Nelly Montes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics, a Master of Aeronautical Science degree in Space Operations Management, and a Master of Science degree in Homeland Security. She has experienced a range of industries from the private sectors of engineering to government areas of risk assessment and emergency management. She has spent the last 20 years immersed in a special warfare community and has witnessed first-hand the loss of  talent, skills, and knowledge of valuable DoD workforce to irrelevant industries. Nelly is the founder of NME Space, a human-tended R&D and product testing service in micro-gravity and other extreme environments.