I must say they scored a coup landing you as their speaker. You had the audience in the palm of your hand with just the right mixture of humor and information. ` - Ned Foster, Newscaster, KTAR 620 AM (Phoenix) Your role as keynote far exceeded any I have heard in the past. Your ease at the podium, sense of humor, and stories of space flight truly captivated the audience and added a depth to the banquet that is unsurpassed. - James Woods, FAA Flight Standards Office You did an amazing job at our customer appreciation event... those customers are still talking about it! - Debra DeCristofaro, Microsoft Corporation, NY Ed brings a wealth of experience, energy, and motivation to every event: Speaker Highly successful professional speaker for 15 years Astronaut 84 days in space, a 21-year American record Executive 25 years of innovative business leadership Author 2 novels, many popular and scientific articles Scientist PhD from Caltech; Scientific contributions at NASA He speaks on a range of topics tailored to each event s specific needs: Leadership & Spaceflight, Our Greatest Adventure & Spaceflight, and Management & Spaceflight. He has spoken to a wide diversity of audiences and always far exceeded expectations with his knowledge, experiences, humor, and presentation skills.
PROFILE For 21 years, Ed Gibson held the American record for time in space, having spent 84 straight days aboard America s first space station, Skylab III, as the scientist-pilot. During that 1974 mission, he worked outside the space station for more than 15 hours during three different space walks. During his 14-year career with NASA, Ed also served on the support crew of the Apollo 12 mission and as the ground communicator with the flight crew while they explored the moon. He earned Air Force wings and has logged over 2,200 hours in high-performance aircraft and 100 hours in helicopters. Ed earned his bachelor s degree in engineering from the University of Rochester and a master s degree and doctorate in Engineering and Physics from the California Institute of Technology. After one year in industry, he was selected as one of six members of the first group of Scientist-Astronauts, edging out 2,000 other applicants. After his NASA career, Ed excelled in program management and marketing with Booz, Allen, and Hamilton and TRW where he focused on space and energy development. He later served as the president of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and his own consulting company, Gibson International. He is recently retired from his position as Senior Vice President and Contract Manager with Science Applications International Corporation, a top-ranked Fortune 500 research and engineering firm. In addition to his professional speaking, he is also an accomplished author: two novels published through Doubleday and Bantam, Reach and In the Wrong Hands; The Greatest Adventure, a compilation of pictures and writings on space from many astronauts and cosmonauts as well as James Michener that he edited; and a textbook in solar physics, The Quiet Sun. Ed received a number of honorary doctorate degrees and national and international awards and honors including the Robert J. Collier Trophy, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal from the President, and induction into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame.
TESTIMONIALS You did an amazing job at our customer appreciation event for us. Those customers are still talking about it! - Debra DeCristofaro, Microsoft Corporation, New York As emcee for the evening, I must say they scored a coup landing you as their speaker. You had the audience in the palm of your hand with just the right mixture of humor and information! - Ned Foster, Newscaster, KTAR 620 AM (Phoenix) Your role as keynote far exceeded any I have heard in the past. Your ease at the podium, your sense of humor, and your stories of space flight truly captivated the audience and added a depth to the banquet that is unsurpassed. - James Woods, Federal Aviation Administration Dr. Gibson s awe-inspiring slides and unique presentation were very well received by the audience. Everyone agrees he is an excellent presenter and has a very special set of experiences to speak about. - Adela Awner, American Red Cross Over three hundred people filled the banquet facility to hear Dr. Gibson s presentation based on his experiences as a NASA Scientist Astronaut. They were not disappointed. Aviation enthusiasts and other guests as well were unanimous in expressing their acclaim for the program. - James Burch, Aviation Safety Group of Arizona
TOPIC ~ Our Greatest Adventure - Spaceflight Just as explorers, and later settlers, sailed the seas and spread across our continent, humans now leave our planet and venture into space. From liftoff and space walks to re-entry into Earth s atmosphere, the audience is absorbed and entranced by a world that only a handful of humans have ever experienced. Gliding over Earth at a serene five miles per second, living months without gravity, and watching Earth s features become as familiar as the face of an old friend, Ed intrigues audiences with personal experiences gained during his 35-million-mile flight into space. With touches of humor, he puts the mind of the audience into the spacecraft to enjoy the sensations and emotions felt exclusively by those few humans who ve led our outward thrusts into the universe around us astronauts and cosmonauts. Now, as 14 nations around the world build another space station in Earth s orbit, the recounting of life onboard America s first space station, Skylab, and the medical challenges encountered upon return to Earth, are not just fascinating, but highly relevant. His intriguing presentation reflects on our current outward migration and the future of human space exploration.
TOPIC ~ Management and Spaceflight Humankind s most ambitious and exciting venture human flight to the moon succeeded beyond all expectations. Adherence to the basic principles of good management, guided by common sense, led the way. The early management of the space program set the bar at unprecedented heights. However, in subsequent years, mediocrity crept in, lowered performance, and escalated costs as the highest levels of management ignored the very principles that enabled earlier success. As Ed describes the triumphs of America s space program during the Apollo era, he identifies the seven basic principles of good management that led to success principles that apply to any endeavor, public, private, or non-profit. Integrating personal experiences from liftoff and space walks to re-entry into the Earth s atmosphere, Ed illustrates the ability to initiate action, focus on the mission, organize lean, competent teams, motivate and properly support staff, and lastly, get out of the way. In the years since the Apollo missions, America s space program has often yielded to political and bureaucratic forces from the White House and Congress down to the lowest ranks of NASA and brushed aside each one of these seven basic principles of management. The results have been predictable and sometimes tragic. The presentation is enriched by Ed s ability to creatively put the listener s mind in the spacecraft to experience flight. Through humor and an insightful perspective into America s opportunities in space, he demonstrates how good, solid management will enable the U.S. to maintain and extend its leading role in space exploration and how each manager, in any endeavor, can reach their maximum effectiveness.