Space Foundation selects retired general, actress for board
Space Foundation has tapped two high-profile additions to its board of directors: retired Gen. David D. “DT” Thompson, the U.S. Space Force’s first vice chief of space operations, and Bridgit Mendler, the former Disney Channel star who is now a space-tech entrepreneur. The Colorado Springs nonprofit says the pair will help steer its mission at a time when the global space economy—and the cyber risks surrounding it—are expanding fast.
From soundstage to space ground: Bridgit Mendler’s pivot
Mendler, 33, is best known for roles on “Good Luck Charlie” and “Wizards of Waverly Place.” Today she’s co-founder and CEO at Northwood Space, a startup aiming to modernize the ground segment that connects spacecraft to Earth. The company’s pitch: scale ground infrastructure on demand and cut the friction of traditional procurement, vendor wrangling, and complex integrations that slow launch campaigns and on-orbit operations.
She’ll fill Space Foundation’s New Generation Space Leader seat, created in 2008 to infuse the board with perspectives from rising innovators. “Bridgit combines technical credibility, entrepreneurial achievement and an appreciation for policy,” Space Foundation CEO Heather Pringle said, adding that her profile complements board expertise spanning national security, civil space, international leadership, and industry.
Mendler brings a rare blend of training across engineering, law, and business building. She holds a master’s degree from MIT and a J.D. from Harvard, and spoke at last year’s Space Symposium in Colorado Springs—a multiday gathering that attracts tens of thousands of space and defense professionals. She co-founded Northwood Space in 2023 with her husband, Griffin Cleverly, and Shaurya Luthra.
DT Thompson’s national security pedigree
Joining Mendler is Gen. Thompson, whose 38-year military career helped shape the modern U.S. space enterprise. Thompson served as the first vice chief of space operations for the Space Force and previously held senior roles at U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Space Command, and the National Reconnaissance Office. He commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels and is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Thompson has been outspoken about the need to accelerate critical capabilities—including hypersonic programs—to keep pace with near-peer adversaries such as Russia and China. He has also consistently flagged cyber risk as a strategic vulnerability. At the 2021 Rocky Mountain Cyberspace Symposium, he warned that adversarial nations “have been continuing to refine and advance their cyber tool kits against us.”
That same year, during a visit to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs following the Space Force’s partnership with the university system, Thompson emphasized building pipelines for scholarships, internships, and mentorships—both to advance Guardians’ professional development and to bolster the broader aerospace workforce. Calling Colorado and Colorado Springs longstanding pillars of the national security space enterprise, he said it was fitting for the Space Force to formalize ties with the University of Colorado, whose engineering, aerospace, and computer science programs are nationally ranked.
Why cybersecurity looms over the modern space economy
Beyond their résumés, Mendler and Thompson embody a convergence that matters for space: commercial agility paired with national security rigor. That’s especially relevant to cybersecurity. As satellite constellations proliferate and ground networks become more software-defined, the attack surface is widening—from ground stations and cloud-based mission control to supply chains, firmware, and links for telemetry, tracking, and command.
Northwood Space’s focus on scalable ground infrastructure speaks to a real bottleneck—but also to a critical security frontier. Automating and virtualizing ground segments can accelerate operations, yet it demands robust approaches to identity, encryption, zero-trust networking, and continuous monitoring to defend against jamming, spoofing, and intrusion. Thompson’s background in operational security and cyber-aware mission assurance complements that push, offering a check against speed that compromises resilience.
Space Foundation’s platform—spanning workforce development, policy engagement, and convenings like Space Symposium—positions the board to influence best practices. With an entrepreneur steeped in tech and a general fluent in national security threats, the organization could help normalize baseline cyber standards across commercial and civil space, encourage secure-by-design architectures, and grow a talent pipeline that treats cyber as mission-critical, not an afterthought.
How Space Foundation chooses its board
According to Pringle, the board selection runs through a formal governance process led by a nominating committee. The committee solicits candidates, screens and interviews them, and then recommends appointments for a board vote. Selection criteria emphasize:
- Demonstrated leadership experience
- Distinctive expertise and perspective
- Commitment to Space Foundation’s mission
- Strategic alignment with organizational needs
Pringle said the aim is a board that mirrors the global space ecosystem, striking a balance among industry leaders, entrepreneurs, technologists, astronauts, policy experts, investors, educators, and national security professionals.
What Mendler and Thompson add
Space Foundation says the two appointments strengthen its ability to advance the future of the global space economy. Mendler injects startup velocity and a policy-aware, cross-disciplinary background. Thompson brings deep operational credibility and a clear-eyed view of military pacing threats, from hypersonics to cyber.
Both begin their terms in November, according to the organization’s announcement. As commercial and national security imperatives continue to blur in orbit and on the ground, their combined perspectives could help Space Foundation champion growth that is not only fast and innovative—but secure by design.
