. Janet Kavandi is the President and CEO of Kavandi Consulting, LLC.  Most recently, she served as President and Chief Science Officer of the Sierra Space Corporation, where she oversaw the company’s space programs, including advanced space technologies and spacecraft, and the Dream Chaser® spaceplane, a commercial cargo resupply vehicle to the International Space Station.  Prior to Sierra Space, Kavandi she served as Senior Vice President of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC’s) Space Systems Group.

Prior to her role at SNC, Kavandi served as Deputy Director, then Director of NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, where she was responsible for space power and electric propulsion, aeronautics power and propulsion, aircraft icing, integrated radio frequency and optical communications, advanced materials for extreme environments, and a high-power electric aircraft testbed.

Kavandi also spent 20 years at the NASA Johnson Space Center, where she served as Deputy Director then Director of Flight Crew Operations, Deputy Director of Health and Human Performance, Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, and Lead Casualty Assistance and Calls Officer (CACO) for the crew’s families following the Columbia accident.

A veteran of three Space Shuttle missions, Kavandi has logged over 33 days in space and traveled more than 13 million miles in 535 Earth orbits. Her honors include induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, two Presidential Rank Awards, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, two NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, and three NASA Space Flight Medals.

Janet and her husband, John, have two adult children.