Dr. Sian Proctor will share her unique space story and how she won her seat to space as an artist and poet, and found her authentic voice through a life-long journey of exploration and discovery. During this motivating talk, she will discuss how preparation, persistence, opportunity, and responsibility have transformed her life and how you can use your unique space to inspire those within your reach and beyond around creating a Just, Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive space (J.E.D.I. space) both on Earth and beyond. 

About Dr. Proctor:
Dr. Sian Proctor is an American commercial astronaut, geoscientist, artist, author, and science communicator. In 2021, Dr. Proctor made history as the first female commercial spaceship pilot and the only African-American woman to be a space mission pilot on SpaceX’s Inpiration4. In addition to her space flight, she has completed the Mars mission at the Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) Habitat to investigate food strategies for long duration spaceflight, missions to Mars at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), and Moon mission in the LunAres Habitat.

Dr. Proctor is the founder and CEO of Space2inspire, an art and media company. Her nonprofit is the Proctor Foundation for Art and Science where she sends community college students and faculty to Space Camp. She is an international speaker and science communicator and has authored multiple books including the science book Earthlight. Dr Proctor believes humanity should actively strive for a Just, Equitable, Diverse, and Inclusive Space (J.E.D.I. Space) both here on Earth and off-planet in order to ensure space is for everyone. 

Dr. Proctor is a member of the National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group and serves on the STEM Education subcommittee and Climate and Societal Benefits subcommittee. She was also selected as the U.S. Department of State Science Envoy for Space to represent the United States Department of State’s global initiative to promote civil use of space in order “to build peer-to-peer connections with foreign researchers, promote space science education, and raise awareness of the importance of space science to society.”