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 2022 introduction, SPARTA has attracted significant interest and use from commercial and civil space organizations and has become a key part of the Operational Watch Center at the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which informs the space industry about current cyber and resilience risks.
SPARTA provides the community with actionable methods to identify, address and mitigate known cyber threats, prepare for potential and unknown threats and contribute to collective space-cyber knowledge and readiness. Myers and his team released 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 focused on building and expanding partnerships across the enterprise, especially within the public and private sectors and internationally with U.S. allies. The U.S. is making significant progress through AUKUS, the Artemis Accords, and other initiatives to promote space activities and norms that ensure the sustainability of the space domain for current and future generations. Myers prioritizes his team’s work at the key programmatic and technological intersections of these partnerships, particularly in space cyber and safety.
“Because of our interconnectedness, establishing cybersecurity is an individual and collective commitment,” he said. “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.”
Fun fact: Myers is dedicated to mentoring and sharing his career lessons with the next generation while also learning from them. He has worked with veterans transitioning from the military to civilian jobs as a mentor for American Corporate Partners for 10 years. Myers served on the board of directors for the MATHCOUNTS Foundation for seven years, including one year as chair, supporting its mission to engage U.S. middle-school students in STEM activities. He also taught business courses for six years as an adjunct faculty member at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
So, even with Aerospace recently moving the corporate headquarters from El Segundo, California, closer to home in Chantilly, Virginia, Myers is excited to continue getting exposure to promising future leaders from all areas of the country.