Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, has been appointed by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden to the NASA Advisory Council, a federally chartered body of experts that provides advice and counsel directly to the NASA Administrator. Additionally, Alexander has been selected to chair the newly formed Commercial Space Committee of the NASA Advisory Council.

Following his appointment, Alexander attended a meeting of the full NASA Advisory Councilon October 29 at the NASA Ames Research Center, which included discussions with NASA Administrator Bolden, Ames Center Director Dr. Pete Worden, and NASA Advisory Council Chair Dr. Kenneth Ford.

According to NASA, "the NASA Advisory Council provides the NASA Administrator with counsel and advice on programs and issues of importance to the Agency... and presents any findings and recommendations to the NASA Administrator on a quarterly basis."

Mark Sirangelo, Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, said, "We are very proud that Brett has been granted this prestigious appointment by the NASA Administrator. As a well-respected and articulate leader in the commercial spaceflight industry, Brett is a fitting individual for this role."

Added Alexander, "It is a deep honor to be appointed by the Administrator to serve on the NASA Advisory Council. I believe the Administrator recognizes that the success of NASA's exploration activities must involve commercial spaceflight and I look forward to chairing the Commercial Space Committee."

Alexander joins the following other members of the newly restructured NASA Advisory Council:

+ Chair: Kenneth M. Ford

+ Aeronautics Committee: Marion Blakey

+ Audit, Finance and Analysis Committee: Robert M. Hanisee

+ Education and Public Outreach: Miles O'Brien

+ Exploration Committee: Gen. Lester L. Lyles

+ Science Committee: Wesley T. Huntress, Jr.

+ Space Operations Committee: Col. Eileen M. Collins

+ Technology and Innovation Committee: Esther Dyson

+ Ex officio members (National Academies): Raymond S. Colladay and Charles F. Kennel

Bretton Alexander holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In addition to his role as President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Alexander has previously served as Executive Director for Space at the X PRIZE Foundation, where he oversaw all aspects of the Google Lunar X Prize, the Lunar Lander Challenge, and the X PRIZE Cup, and was also Senior Advisor to Transformational Space Corporation (t/Space).

Prior to joining the entrepreneurial space community, Alexander served under presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush as Senior Policy Analyst for space issues. During his tenure at the White House, he was one of the primary authors of the "Vision for Space Exploration" announced by President Bush in January 2004. He has also held positions in the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, the Aerospace Corporation, and ANSER Corporation.