"I learned how to frame and decompose complex problems into solvable elements, independent of domain - engineering, finance, marketing, law, etc. The approach is fundamentally transferable and has applied to every role in every company I've ever worked, at every level.”
Audrey Powers is the Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations for Blue Origin, a commercial space company operating and developing two reusable launch vehicle programs, developing and manufacturing the BE family of engines, developing a lunar lander program, as well as pursuing other advanced development initiatives in space. Powers also currently serves as the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.
Powers received a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University and worked as an engineer for almost 10 years prior to becoming a lawyer.
As a guidance and controls engineer, she was a flight controller for NASA with 2,000 hours of console time in Mission Control for the International Space Station Program. While supporting government satellite programs for Lockheed Martin, Powers received a Juris Doctor in 2008 from Santa Clara University School of Law.
As Blue Origin’s VP of Legal & Compliance, Powers handled a wide variety of legal matters, including regulatory affairs, legislative and policy matters, supplier and customer negotiations and management, maritime law, crisis response, and legal operations and team building.
In June 2021, Powers became the Vice President of New Shepard Mission & Flight Operations with overall responsibility for all New Shepard flight operations, vehicle maintenance, and launch, landing, and ground support infrastructure.