Laura Stiles
About Laura Stiles
Laura Stiles is the Sr. Manager of New Shepard Launch Operations at Blue Origin, with a background in aerospace engineering and over 10 years of skydiving instruction experience.
Current Role at BLUE ORIGIN
Laura Stiles currently serves as the Sr. Manager of New Shepard Launch Operations at BLUE ORIGIN since 2018. In this role, she is responsible for managing the technical scope, budget, and schedule to meet the launch targets for the New Shepard program. Her responsibilities include leading the New Shepard flight operations team to achieve significant milestones, such as launching humans to space. Her role combines technical expertise with leadership and project management capabilities.
Previous Experience at BLUE ORIGIN
Before her current role, Laura Stiles worked in various capacities at BLUE ORIGIN. From 2015 to 2018, she served as a Cognizant Engineer for the Capsule Parachute System. Prior to that, she worked as a Rotation Engineer from 2013 to 2015. These roles allowed her to gain extensive experience in engineering and technical operations within the aerospace sector.
Skydiving Instructor Roles
Since 2011, Laura Stiles has been working as a Skydiving Instructor at Mile Hi Skydiving and Skydive Kapowsin, located in Longmont, CO and Seattle, WA respectively. She has over 10 years of experience in instructing skydiving, which contributes to her strong emphasis on safety in aerospace operations.
Academic Background in Aerospace Engineering
Laura Stiles earned her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she studied from 2008 to 2013. Prior to that, she completed her M.S. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the same institution from 2008 to 2011. She also holds a B.S. in Engineering Physics from The University of Kansas, which she achieved from 2004 to 2008.
Experience in Research and Space Programs
Laura Stiles has a robust background in research and space programs. She worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 2008 to 2013. Additionally, she was a Space Scholar at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, NM, for five months in 2009. Moreover, she held the position of a NASA Academy Research Assistant at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for 11 months in 2007. Early in her career, she was a Research Assistant at the University of Kansas Dept. of Physics from 2005 to 2008.