Kevin M. O’Connell is CEO of Space Economy Rising (SER), an advisory firm that helps space companies, investors, and other stakeholders navigate the space economy. A recognized expert on space commerce, the global space economy, and national security, he has spent almost four decades advancing the commercialization of space and assessing its implications for global markets and security.

O’Connell chairs the advisory board of the Institute of Space Commerce and serves on the boards of the US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and the Space Foundation as well as the advisory board of the Association of Commercial Space Professionals. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and advises investors and industry organizations across the space economy.

Previously, O'Connell served as director of the Office of Space Commerce at the US Department of Commerce, where he led efforts to advance US commercial space competitiveness, innovation, and international partnerships.