Advisory Committee
Honorable Andrea Seastrand
Executive Director
California Space Authority
The Honorable Andrea Seastrand was elected Executive Director of the California Space Authority in September 2003. Previously, Ms. Seastrand had served as Executive Vice President, Policy, Legislation and Government Relations of the California Space Authority (CSA) since May 2001. Ms. Seastrand brings extensive knowledge of the federal and state legislative process as well as her vision and drive to ensure California's success as a leader in the highly competitive international space marketplace.
Ms. Seastrand formerly served as the Executive Director of The California Space and Technology Alliance (CSTA)/The California Spaceport Authority from February 1997 through April 2001. As Executive Director of CSTA, Ms. Seastrand grew the organization from a budget of $127,000.00 in 1997 to a working budget of 3.5 million dollars in 2001. She provided the leadership for the creation of a statewide network of government and private stakeholders that collectively generated the first ever California Space Strategic Plan. Mrs. Seastrand was instrumental in launching CSTA's successor organization, the California Space Authority, as a non-profit organization.
As a former U.S. Congresswoman, Ms. Seastrand led space support efforts at the federal level with the introduction of the National Spaceport Act of 1995. While in Congress, she served on the Committee on Science and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Ms. Seastrand served as a Member of the California State Assembly from 1990 to 1994. She successfully authored legislation that created the California Spaceport Authority, created sales tax exemptions on launches, and created CORTA - a central coast effort to support space and technology efforts that ultimately evolved to today's CSA.
Ms. Seastrand is presently Vice Chair and a founding member of the National Coalition of Spaceport States (NCSS) as well as CSA's delegate to the Aerospace States Association (ASA). She is a member of Women in Aerospace and the Air Force Association (AFA).
