AIAA has identified 30 exceptional young professionals who are advancing aerospace through technical achievement, innovation, and leadership. The 30/30 Program highlights individuals in their 30s who are driving breakthrough research, advancing next-generation technologies, leading impactful programs and teams, and accelerating innovation across aerospace. They are presented in seven different technical categories. Meet the winners in our Business and Communications Category below. And learn about the full list of 30 exceptional individuals at aiaa.org/get-involved/honors-awards/awards/30-30-recognition-program.
Business and Communications
Camille Bergin
Chief Marketing Officer
Star Catcher Industries
A 2018 AIAA Wernher von Braun Scholarship recipient, Camille Bergin trained as an aerospace engineer before working on NASA’s Artemis program and classified national security missions. But her real distinction is what she did next: she paired her technical fluency with communications command to build category-defining companies, and a new category of technical marketing itself.
As Chief Marketing Officer of Star Catcher, the company building the first power grid in space, Bergin has, in less than two years, transformed an unknown seed-stage startup into a market leader. In October 2025, she led communications for Star Catcher’s world-record optical power-beaming demonstration at NASA Kennedy Space Center. She landed an exclusive in Bloomberg and framed a deeply technical milestone for the investors, customers, and policymakers who decide a company’s future. The positioning and thought leadership Bergin leads have directly enabled a $65 million oversubscribed Series A, ten signed commercial Power Purchase Agreements, and multiple government contracts.
Her influence extends across the industry: she pioneered orbital infrastructure narratives at Orbit Fab, built Vast’s first marketing team, and co-founded Modulate Media. She built The Galactic Gal, a platform of more than 800,000 followers, earning the first creator partnership in U.S. Space Force history.
For the next generation in STEM, Bergin is proof that an engineer can also be a builder, a communicator, and a public voice, all at once. She isn’t just opening doors; she’s showing others where to find them.
Olga Isabel Pérez Encarnación
Air Traffic Controller and Aerospace Media Producer
Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC), El Nuevo Diario, & Nolim Studios
Olga Isabel Pérez Encarnación is an air traffic controller, journalist, and aerospace innovator with 15 years of experience in aviation and over eight years in media and communications.
She is the creator and producer of Quiero ser piloto, an aviation competition broadcast as a television series in the Dominican Republic. The project has awarded 43 scholarships in English language training, Private Pilot training, Instrument Rating training, and Aircraft Maintenance Technician training. With more than 2 million views, the series received international recognition at the Air Traffic Management Awards 2024 during Airspace World 2025. The project’s scholarships and aviation opportunities are funded through the same advertising and partnerships generated by the television series itself. The program is conducting an exploratory study on the use of virtual reality flight simulators in aviation training. Pérez Encarnación organized the first female aviation fly-in in the Dominican Republic.
Her innovation also extends to aviation operations. Pérez Encarnación is the creator of SARA (System AI Real-time for Aviation), an AI-powered assistant designed to provide fast, traceable, and reliable access to critical aeronautical information for air traffic controllers, pilots, and dispatchers. The platform has been used and evaluated by 220 indivuals across six countries, including the United States and won first place in ENAIRE’s 2024 International Air Navigation Innovation Competition. Preliminary studies with nearly 100 aviation professionals showed that 88% considered access to operational information slow or complex; SARA’s goal is to measurably reduce information retrieval time. In 2026, Pérez Encarnación received the Women in Tech LATAM Most Disruptive Award for SARA and will represent Latin America in the global competition.
Chad Stearns
Program Management Manager – Chief of Staff
The Boeing Company
Chad Stearns has a proven ability to bridge the gap between complex engineering and strategic business execution. Earning a B.S. in Business Administration (Cum Laude) and a M.S. in Systems Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Stearns leverages this dual expertise at The Boeing Company to lead the full spectrum of cost, schedule, and technical execution of executive fleet programs.
Since joining Boeing full-time in 2019, Stearns has demonstrated rapid, progressive leadership across high-stakes defense platforms, including E-7 International, Phantom Works, and VVIP executive fleet programs. Currently serving as Chief of Staff for an executive fleet program, he seamlessly manages program integration and administrative operations for portfolios worth hundreds of millions of dollars. His impact on the field lies in his ability to steer these massive, critical defense assets with absolute precision.
Stearns is leaving his mark on the aviation industry by actively building its future. Beyond his corporate achievements, he serves as an Adjunct Professor for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide School of Engineering, dedicating his time to teaching and mentoring the next generation of aviation professionals. Furthermore, his commitment to the industry’s pipeline is proven by his past board service as Secretary and Chair of the Governance & Audit Committee for an Oklahoma STEAM workforce development nonprofit. At just 29 years old, Stearns has already established a profound legacy of operational excellence and workforce empowerment, shaping both today’s defense capabilities and tomorrow’s aviation leaders.
