Seaver Spotlight
Seaver Spotlight is LMU Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering’s signature speaker series featuring distinguished leaders in STEM who share their experiences and insights as they seek to live lives of meaning and purpose.
Seaver Spotlight featuring Jackie Space, M.S. '12
"Engineering Adaptability: Building Your Path in a Rapidly Evolving Industry"
The space industry is changing swiftly. Air Force veteran, aerospace engineer, and entrepreneur Jackie Space, M.S. ’12 – director of strategy and partnerships at Voyager Technologies – shares how spotting emerging trends early created opportunities throughout her career. She’ll share how she left stable roles, ignored the doubters, and embraced uncertainty to co‑found an innovation consultancy and help drive public‑private partnerships in national security and space. She’ll highlight the skills, both technical and human, that are important when creating new solutions in government, industry, and startups.
Past Speakers
Celebrating Research and Discovery
Kristen Covino,
Associate Professor, Biology
Katie Mouzakis,
Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Robert Musci,
Assistant Professor, Health and Human Sciences
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025
Leaders in Innovation
Tom Mueller, Moderator
Founder and CEO, Impulse Space
Doug Bernauer, Panelist
CEO, Radiant
Erik Palitsch, Panelist
CEO and Founder, Freeform
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Tom Mueller, M.S. '92
Founder and CEO, Impulse Space
"It IS Rocket Science: An Engineer's Path to CEO"
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024
"Great Minds of STEM"
Traci Minamide, M.S. '87, Chief Operating Officer, City of Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment
Joshua Mosqueira, Game Director, Bad Robot Games
Kirk Tamaddon, Area Medical Director, Chief of Staff, Kaiser Permanente, West Los Angeles Medical Center
Friday, Oct. 27, 2023
Wanda Austin, Ph.D.
Former President & CEO, Aerospace Corporation
Former Interim President, USC
"Leadership in a Complex World"
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Deepak Srivastava, M.D.
President, Gladstone Institutes
Director, Roddenberry Stem Cell Center, Gladstone Institutes
Attending Pediatric Cardiologist, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital
"Hacking the Genetic Code to Treat Human Disease"
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Guy Consolmagno, S.J.
Director, Vatican Observatory
President, Vatican Observatory Foundation
"Your God is Too Small"
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Stephen Speicher, M.D.
Associate Medical Director of Patient Safety Programs, Flatiron Health
"Innovation in the Time of COVID-19"
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski
Retired Four-Star General
"The Only Woman in the Room"
Friday, October 4, 2019
"Electronic Health Records: Past, Present and Future Trends"
Panel Discussion
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Paul Viviano
President and CEO, Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Chair, LMU Board of Trustees
"Do You Want to Hear God Laugh?"
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Robert Sclabassi, M.D. '62
CEO, Computational Diagnostics, Inc.
Managing Partner, Clinical Neurophysiological Services, LLC
Director of Intraoperative Monitoring Services, Allegheny Health Network
"Life is Not Linear: How LMU Prepares You for the Curves"
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Annette Walker '79
President of Strategy, Providence St. Joseph Health
Chief Executive, St. Joseph Health
"From Scientist to Strategist: A Mother's Journey"
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Dorota Shortell '98
President, Simplexity Product Development
"Success on Your Own Terms: Seizing Opportunity While Focusing on Your Priorities"
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Christian DeVirgilio, M.D. '82
Surgeon and Professor of Surgery
"From the Classroom to the Operating Room"
Thursday, November 6, 2014