AAS Space Communications Committee

The AAS Space Communications Committee is a standing committee of the American Astronautical Society. Established in 2018, the Committee seeks to advance all space activities by building the skills, networks, and capabilities of the space industry’s marketing, communications and public relations professionals.

The Committee focuses on providing:

  • Networking opportunities in the form of events connected to industry conferences, online forums and local meetups
  • Forums to share best practices, such as in-person events and virtual forums like working groups
  • Training in the form of white papers, case studies, webinars, etc.
  • Career resources including thought leadership, mentoring, a list of open space communications roles and notifications regarding volunteer opportunities

To become a member of the Committee and receive updates on activities, interested professionals must first become an AAS member and then send the Committee an email.

LEAD VOLUNTEER ROLES NOW OPEN

Leadership volunteer positions in the Space Communications Committee are now open.

To apply for positions listed below, please email your resume as well as an overview of why you’d like to be involved in the AAS Space Communications Committee before November 5, 2018.

Applications will be reviewed by the active members of the planning committee:

  • Ally Abrams, Employee Communications, Blue Origin
  • Doug Isbell, Science & Risk Communications, NASA JPL
  • Tabatha Thompson, account director at DARPA, Spire Communications
  • Aaron Lewis, Communications & Government Relations, Arianespace
  • Nancy Reed, Marketing & Creative Services, Space Foundation

 

LEADERSHIP VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

Committee Chair
Responsible for strategic planning; providing guidance to the committee in meeting its goals and objectives; quarterly reviews with AAS on upcoming activities, resources needed and other matters; budget; volunteer management and succession planning; setting and running Committee leadership meetings; and day-to-day operational activities.
Estimated Time Commitment: 4-7 hours/week


Director, Education
Responsible for training and curating/managing educational content in the form of white papers, case studies, webinars, etc. May build out an Education team with additional volunteers. Often collaborates with the Director of Events.
Estimated Time Commitment: 3-6 hours/week
Reports To: Committee Chair


Director, Events
Responsible for planning and managing in-person networking opportunities, events connected to industry conferences, local meetups, etc. Responsible for building an Events team with additional volunteers. Often collaborates with the Director of Education and Director of Communications.
Estimated Time Commitment: 3-6 hours/week
Reports To: Committee Chair


Director, Career
Curates career resources and opportunities – e.g. mentorship opportunities, online jobs board with opt-in notifications, communications around volunteer opportunities, etc. May build out a Career team with additional volunteers.  Often collaborates with the Director of Events and Director of Communications.
Estimated Time Commitment: 3-6 hours/week
Reports To: Committee Chair


Director, Communications
Collaborates with the Education, Events, Career, etc. teams on their communications needs. For example, if the Events team has an event scheduled, the Communications Manager would work with them on invitations and all the comms associated with it. Centralized communications will be important to make sure there aren’t too many different people sending emails from the organization’s channels, potentially overlapping one another, using inconsistent formatting, etc. This role will help control the information highway.
Estimated Time Commitment: 3-6 hours/week
Reports To: Committee Chair


Social Media Manager
Responsible for establishing the Committee’s social media presence, strategy to engage with target audiences and day-to-day platform management. Collaborates closely with AAS VP of Communications and the Director of Communications.
Estimated Time Commitment: 4-7 hours/week
Reports To: Director, Communications


Webmaster
Responsible for site development & assisting other volunteers with getting content/features built into the site.
Estimated Time Commitment: 2-4 hours/week
Reports To: Director, Communications


Committee Secretary & Administrator
Responsible for scheduling and logistics of meetings, record-keeping, maintaining an information repository, works closely with the Committee Chair, provides efficient administration, checks in regularly with the other lead volunteers, liaises with the AAS legal and finance POCs to ensure the committee is compliant, also acts as a membership coordinator – maintaining up-to-date contact lists and answering prospective member questions.
Estimated Time Commitment: 3-6 hours/week
Reports To: Committee Chair