Ginny Randall Joins Brooke Owens Fellowship and Patti Grace Smith Fellowship as Their Inaugural Operations Director
Executive Teams from the Brooke Owens Fellowship and Patti Grace Smith Fellowship announced today that Ginny Randall will join their teams as Operation Director, the first full-time paid position for both programs.
“The Brooke Owens and Patti Grace Smith Fellowships have already begun to make a mark on the DNA of the aerospace workforce, and on the lives of more than three hundred students who have participated in our programs,” said Will Pomerantz, a co-founder of both programs. “As we’ve built that momentum, and as the incredible caliber of these worthy students from underserved backgrounds has become clear to the industry as a whole, that’s given us the opportunity to grow and to do even more. To do that, we needed to complement our incredible all-volunteer team with an extraordinary leader and that’s exactly what we’ve found in Ginny Randall.”
In her role, Ginny will assist the Fellowships with ongoing recruitment efforts, coordination among the Fellowship’s Host Companies, planning of the respective summer Summits and overall day-to-day management of these two prestigious organizations.
This position was made possible by a generous donation from Dylan and Gabrielle Taylor, endowing the first full-time position for both organizations. Dylan Taylor flew to space with Blue Origin on December 11th, 2021. In an effort to codify a new tradition in commercial spaceflight, Dylan enacted a “buy one, give one” model by matching the price of his ticket with donations to various nonprofit organizations.
“Among other worthy causes, I selected the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship and the Brooke Owens Fellowship as recipients for this gift due to the influence and impact these prestigious organizations have on the aerospace industry as a whole,” said Dylan Taylor. “Financial support helps to solidify this impact and make it more sustainable for years to come.”
Ginny Randall (she/her) most recently supported Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) at NASA, working with NASA's national and international GPS policy program alongside the division's communications and outreach strategy. Ginny also served as the Event Manager for SGx2022, one of the Space Generation Advisory Council’s three annual global events bringing together students and young professionals across the space industry.
Prior to joining the space sector, Ginny provided policy guidance, event coordination, and project management across government, private industry, and academia. Ginny holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Studies with a concentration in Social Impact from Vanderbilt University. Ginny is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, a jazz singer, and an unapologetic book nerd.
“I am humbled and thrilled for the opportunity to join in the efforts to honor two incredible women, Brooke Owens and Patti Grace Smith, by promoting diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in the space industry. The importance and value of these programs only grows as we look to the future of our world and beyond. I truly believe that space is for everyone, and I cannot wait to be a part of this community!” Randall said.