On December 17, 2008, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announced the appointment of Gwynne Shotwell as president of the company. As president, she will focus on the operational activities of SpaceX, including sales, marketing, manufacturing, launch operations, legal, government relations and finance.
Gwynne Shotwell joined SpaceX in 2002 as vice president of business development to generate and manage SpaceX's customer base and the company's strategic and government relations. Previously, she served for ten years at the Aerospace Corporation and before that, directed business development at Microcosm. She began her engineering career at Chrysler Motors.
In 2004, she was elected to the California Space Authority Board of Directors and currently serves on its Executive Committee. She has served as chairperson of the AIAA Space Systems Technical Committee and as an officer of the AIAA Los Angeles Chapter.
Gwynne Shotwell graduated with honors from Northwestern University with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's in Applied Mathematics.