Voyager’s Clay Mowry Honored with Inaugural CSF James Kuzma Space Community Award

The growing team at Voyager never ceases to amaze me: whether being awarded a NASA contract to build the first-of-its-kind commercial space station or designing a laser communications terminal to connect military aircraft with geostationary satellites, we always set – and exceed – the standard of what’s possible here on Earth and in space.

While our team’s impact is often most recognized beyond our atmosphere, it is our work close to home that truly inspires me. Yesterday marked a major milestone for one of Voyager’s own, as our Chief Revenue Officer, Clay Mowry, received the Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s inaugural James Kuzma Space Community Award for his tireless advocacy and community-building work.

Clay was the founding executive director of the Satellite Industry Association and currently chairs the regulatory working group for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC). He has made a second career of mentoring the next generation of space leaders. He has worked diligently over the years to support young professionals through the Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) and the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), and today he is on the SGAC advisory board. He also founded the Future Space Leaders Foundation (FSLF), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young space professionals and graduate students advance their careers. FSLF has provided grants to 56 young professionals over the past several years to present papers at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) and attend the Space Symposium and SGx conferences. Each year, FSLF also hosts its annual Future Space conference in Washington, D.C. where students and young professionals network with leading policy and industry officials. The Brooke Owens Fellowship sends their class to Future Space and Clay is always on hand for their mentoring session that week.

On top of Clay’s day job and foundation work, he is also the incoming IAF president, where he brings his advocacy for young professionals, diversity, and inclusion in the space industry to the global scale. He currently chairs the IAF’s Industry Relations Committee and helps set the agenda for Industry Day at the annual IAC. Last year, Clay also served as a senior industry mentor for the IAF’s inaugural Launchpad Mentorship Program.

Clay Mowry Kuzma Award

Clay Mowry and Tim Huges received the James Kuzma Community Advocacy Award at the 2022 Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, DC. Photo via Space Florida.

Established three years ago, the CSF awards recognize the accomplishments and commitments by individuals and companies that have contributed to our industry’s unprecedented growth and continued success with the ultimate goal of democratizing space for all.

New this year is the James Kuzma Space Community Award, named after long-time CSF member James Kuzma who passed away in early 2021. James was a pillar of the industry and leaves behind an impressive legacy – one we can only hope to emulate. I’m honored to work alongside Clay and have him as a leader and advocate on the Voyager Space team.

Congratulations, Clay!