Raphael Perrino

Raphael Perrino is an M.A. student in International Science and Technology Policy with an emphasis in Space Policy at George Washington University, and plans to graduate in August 2015. He holds an M.S. and B.S. in Technical and Scientific Communication from James Madison University. In 2010, he co-founded a STEM-centered non-profit organization, Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium. He led online operations for the non-profit and helped raise over $430,000 to save the planetarium from closure. He currently serves on the Board of Directors, coordinating speaking engagements, NASA star parties, and monthly public programs. In 2011, he founded saveJWST, leading a successful grassroots effort to mobilize support and restore funding to the James Webb Space Telescope.

In October 2014, Raphael began work as an Aerospace Analyst at The Tauri Group and has worked on the GAO 2015 NASA Quicklook, FY16 NASA Budget Request, and Start-Up Space study. He has published several papers on Space Policy, including "Is JFK-Style Leadership the Catalyst?" (AIAA SPACE 2015), "Emergence, Preliminary Assessment, and Cross-Agency Applicability of NASA Joint Confidence Level Policy" (AIAA SPACE 2015), and "Key Policies to Success of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program: Considering Lessons Learned from Past Public to Private Function Transfers" (IAC 2015). Recently, Raphael was awarded the 2015 Future Space Leaders grant.