Jim Myers
Senior Vice President, Civil Systems Group, The Aerospace Corp.
Jim Myers’ biggest recent achievement is supporting the extension of the SPARTA space cybersecurity framework across the U.S. space enterprise.
Since its introduction in late 2022, SPARTA has drawn heavy interest and use from across the space sector, including commercial and civil space organizations, and has become an integral component of the Operational Watch Center at the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center which apprises the space industry of current cyber and resilience risk factors.
SPARTA offers this community an actionable way to identify, address, and mitigate the full range of known cyber threats — and prepare for conceptual or unknown threats, and contribute to collective space-cyber knowledge and readiness. Myers and team published version 2.0 of this free, open-source framework this summer.
“With a credit to many novel activities and innovations, we are living in the most exciting time in space history,” said Steve Isakowitz, president and CEO of The Aerospace Corp.
“The way space and the threat landscape are evolving places all space actors, not just the national security community, at risk. Jim and his team within our Civil Systems Group are working to ensure that Aerospace’s expertise on cybersecurity — a critical component to ensuring resiliency in space — extends to our commercial and civil customers and our international allies.”
Why Watch
In 2024, Myers and his team are heavily focused on building and growing partnerships across the enterprise, particularly within and across the public and private sectors and across national boundaries with U.S. allies and partners. The U.S. is taking great strides via AUKUS, the Artemis Accords, and other mechanisms to promote space activities and norms that will secure the viability and sustainability of the space domain for all spacefaring nations in the present and for future generations. Myers considers his team’s work at key programmatic and technological intersections of those partnerships, including space cyber and safety, a top priority.
“Because of our interconnectedness, establishing cybersecurity is an individual and collective commitment. I’m honored to be included among a group of other leaders who are all championing that commitment and delivering results in the national interest,” Myers said.
Fun fact: Myers is passionate about providing mentorship and sharing the lessons he has learned over his career with the next generation of America’s workforce and learning from them in turn. He has had the privilege of working with veterans making the transition from military to industry by serving as a mentor through American Corporate Partners for 10 years. Myers served on the Board of Directors for the MATHCOUNTS Foundation for seven years (and as Chair for one year), supporting its mission to engage U.S. middle-school students with invigorating STEM activities. He is also adjunct faculty at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, where he taught business courses for six years.
So, even with Aerospace recently moving corporate headquarters from El Segundo, California, closer to home in Chantilly, Virginia, Myers is excited to continue to get exposure to promising future leaders from all areas of the country.