Dr. Dave Kaufman is a Ball Corporation Senior Vice President and the President of Ball Aerospace. Previously, Dr. Kaufman served as Chief Operating Officer of Ball Aerospace. Prior to that, he was Vice President and General Manager of Ball’s National Defense strategic business unit, where he transformed the business from a subsystem and demonstration hardware provider into a full-service mission systems partner on programs of national importance.

During his three decade industry career, Kaufman has served in leadership positions for a variety of space system programs including DARPA’s Orbital Express NEXTSat/CSC and the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program Standard Interface Vehicle. He began his aerospace career as a thermal engineer at Hughes Space & Communications Co. in El Segundo, CA, and was awarded two patents for his research and development work.

Kaufman is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and actively engages with the broader aerospace and defense community. He is also appointed to the National Space Council’s User Advisory Group (UAG), where he will serve to enable a robust and responsible U.S. space enterprise and preserve space for current and future generations.