Axiom Space CEO and leadership

Michael T. Suffredini is President, CEO and co-founder of Axiom Space, Inc. The Axiom Space vision is to make living and working in Earth orbit commonplace as a means to a robust economy in low Earth orbit. To realize this vision, Axiom is building the world’s first internationally available commercial space station to continue what the International Space Station (ISS) community of Nations has begun.

Mr. Suffredini has 30+ years of experience in human spaceflight, and served as NASA’s ISS Program manager for a decade prior to his retirement in late 2015. As ISS Program manager, Mike was responsible for the development, assembly, operation and utilization of the 460-metric ton, permanently manned international orbiting laboratory complex. The 15-nation program is the largest international peacetime project in human history. During his tenure, Mr. Suffredini successfully lead the transition of the ISS program from a development and assembly focus to a research and commercial utilization focus, opening avenues for a new commercial marketplace in space.

Mr. Suffredini is the recipient of numerous awards including the NASA Distinguished Service medal, the NASA Outstanding Leadership medal, the National Air and Space Museum Trophy and the Yuri Gagarin Medal. In addition, Michael has had both the Rank of Meritorious Executive and Rank of Distinguished Executive conferred on him by the President of the United States.

Amir Blachman is the Chief Business Officer of Axiom Space, building the world’s first commercial space station to continue what the International Space Station (ISS) community of Nations has begun. He is responsible for Axiom Space’s financial planning, fundraising, corporate venture and business development.

Mr. Blachman has 20+ years of investment finance, corporate growth, board management, compliance and transactional experience. He served as Managing Director of an investment syndicate with 120 investors in 11 countries and was responsible for funding companies that developed lunar landers, communication networks, Earth imaging satellites, antennae and exploration technologies.

Prior to merging his investment and aerospace backgrounds, Mr. Blachman had a successful career in real estate investment and lending, and prior to that served as operations director at BPO PeopleSupport and at the WeddingChannel, growing the companies towards their public offering and acquisition.

Mr. Blachman’s capabilities as a practical, mission-focused operator were developed during his service as an Air Force instructor. He holds a BA in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara and an MBA from UCLA Anderson. He is an instrument-rated pilot and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.

Mr. Ondler has 35 years experience in engineering, management and leadership in both government and industry. He is formerly the President/CEO and co-founder of Houston Mechatronics Inc. (HMI) a fast-growing robotics and intelligent automation company, developing and commercializing a host of robotic technologies and applications. HMI grew from a three-person start-up to seventy-five engineering staff and a valuation of $60M under his leadership.

Mr. Ondler served 28 years with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at the Johnson Space Center. Mr. Ondler departed NASA as the Assistant Director of Engineering responsible for all Advanced Exploration Systems Development totaling $200M in project budgets. While at NASA he was the recipient of NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal and Exceptional Achievement Medal.

After departing NASA and prior to forming HMI, Mr. Ondler served as a senior executive at Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, a $600M/yr engineering services company, performing business development, strategic planning, program management, and led corporate innovation initiatives.

Alicia Woodley has 17 years of experience spanning the fields of business law, corporate management, and the sciences, and is the Chief Counsel and Director of Internal Corporate Operations at Axiom Space.

Prior to joining Axiom, Ms. Woodley directed special projects as General Counsel and Chief Strategic Officer for the US Medical Innovations family of companies specializing in research, product development, manufacturing, sales & distribution of plasma-energy surgical devices.

Previously Ms. Woodley held positions as a Leveraged Finance attorney at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, Legal Fellow to the General Counsel’s Office of Teach for America, and Financial Analyst on the Goldman Sachs International Equities Trading Floor. Alicia received a BA from Brown University, an MBA from Wharton, a JD from Harvard Law School, an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania Lauder Institute, and completed the International Space University SSP Program in 2016. In her spare time Alicia Woodley serves as the Managing Partner of Etropy, LLC, supporting human technologies startup ventures.

A veteran CFO of multiple startups and two public companies, West Griffin manages Axiom’s financial operations and strategic outlook as it assumes a leadership role in the commercial development of space. His 35 years in corporate finance include putting in place the systems and processes needed by startups to eventually go public and experience raising debt and equity in the capital markets.

West previously co-founded a SPAC that raised $300 million on the AIM, the junior London Stock Exchange, and then de-SPACed by completing an acquisition of offshore producing oil properties. As the CFO of Energy XXI, he helped the company grow intrinsically and extrinsically through the completion of six major acquisitions. Upon leaving Energy XXI, he had helped the company grow to a $5.8 billion enterprise value company listed on NASDAQ.

Michael T. Suffredini is President, CEO and co-founder of Axiom Space, Inc. The Axiom Space vision is to make living and working in Earth orbit commonplace as a means to a robust economy in low Earth orbit. To realize this vision, Axiom is building the world’s first internationally available commercial space station to continue what the International Space Station (ISS) community of Nations has begun.

Mr. Suffredini has 30+ years of experience in human spaceflight, and served as NASA’s ISS Program manager for a decade prior to his retirement in late 2015. As ISS Program manager, Mike was responsible for the development, assembly, operation and utilization of the 460-metric ton, permanently manned international orbiting laboratory complex. The 15-nation program is the largest international peacetime project in human history. During his tenure, Mr. Suffredini successfully lead the transition of the ISS program from a development and assembly focus to a research and commercial utilization focus, opening avenues for a new commercial marketplace in space.

Mr. Suffredini is the recipient of numerous awards including the NASA Distinguished Service medal, the NASA Outstanding Leadership medal, the National Air and Space Museum Trophy and the Yuri Gagarin Medal. In addition, Michael has had both the Rank of Meritorious Executive and Rank of Distinguished Executive conferred on him by the President of the United States.

Alicia Woodley has 17 years of experience spanning the fields of business law, corporate management, and the sciences, and is the Chief Counsel and Director of Internal Corporate Operations at Axiom Space.

Prior to joining Axiom, Ms. Woodley directed special projects as General Counsel and Chief Strategic Officer for the US Medical Innovations family of companies specializing in research, product development, manufacturing, sales & distribution of plasma-energy surgical devices.

Previously Ms. Woodley held positions as a Leveraged Finance attorney at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, Legal Fellow to the General Counsel’s Office of Teach for America, and Financial Analyst on the Goldman Sachs International Equities Trading Floor. Alicia received a BA from Brown University, an MBA from Wharton, a JD from Harvard Law School, an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania Lauder Institute, and completed the International Space University SSP Program in 2016. In her spare time Alicia Woodley serves as the Managing Partner of Etropy, LLC, supporting human technologies startup ventures.

A veteran of three spaceflights as well as the United States Air Force, Rex Walheim is today Axiom’s Director of Safety & Mission Assurance. As a NASA astronaut, he logged more than 36 hours on five spacewalks and more than 36 days in space during STS-110 in 2002, STS-122 in 2008, and STS-135 - the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011.

Following his flying days and prior to his retirement from NASA in 2020, he served sequentially as Chief of the Exploration Branch of the Astronaut Office; Assistant Director for Operations for the Flight Operations Directorate; and Deputy Director of Safety & Mission Assurance at the Johnson Space Center. His other experience over a distinguished NASA career included CAPCOM in the Mission Control Center, Chief of the Spacewalking branch, and the astronaut representative to the Orion Program.

Rex received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science in industrial engineering from the University of Houston. He has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and Aerial Achievement Medal.