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Gwynne Shotwell

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Gwynne Shotwell
Shotwell in August 2018
Born
Gwynne Rowley

(1963-11-23) November 23, 1963 (age 61)
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
EducationNorthwestern University (BS, MS)
TitlePresident and chief operating officer of SpaceX
Spouse(s)Leon Gurevich (div.)
Robert Shotwell
Children2

Gwynne Shotwell (née Rowley, previously Gurevich; born November 23, 1963[1]) is an American businesswoman and engineer. She is the president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, an American space transportation company, where she is responsible for day-to-day operations and company growth.[2]

As of 2023, Shotwell is listed as the 28th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.[3] She was ranked 54th on Fortune's list of Most Powerful Women in 2023.[4] In 2020, Time magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[5] In 2018, she was listed as the most powerful female engineer by Business Insider.[6]

Early life

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Shotwell was born in Evanston, Illinois, as the middle of three daughters to a brain surgeon and an artist, and was raised in Libertyville, Illinois.[7] In 1982, she graduated from Libertyville High School.[8] In 1969 when she was 6 years old, she watched a television broadcast of the Apollo 11 mission with her family, but remembers finding it "boring" and was not interested in space at the time. Shotwell excelled in both academics and athletics in high school, where she was on the cheerleading and varsity basketball teams while achieving at the top of her class.[7] Her interests changed during high school after her mother took her to a panel discussion at the Illinois Institute of Technology by the Society of Women Engineers, where a mechanical engineer in particular inspired Shotwell to become an engineer.[9][10] Following this, she decided to apply to Northwestern University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, and later a Master of Science degree in applied mathematics.[7][11]

Career

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At the beginning of her career, Shotwell had an interview with IBM on the day of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which disturbed her and she did not get a job offer. Instead, Shotwell took a job in the automotive industry at Chrysler Corporation's management training program, which she initially enjoyed[11] but later grew tired of[7] and left to return to Northwestern for her graduate degree.[12]

In 1988, Shotwell began work at the El Segundo research center of The Aerospace Corporation, and did technical work on military space research and development contracts. An early project she worked on was STS-39.[11] During a ten-year tenure, she worked in thermal analysis.[7] Shotwell worked in both space systems engineering and project management positions.[13]

She left The Aerospace Corporation in 1998 to become director of the space systems division at Microcosm Inc., a small rocket company in El Segundo.[7] There, she served on the executive committee and was responsible for business development.[14]

SpaceX

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Shotwell with Philippine President Bongbong Marcos in 2023

Shotwell left Microcosm in 2002 to join SpaceX, a private, commercial, space exploration company founded by Elon Musk in the same year.[15] She was introduced to Musk through her former Microcosm colleague Hans Koenigsmann who had joined SpaceX.[16] In that meeting, she convinced Musk that SpaceX should hire a dedicated employee to work on business development full-time, but had not planned to join the company herself. Shotwell took the job two weeks later in September 2002.[17] In December 2008, Shotwell was promoted to company president following her role in the successful negotiation of the first Commercial Resupply Services contract with the NASA Associate Administrator Bill Gerstenmaier.[18] This followed SpaceX's first successful launch of the Falcon 1 on its fourth attempt earlier in the year.[19] She was responsible for leading the effort on building the Falcon Vehicle manifest to over 50 launches, generating $5 billion in revenue. This included a commercial connection to the International Space Station for resupplying services, where they were able to deliver cargo and supplies to the astronauts.[13] Shotwell is the President and COO of SpaceX, responsible for day-to-day operations and managing all customer and strategic relations to support company growth.[20]

She oversaw the first landing of an orbital rocket's first stage on land and on an ocean platform, the first relaunch and landing of a used orbital rocket, the first controlled flyback and recovery of a payload fairing, and the first re-flight of a commercial cargo spacecraft.[13] SpaceX has a multibillion-dollar contract with NASA to deliver astronauts and science instruments to the International Space Station. On May 30, 2020, SpaceX became the first private company to launch two astronauts to Earth orbit.[21]

Shotwell has received particular praise from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson for her "phenomenal" leadership of SpaceX as it developed the Falcon 9 into the "workhorse" of the space launch sector.[22] Nelson had reportedly been concerned in 2022, after Elon Musk purchased Twitter, that it would be a distraction at SpaceX, but became more comfortable after meetings with Shotwell left him feeling reassured that she was in charge of day-to-day operations.[23][24]

In February 2019, Polaris Industries announced that Shotwell would join their board of directors in March 2019.[25]

Shotwell has served on the California Space Authority Board of Directors and its executive committee after she was elected in 2004. She has served as an officer on the AIAA Space Systems Technical Committee and participates in a variety of STEM related programs. She led a committee that raised over $350,000 in scholarships for the Frank J. Redd Student Competition over six years.[26]

Shotwell has been criticized for her response to several alleged cases of sexism, sexual harassment and assault at SpaceX.[27][28]

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In Ukraine

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Main article: Starlink in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Shotwell led negotiations with government agencies for requested Starlink satellite services in the country,[29] which were at first donated by SpaceX.[30] These arrangements were later formalized in a DoD contract to buy Starlink for Ukraine.[31] Earlier, Shotwell had announced that her company took measures to prevent the use of Starlink to control combat drones.[32] She stated Ukrainians had used the service in ways not part of the agreement, as she had accepted to donate Starlink satellite services for communications, defense and humanitarian purposes such as "ambulances, hospitals and mothers" but had not intended it to be weaponized for drone strikes.[32][33][34]

Public outreach

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Shotwell gave a TEDx Talk at TEDxChapmanU in June 2013 on the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.[35] She speaks regularly to business audiences and gave a talk for the "Captains of Industry" series at the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security in June 2014 on private entrepreneurial accomplishments in advancing spaceflight technology.[36]

At the 2018 TED conference, Shotwell was interviewed by Chris Anderson about the future plans of SpaceX.[37]

At the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing on September 28, 2018, Shotwell's talk was titled "Launching Our Future" and she discussed her vision and advancements for aerospace technology, as well as why diversity and the inclusion of women are necessary to advance as a society.[38]

Personal life

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Shotwell is married to an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She has two children from a previous marriage with Leon Gurevich.[39][40]

Shotwell owns a ranch in Hamilton County, Texas, near the SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas which she considers to be her "home office."[41]

Honors and awards

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References

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  1. ^ "The CNBC Next List". CNBC. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  2. ^ "Gwynne Shotwell: Executive Profile & Biography". Business Week. New York: Bloomberg. December 1, 2011. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  3. ^ "The World's Most Powerful Women 2023". Forbes.
  4. ^ "Most Powerful Women". Fortune.
  5. ^ Sullivan, Kathryn (September 22, 2020). "Gwynne Shotwell: The 100 Most Influential People of 2020". Time. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  6. ^ Bort & Sandler, Julie & Rachel. "The 39 most powerful female engineers of 2018". Business Insider. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Hennigan, W. J. (June 7, 2013). "How I Made It: SpaceX exec Gwynne Shotwell". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Švancara, Vlastimil (September 27, 2017). "SpaceX Superstars: Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO". elonx.net. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "Meet Gwynne Shotwell, the Woman Who Could Take Us to Mars - All Together". August 18, 2017. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  10. ^ Berger, Eric (2021). Liftoff. William Morrow and Company. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0-06-297997-1.
  11. ^ a b c Berger, Eric (2021). Liftoff. William Morrow and Company. pp. 100–102. ISBN 978-0-06-297997-1.
  12. ^ Strube, Frank (April 21, 2014). "It all Started with a Suit: The Story Behind Shotwell's Rise to SpaceX - Via Satellite -". Via Satellite. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c "Gwynne Shotwell". SSPI. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  14. ^ "Gwynne Shotwell". National Women's History Museum. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  15. ^ Gwynne Shotwell | Closing Plenary | SkollWF 2018, April 18, 2018, archived from the original on November 19, 2020, retrieved April 18, 2018
  16. ^ Berger, Eric (March 2, 2021). "How Elon Musk Convinced Gwynne Shotwell to Join SpaceX". Wired. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  17. ^ Berger, Eric (2021). Liftoff. William Morrow and Company. pp. 95–97. ISBN 978-0-06-297997-1.
  18. ^ Bergin, Chris (January 15, 2009). "Planetspace officially protest NASA's CRS selection". NSF. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  19. ^ Berger, Eric (2021). Liftoff. William Morrow and Company. pp. 217–222. ISBN 978-0-06-297997-1.
  20. ^ SpaceX AsiaSat8 Launch Press Kit (PDF), August 2014, p. 15, archived (PDF) from the original on December 10, 2020, retrieved June 5, 2020
  21. ^ Wattles, Jackie (May 30, 2020). "SpaceX and NASA launch Crew Dragon in Florida: Live updates". CNN. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  22. ^ Rubin, April (September 23, 2024). "Musk's rhetoric doesn't threaten SpaceX and NASA relationship, agency head says". Axios.
  23. ^ Caputo, Marc (December 12, 2022). "NASA chief: SpaceX leader says Elon Musk's Twitter drama is 'nothing to worry about'". NBC News. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  24. ^ Dress, Brad (December 12, 2022). "NASA chief spoke with SpaceX official about Musk's Twitter 'distraction'". The Hill. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "Gwynne Shotwell Appointed to Polaris Industries Inc. Board of Directors". Business Wire. Polaris Industries. February 6, 2019. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  26. ^ "WITI - Gwynne Shotwell". www.witi.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  27. ^ Sheetz, Michael (December 14, 2021). "Former SpaceX engineer alleges in essay that company culture is 'rife with sexism'". CNBC. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  28. ^ Roulette, Joey (December 14, 2021). "Former Interns Say SpaceX Ignored Sexual Harassment". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  29. ^ Foust, Jeff (February 9, 2023). "Shotwell: Ukraine "weaponized" Starlink in war against Russia". SpaceNews. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  30. ^ Marquardt, Alex (October 13, 2022). "Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX says it can no longer pay for critical satellite services in Ukraine, asks Pentagon to pick up the tab | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  31. ^ Stone, Mike; Roulette, Joey (June 1, 2023). "SpaceX's Starlink wins Pentagon contract for satellite services to Ukraine". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  32. ^ a b A. O. L. Staff (February 9, 2023). "SpaceX limits Starlink use in Ukraine, company president says". www.aol.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  33. ^ Roulette, Joey (February 9, 2023). "SpaceX curbed Ukraine's use of Starlink internet for drones -company president". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  34. ^ Mosley, Tonya (August 23, 2023). "Ronan Farrow says Elon Musk has become an 'arbiter' of the war in Ukraine". www.npr.org. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  35. ^ "Engineering America: Gwynne Shotwell at TEDxChapmanU". Youtube. TEDx Talks. June 14, 2013. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  36. ^ a b Shotwell, Gwynne (June 4, 2014). Discussion with Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO, SpaceX. Atlantic Council. Event occurs at 22:35–26:20. Archived from the original on January 25, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2014. This [reusable launch vehicle technology], all this innovation is being done by SpaceX alone, no one is paying us to do it. The government is very interested in the data we are collecting on this test series. ... This is the kind of thing that entrepreneurial investment and new entrants/innovators can do for an industry: fund their own improvements, both in the quality of their programs and the quality of their hardware, and the speed and cadence of their operations.
  37. ^ TED (May 14, 2018), SpaceX's plan to fly you across the globe in 30 minutes | Gwynne Shotwell, archived from the original on May 17, 2021, retrieved May 16, 2018
  38. ^ GHC (December 17, 2018), Gwynne Shotwell — Launching Our Future | Gwynne Shotwell, archived from the original on May 21, 2021, retrieved March 24, 2019
  39. ^ "Gwynne Gurevich Vs Leon Gurevich".
  40. ^ Švancara, Vlastimil (September 27, 2019). "Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO". ElonX. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  41. ^ Shotwell, Gwynne (September 24, 2024). Testimony to the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations (video). Event occurs at 28:23.
  42. ^ Holmes, Mark; Hill, Jeffrey. "2017 Satellite Executive of the Year: Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO, SpaceX". Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  43. ^ "Gwynne Shotwell". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  44. ^ "Gwynne Shotwell: The 100 Most Influential People of 2020". Time. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  45. ^ "A Conversation With Gwynne Shotwell, 2020 Satellite Executive of the Year". Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gwynne Shotwell.
  • Shotwell, Gwynne (February 3, 2016). Gwynne Shotwell comments at Commercial Space Transportation Conference. Commercial Spaceflight. Event occurs at 2:43:15–3:10:05. Retrieved February 4, 2016. (after 2:53:00, and a review of video of several failed attempts to land a booster rocket on a drone ship, and then a successful return of an orbital first stage to a landing pad) It's awesome. You know, I don't think you get that kind of thrill in banking. It's extraordinary.
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