William J. Pomerantz
Aerospace Executive and Founder in Houston, TX
William J. Pomerantz
Aerospace Executive and Founder in Houston, TX
Will Pomerantz is an aerospace executive with two decades of experience across the the entrepreneurial and non-profit sectors. He currently serves as the Head of Space Ventures at AeroVironment, where he leads the team that built the Collier-Trophy-winning Mars helicopter Ingenuity in partnership with NASA JPL.In this role, he also spearheaded the development of the Skyfall mission concept, recently selected by NASA for a 2028 launch.
Prior to joining AeroVironment, Will served as Vice President for Special Projects and Employee #001 at Virgin Orbit, Vice President for Special Projects at Virgin Galactic, and Senior Director of Space Prizes at the XPRIZE Foundation, among other roles.
A dedicated advocate for the next generation of space professionals, Will co-founded the, he co-founded the Brooke Owens Fellowship and the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, award-winning mentorship and work experience programs focused on enabling undergraduate students from communities underserved by the aerospace industry to pursue successful aerospace careers. The same passion has fueled his work as the longest-serving Chair of the Board of Advisors of SEDS-USA, the world's largest student space organization; as a member of the strategic leadership team for Space Workforce 2030; as a member of the Inclusion Council for Space for Humanity; and, most recently, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Open Lunar Foundation.
Will earned a bachelors degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard and a masters degree in Space Studies from the International Space University. He is also a graduate of the NASA Academy, NASA's premiere leadership training program for undergraduate and graduate students.
He has served on two US Federal Advisory Committees, one for the National Academies of Science and Engineering and one for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Will has been honored as a Karman Fellow, and gave a successful TEDx talk explaining why humans explore space.
Will and his wife, NASA Flight Director Diana Trujillo, live near Houston, TX with their two children.