Industry Veteran Takes the Helm of Leading
Propulsion Company
Founder Joe
Laurienti to Step Back
DENVER, Aug. 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Ursa Major, America's leading privately funded
company focused solely on propulsion, today announced that industry
veteran Dan Jablonsky has been appointed Chief Executive
Officer effective August 5, 2024. He
will succeed Ursa Major founder Joe
Laurienti, who has led the company for the past nine years.
Ursa Major's co-founders and leaders remain in their current
positions and are working to ensure a seamless transition.
"It has been the adventure of a lifetime to found and lead Ursa
Major," said Mr. Laurienti. "I can't express how excited I am for
the next phase of the company. In what feels like a very short
period of time, we have built a world-class team and foundation
focused on solving the hardest problem in aerospace and defense:
propulsion. To continue advancing Ursa Major's work in space,
hypersonics, and solid rocket motors, now is the right time
for the company to bring in a new leader with the expertise and
track record to successfully guide the company into further reaches
of scale and impact. I cannot think of a more accomplished or
seasoned leader for this mission than Dan."
Mr. Jablonsky is highly experienced in leading and scaling
companies and has held senior leadership roles in the aerospace and
defense industry for more than a decade. Most recently, he served
as President and CEO of space technology company Maxar Technologies
and led that company through its successful take-private
acquisition by Advent International. Previously, he held a variety
of senior positions, including as President, at satellite imagery
company DigitalGlobe. He started his career as a surface warfare
officer and nuclear engineer in the US Navy before working as an
attorney at corporate law firms, for the SEC, and in in-house
roles.
Mr. Jablonsky holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the
United States Naval Academy, graduated
from the Navy Nuclear Power School, and earned a J.D. from the
University of Washington School of
Law.
"I have followed Ursa Major's many successes over the past nine
years and am confident in the impact that its advanced technology
and manufacturing approaches will have on the space and defense
communities for years to come," said Mr. Jablonsky. "I am honored
by Joe and the Board's trust and endorsement, and look forward to
working with the team to enhance America's national security and
expand the United States' critical
space and defense infrastructure capabilities."
Mr. Laurienti originally planned to bring Mr. Jablonsky into
Ursa Major as an advisor, but quickly realized he was, instead, the
right person to scale the company and lead it to through its next
stages of success. After conducting a review, Ursa Major's Board
unequivocally supported his appointment as CEO.
Ursa Major is well-positioned for growth. It successfully
launched the Hadley rocket engine in March in a first flight that
broke new ground, recently won a significant number of new
contracts, and just announced the creation of a new R&D site in
Youngstown, Ohio, that will help
expand and accelerate Ursa Major's new material development.
"Dan is the perfect executive to lead Ursa Major as it fulfills
its mission to meet the strategic needs of the United States for leading edge
propulsion," says Gilman Louie, cofounder of Alsop Louie Partners
and a member of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. "I
worked with Dan on the board of Maxar and saw him in action
building the vision and value of that company."
About Ursa Major
Ursa Major is America's leading
privately funded company focusing solely on rocket and missile
propulsion, bringing high-performance, staged combustion engines to
market for space launch, hypersonic applications, and solid rocket
motors for missiles. Ursa Major customers, ranging from "New Space"
startups to enterprise-level aerospace leaders and the U.S.
government, get to flight faster, more reliably, and
cost-effectively. The company employs the most sought-after
engineers from top space programs and universities. Headquartered
in Berthoud, Colorado, Ursa Major
was named one of the best places to work by Built in Colorado three years in a row. For more
information, visit www.ursamajor.com. For downloadable images and
videos, click here.
Media Contacts
Ursa Major
media@ursamajor.com
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SOURCE Ursa Major Technologies