The Zed Factor Fellowship Leadership
The Zed Factor Fellowship was founded by Carie Lemack, Tanya Harrison, Therese Jones, and Karina Perez. The founders are passionate about diversifying the aerospace community to include more cultures and ideas and take personal interest in fostering the development of each Zed Fellow.
The Zed Factor Fellowship Founding Partners are Kojo Sarkodie, Ryan Udell and Obi Anyadiegwu. These founding partners are Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS-USA) Board and Staff alumni, In their respective tenures they led the organization in establishing the SEDScast Podcast, The Artemis Student Ambassador Program, SEDS-USA CubeSat Launch Initiative, and numerous major strategic partnerships including a Space Act Agreement focused on providing NASA with insight and feedback into student engagement and streamlined resource access to higher education students.
The Zed Factor Fellowship Executive Team Members
Therese Jones is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy at NASA HQ. Prior to this role, she worked at the Satellite Industry Association as its Senior Director of Policy, working with over 50 satellite companies on regulatory, legislative, defense, cybersecurity, space sustainability, remote sensing, and export control issues. Therese founded the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Diversity Scholarship in 2017 and is a member of their Diversity Working Group. She is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. Therese is currently completing her Ph.D. in policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, from which she also holds an M.Phil. She has a Master’s in astrophysics from UC Berkeley and holds Bachelor’s degrees in astronomy and astrophysics, physics, German, and international studies from Penn State. Twitter: @theresejones0
Karina Perez is the Director for Unmanned and Emerging Aviation Technologies at the Aerospace Industries Association. In this role, she works with AIA’s members regarding Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Urban Mobility, and Spectrum among other areas, and works to find industry consensus on complex issues facing the aviation industry. Outside of the aerospace industry, Karina has hosted over 16 panels and talks throughout Southern California on pop culture, politics, and diversity. Karina holds a B.A. in Political Science, Public Policy, and Management from California State University, Northridge. Twitter/Instagram @Karinainspace
Ryan Udell is a Systems Engineer in the Boeing Satellite Systems Engineering Rotation Program working for the Experimental Systems Group and proprietary programs. He previously worked on propulsion and electrical systems for the Space Launch System Core Stage and Exploration Upper Stage. He is pursuing a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and previously graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership Certificate. Previously, he was the External Affairs Director for the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS-USA) and the President of Rice University’s SEDS chapter. He strives to make an impact on everyone to explore space by developing immersive and hands-on programs. Additionally, he initiated Rice’s first CubeSat program and is the founder of the Rice Owls in Space Symposium.
Kojo (George) Sarkodie is an RF Comms Payload Engineer at Boeing Space & Launch. He is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) advocate and aerospace-defense industry enthusiast. He engages in a number of engineering community service activities focused on technical development, research, and advocacy. He serves as the Aerospace Special Interest Group (ASIG) Deputy Director with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Kojo holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from The University of North Texas. In his free time, Kojo enjoys playing volleyball and enjoying time with his dog Artemis at his home in Hermosa Beach, CA. Twitter/Instagram: @livingoffmars
Obinna “Obi” Anyadiegwu is a Project Engineer at the legendary Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. Obi spends his free time acting as a STEAM advocate and collaborating with organizations such as the National Society of Black Engineers - Aerospace Special Interest Group, LA County / Antelope Valley High Schools, NASA Office of Stem Engagement and The Texas Space Grant Consortium. Using lessons learned from his own experiences as a student to facilitate more opportunities for students interested in Aerospace. Obi holds a B.E in Mechanical & Energy Engineering from The University of North Texas.
Cody Knipfer currently supports the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce through Global Science & Technology, Inc. Prior to joining this team, he worked with GXO, Inc., supporting early-stage clients in the commercial aerospace sector, and spent several years in the Government Affairs offices of the Virgin space companies. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Science and Technology Policy, with a specialization in space policy, from the George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and International Affairs from McDaniel College. Cody has been highly engaged in the community outside of his work the Zed Factor Fellowship, participating in a variety of roles for the Space Generation Advisory Council, the Institute of Space Commerce, and the Beyond Earth Institute.
The Zed Factor Fellowship Committee Leaders
Ariel Barreiro is the Community Engagement Committee Co-Lead and a Class of 2023 Zed Factor Fellow. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh class of 2023. She obtained her BS in Natural Sciences, focusing on physics and astronomy. Through the Zed Factor Fellowship, she was an intern with The Planetary Society and published an article on terminator zones, a potential new lead in the search for life. Ariel is currently a part-time worker and volunteer at her local observatory and continues volunteer efforts with The Planetary Society for their Day of Action in DC. She is committed to the efforts of the non-profit sector of aerospace and is considering beginning her own through her community engagement project with the Zed Factor.
Evan Lutchmidat is the Community Engagement Committee Co-Lead and a Class of 2023 Zed Factor Fellow. He is a current undergraduate student at The Cooper Union studying mechanical engineering. He has aspirations of continuing his education to graduate school, focusing on astrodynamics and controls. In school, he currently does research on quantum entanglement and astrodynamics. He looks to remind those like-minded and from any background that the sky will never be the limit, dream beyond the galaxies of our imaginations and aim for Mars and the Moon!
Simran Dhoju is the Operations Committee Co-Lead and a Class of 2021 Zed Factor Fellow. Simran is a Spacecraft Qualification Engineer at Planet Labs, a leading earth-imaging satellite company based in San Francisco, California. She graduated from The University of Alabama in Aerospace Engineering and minors in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics. Born and raised in Nepal, she enjoys being in nature and embracing Nepali culture and heritage. She is deeply passionate about volunteering her time for outreach to inspire minorities in aerospace. In early 2021, she founded Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics Nepal, a non-profit that supports Nepali women and gender minorities in aerospace. She also served as DEI Co-Chair for WoAA International for two years. For her contributions and passion for aerospace, she has been awarded the Zed Factor Fellowship, Brooke Owens Fellowship, and Women in Aerospace Awards. Outside of work and outreach, she loves hiking, camping, skiing, and writing spoken word poetry.
The Zed Factor Fellowship Founding Team Members
An experienced innovator skilled in conceiving and building ideas and products into globally-recognized entities, Carie Lemack has more than a decade of experience in entrepreneurial endeavors, organizational management, space-based product development, advocacy and security policy. Today she serves as a mentor to startups in the Techstars Starburst and Allied Space programs focused on helping early stage aerospace companies scale and raise funds, as well as with their pricing strategy, storytelling, leadership and team growth. Most recently she was the co-founder and CEO of DreamUp, where she spearheaded programs, products and partnerships to inspire the next generation of innovators and explorers.
Dr. Tanya Harrison has worked as a scientist and in mission operations on multiple NASA Mars missions over the past 12 years. She holds a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Western Ontario, a Masters in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University, and a B.Sc. in Astronomy and Physics from the University of Washington. Currently she is the Director of Science Strategy for the Federal arm of Planet Labs. Tanya is also an advocate for accessibility in STEM. You can find her tweeting about the Red Planet—and her experiences being #DisabledInSTEM—as @tanyaofmars.