Maj. Gen. Jody A. Merritt (USAFR) is a nationally recognized leader in space operations, defense innovation, and emerging technology strategy, with over 30 years of experience spanning the military, government, and commercial sectors. While continuing to serve in the Air Force Reserves, she advises cutting-edge ventures in her civilian capacity. As the former Mobilization Assistant to the Commander of U.S. Space Command, she helped guide over 18,000 personnel delivering critical space capabilities. In her civilian career, she held senior executive roles at SAIC and General Dynamics, securing billions in defense contracts and advising more than 30 startups in space, AI/ML, and robotics. A founding strategist of the Defense Innovation Unit’s space portfolio and co-creator of the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC), Jody has played a pivotal role in bridging commercial innovation with national security missions. She brings distinctive insight into national security priorities, startup scaling strategies, and operational depth across the space ecosystem.

Jody holds advanced degrees in Organizational Management and Computer Information Systems, numerous technical certifications, and is a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate.