Mission Operations Engineer · Houston, Texas
Navigator of celestial paths, keeper of mission timelines,
forging the road to the lunar south pole and beyond.
Mission Operations Engineer at a Houston-based lunar exploration company — building the timelines, procedures, and tools that guide robotic spacecraft to the Moon. The work spans the full breadth of lunar operations: integrating across engineering teams, improving processes for Nova Control Operators, and standing watch at mission-critical consoles when history is made.
Previously a Certified Flight Controller at Johnson Space Center, working in the Operations Planning Division on Artemis missions and ISS. Led efforts across the NextSTEP Gateway Habitation testing, the Nanoracks Airlock mission, and the Artemis II timeline — helping chart humanity's return to deep space.
A physicist by training, a systems thinker by practice, and a storyteller at heart — translating the complexity of spaceflight into plans that hold together under pressure.
Builds mission timelines, procedures, and operational tools in support of past and future lunar missions. Integrates across engineering teams to improve process and functionality for all Nova Control Operators. Staffed the CHAOS console during the historic IM-1 lunar landing at the South Pole in February 2024 — the first American soft landing on the Moon in over 50 years — and again during the IM-2 mission in February 2025, achieving a second lunar south pole landing.
Certified Flight Controller in the Operations Planning Division, creating and managing plans for Artemis missions and the International Space Station. Co-Lead for NextSTEP Gateway Habitation testing through contractor selection. Lead Real-time Planning Engineer for the Nanoracks Airlock mission. Lead for the Planning Product Change Request software tool and Routine Ops simulation testing team. Lead Timeline Engineer for Artemis II.
Performed data analysis and ran simulations of protein folding using Python at the Bioscience Research Collaborative — bridging computational physics with biological systems at one of Houston's premier research institutions.
Taught students about course material, handled and maintained telescopes, graded papers, and supported teaching assistants in delivering hands-on astronomy labs — an early chapter in a lifelong relationship with the night sky.
Life beyond mission control is rooted in family. Home is a small sheep ranch shared with a wonderful husband and two daughters who are already showing signs of curiosity about the stars. Ranch life offers a grounding counterpoint to the high-stakes world of lunar operations — a reminder that the earth beneath your feet matters just as much as the sky above.
"I've had the privilege of standing watch as spacecraft touched down on a world most people only dream of visiting. Each mission is a reminder that the universe is vast, the work is urgent, and the teams that make it possible are extraordinary. Off-console, I find the same wonder in a camera viewfinder, a new city, and the quiet rhythm of ranch life."
The Mission Operations Requirements & Design Organization Reference — Brooklyn's documentation and tracking framework for future lunar missions. A system forged for the long road ahead.
Whether you're building the future of space exploration or simply want to connect — the path is open.
