Speakers

Kirsten Armstrong is the President of Petra Strategy, a policy and analysis consultancy providing specialized expertise on emerging trends in the space industry to support strategic decision making. She helps business leaders approach changes in Federal priorities and position themselves in the market. She strengthens business growth through business intelligence, strategic planning, and proposal development. Her research activities include entrepreneurship and new business formation; space commercialization; models for emerging space economies; US government contracting; and broad industry trends. 

Kirsten has over 20 years of experience on the business side of the equation to drive success in space and advanced technology organizations. She has executed high impact studies and analyses, including industrial base assessments, technology assessments, program/portfolio assessments, and strategic planning efforts. She led the development of key space industry reports, including NASA’s 2014 Strategic Plan and multiple budgets, “Start-Up Space” for NASA, and “The State of the Satellite Industry Report” for the Satellite Industry Association. She also led a team at NASA Headquarters providing strategic planning and performance management support for Agency priorities.

She has a B.A. in Economics from Whittier College and a Master’s in Science, Technology and Public Policy with concentrations in space policy and economics from The George Washington University.