Ryan Hartman

Chief Executive Officer

Prior to joining World View, Mr. Hartman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Insitu, a pioneer in the design, development and manufacturing of unmanned aircraft systems for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in military and commercial applications. Mr. Hartman brings over 20 years of experience in unmanned flight systems and aerial remote sensing to World View. In addition to his tenure at Insitu, Mr. Hartman previously led Raytheon’s Unmanned Systems Directorate of the Advanced Programs Division. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, and a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Tom Ingersoll

Executive Chairman

Mr. Ingersoll brings over 30 years of experience in the space and communications industry to World View. As President and CEO of Skybox Imaging, Mr. Ingersoll was responsible for the deployment and commercialization of the world’s largest commercial imaging constellation, and ultimately oversaw Skybox’s acquisition by Google in 2014. Prior to Skybox, Mr. Ingersoll served as co-founder and CEO of Universal Space Network (USN). He led the growth of USN from an early stage start-up to its current position as the leading supplier of mission critical ground station services to NASA, the Department of Defense, and others in the satellite industry.

Taber MacCallum

Co-founder & CTO

Mr. MacCallum was a member of the Biosphere 2 design team and an original crew member. He is a co-founder of Paragon Space Development Corporation, serving as CEO for the entirety of his tenure. During his time at Paragon, Taber also served as Chief Safety Officer and core team leader of the StratEx Space Dive program, which hoisted Google VP Alan Eustace to ~136,000ft for a record-breaking space dive via high-altitude balloon. Mr. MacCallum holds technology patents in analytical chemistry, spacecraft thermal control, contaminated water diving and spacecraft testing. He has managed experiments on the Soviet BioSatellite, Space Shuttle, Mir and the ISS.

Ron Garan, USAF (RET.)

SVP of Mission Operations

Ron is a highly decorated combat Fighter Pilot, Test Pilot, Explorer, Entrepreneur and Humanitarian. Ron traveled 71,075,867 miles in 2,842 orbits of our planet over 178 days in space and 27 hours of EVA during four spacewalks. He flew on both the US Space Shuttle and Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Ron is also an aquanaut and has conducted research in Aquarius, the world’s only undersea research laboratory and is author of the highly acclaimed book, The Orbital Perspective.

Dr. Matteo Genna

SVP of Engineering & Manufacturing

Dr. Matteo Genna most recently served as Chief Technology Officer of Space Systems Loral (SSL), a leading provider of commercial satellites, and brings decades of experience, leadership, and vision in space systems and engineering to World View. Dr. Genna served SSL for over 20 years in various roles including Manager of the Advanced Systems Group and Systems Engineer. Dr. Genna holds a bachelor of science degree in physics from the University of California, San Diego, and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Tom Pirrone

SVP of Stratollite Applications

Prior to World View, Tom held executive roles at Universal Space Network, where he led the team that created PrioraNet, a worldwide network of satellite ground stations, operated by USN in partnership with the Swedish Space Corporation. Today, PrioraNet provides support to over 100 on-orbit programs and communications for more than 220 launches. Tom is a Wharton Fellow and holds a Masters degree from Biblical Theological Seminary and a Bachelor’s degree from Cairn University.

Sebastian Padilla

Chief Engineer

Mr. Padilla led the StratEx team as Program Manager and Flight Director. He headed a diverse core team of innovative engineers in the development, testing and operations of the entire StratEx System from inception to the record breaking launch. Utilizing multi-disciplinary engineering, Sebastian led the StratEx team in devising a revolutionary launch system that took manned balloon flight to unprecedented heights. At the heart of this enterprise was their novel approach of simply outfitting the StratEx Pilot in a state-of-the-art pressure suit and strapping him to a high altitude helium balloon.

Justin Langlois

VP of Advanced Applications

Prior to World View, Justin held several positions at Google’s Terra Bella (formerly Skybox Imaging, now a subsidiary of Planet Labs), where he focused on product and go-to-market strategy for the satellite imaging company. Justin served as an officer within the Naval Special Warfare community with multiple deployments to combat zones and holds a bachelors (US Naval Academy) and Masters (Michigan) degrees in Aerospace Engineering and an MBA from Harvard.

Mark McKearn, USA (RET.)

Director of Stratollite Applications

Colonel Mark McKearn is a Master Army Aviator with 30 years of leadership and aviation experience in peace and war. He commanded an Aviation Brigade (3000 personal, 100 helicopters) in Afghanistan with additional deployments including Operation Desert Shield/Storm and Kosovo.  He is qualified in 11 Army helicopters and his honors include the Distinguished Service Medal, Bronze Star (2) and Air Medal (2).  Following his distinguished military career, Colonel McKearn has worked in the aerospace private sector for over 6 years.

Founding Team

Jane Poynter

Co-founder & Strategic Advisor

Ms. Poynter is a member of the Biosphere 2 design team and a member of the original crew who lived inside the sealed, self-sustaining habitat for two years. She was co-founder, President and Chairwoman of Paragon Space Development Corporation, which develops technologies for extreme environments. Experiments in her patented, self-sustaining habitats have flown on the International Space Station (ISS), Mir and the Space Shuttle. Ms. Poynter is a recognized leader in sustainable development. She is the author of The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2.