LEADERSHIP TEAM

Chris Spagnoletti is the CEO of Ursa Major. He joined the company in 2022 and most recently served as the President of Liquid Systems. Prior to Ursa Major, he was President of U.S. Cargo Systems, a TransDigm aerospace business. Chris has over 30 years of experience in developing critical systems for military and commercial aircraft. Throughout his career, he has held executive leadership positions in engineering, business development, and Operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Vermont.

Bill Nash is the Chief Financial Officer at Ursa Major. He joined Ursa in January of 2024. Prior to joining Ursa Major, Bill was the Chief Financial Officer of Cruise, an autonomous rideshare company. He has over 30 years of experience leading diverse teams in a variety of industries. Bill began his career as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from the United States Naval Academy, a master’s in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech, and master’s in business administration for the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Justin Siebert is the Chief Operating Officer at Ursa Major. As an experienced operations executive, Justin Siebert served in multiple roles for Fortune 100 and private equity-backed organizations across the aerospace, defense, and space sectors, including large launch space propulsion. He was previously the COO of ArmorWorks LLC, and prior to that held leadership roles at Firefly Aerospace, BAE Systems, Magellan Aerospace, and Honeywell Aerospace.

Jason Meredith comes to Ursa Major as the President, Solid Missile Systems, with more than two decades of experience in the aerospace and defense industries. He held leadership roles across engineering, program execution, and business management. Prior to this role, he was a Vice President at Northrop Grumman, and he previously worked for Orbital ATK and Pratt & Whitney.

Kip Freeman is Ursa Major’s President of Liquid Systems, bringing nearly four decades of experience in driving operational excellence and product innovation across the aerospace and defense sector. Prior to joining Ursa Major, Kip served as President of Airborne Systems North America and Pexco Aerospace, and held senior roles at Triumph Group, Goodrich, and Hamilton Sundstrand (now Collins Aerospace), where he oversaw the development of advanced avionic systems, thermal management solutions, and critical flight equipment for both military and commercial markets. Kip currently serves on the board of ASIC North and has previously contributed his expertise to a range of industry and community organizations.

Ben Nicholson serves as Ursa Major’s Chief Business Officer, where he leads the company’s external-facing functions, including business development, customer and strategic relations, government affairs, and marketing and communications. He brings nearly 30 years of professional experience and has worked in Washington, D.C. since 2000, amassing deep expertise in U.S. government operations, programs, and contracting. Ben specializes in the federal appropriations process for national defense, aerospace, security, and intelligence programs. Over the course of his career, he has served a total of 22 years in both the Executive and Legislative Branches of the U.S. Government. Ben holds a B.S. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and dual M.S. degrees in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering and Resource Policy & Behavior from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He also serves on the board of the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University

Chris Engdahl is Chief Safety and Risk Officer for Ursa Major. Prior to joining the company, Chris served as 58th Commander of Naval Safety Command. Chris’ tours at sea ranged from duties as nuclear quality assurance officer and reactor training assistant to Commander, Destroyer Squadron Nine and then Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7. Ashore he served as a strategic planner for the War on Terrorism Directorate on the Joint Staff (J5) and chief of staff to Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific and president, Board of Inspection and Survey among other roles.

Nick Doucette is the Vice President of Strategic Operations at Ursa Major. He joined the company in 2016 to help build the next generation of American-made rocket engines to get customers to space quickly, reliably, and affordably. Prior to joining Ursa Major, Nick worked for SpaceX where he led the manufacturing teams responsible for the Dragon capsule propulsion systems, production for the Merlin and Raptor engines, and additive manufacturing processes. He holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Boston University and a master’s in business administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

James Swartout is the Vice President of Strategy at Ursa Major Technologies. Prior to joining Ursa Major, James served as Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, leading the executive staff and advising on a broad range of issues. Previously, at the MITRE Corporation, he was the Director of National Security Policy, spearheading MITRE’s national security policy efforts and establishing a top tier advisory board. Earlier in his career, James served as Chief of Staff to the Acting Secretary of the Air Force during a presidential transition and held senior advisory roles within the headquarters of the Air Force. At the Pentagon, he also acted as a spokesperson and senior advisor to two Deputy Secretaries of Defense and served as communications counselor for Ashton Carter during his confirmation and appointment as Secretary of Defense.

Alyssa Gindl is the Director of People Operations at Ursa Major and joined the company in 2023. Prior to joining Ursa Major, Alyssa held senior leadership roles in people operations and talent strategy across several high-growth companies in the consumer goods, technology, and hospitality sectors. She has over a decade of experience building teams, shaping organizational culture, and leading strategic people initiatives. Alyssa holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Marist University and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercyhurst University.

Savanah Bray is the Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications for Ursa Major. She leads the company’s integrated communications function, shaping brand strategy and driving execution across advertising, public relations, internal messaging, digital platforms, and social media. Previously, Savanah led global communications and marketing for Raytheon’s Air Power strategic business unit. Before joining the private sector, Bray served in the United States Air Force as a public affairs officer supporting fighter and bomber weapons test and tactics development. She continues to serve in the Air Force Reserve. Savanah is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Denver, studying business administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree in integrated strategic communications from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Lior is an investor, entrepreneur, and the Founder and Managing Partner of Eclipse Ventures. He is passionate about building groundbreaking technology companies.

He’s an unlikely venture capitalist. Lior grew up on a kibbutz (ask him about banana farming) and spent many years in the Special Forces of the Israeli military. After he’d completed his military service, he did what he so often does – set out to solve a big problem. In 2008, Lior joined his brother to help build Intucell, a pioneer in the software-defined networking space for global telecommunications networks. After four years, Cisco acquired the company.
Following the acquisition, Lior joined Flex, a multinational manufacturing leader, where he led the hardware investment platform, Lab IX. During his time at Flex, Lior was immersed in many “old-line,” physical industries. He witnessed firsthand the headwinds these sectors were facing, in addition to inefficiencies and eroding of competitive advantage these negative forces were causing.

Lior became convinced that digital transformation would strengthen physical industries and support both economic and national security. As a result, in late 2014, Lior began to build Eclipse – a venture capital firm dedicated to partnering with entrepreneurs rearchitecting the industries that are critical to people’s lives and national economies. He firmly believes that the distinction between technology and non-technology companies is over and seeks to partner with ambitious founders who are dedicated to vastly improving critical infrastructure in all forms.

And – perhaps as a nod to his roots in the kibbutz – in addition to his desire to drive exemplary returns to Eclipse’s Limited Partners, Lior seeks to invest in solutions that deliver greater opportunities for people and far better prospects for our planet.

Lior currently works with Bright Machines, Augury, Owlet, Forge, and other companies pursuing big ideas. As a board member, he has helped companies move from zero to one, and from pitch deck to public offering.
A relentless optimist with a passion for company building, Lior believes that the world needs a new economy – and wants to help the best entrepreneurs build it.

Gilman Louie has over 30 years of national security and investment experience. He served as an early CEO of In-Q-Tel—the pioneering technology investment firm funded by the CIA—from 1999-2006, as an expert to the Defense Innovation Board from 2016-2020, and as a Commissioner on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence from 2018-2021.

In addition to being a co-founder and partner at Alsop Louie Partners, he is also a co-founder and CEO of the America’s Frontier Fund. Gilman is currently the Chairman of the National Intelligence University and Chairman of the Federation of American Scientists. He serves on numerous commercial and advisory boards, including Maxar Technologies, Niantic, and Aerospike. He is a former member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, and of the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board, and has also served as a member of the Technology Advisory Group to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Gilman is the recipient of the CIA Agency Seal Medallion (2004), CIA Director’s Award (2006), Agency Seal Medallion (2006), and Director of National Intelligence Medallion (2008). Gilman received his B.S. in Business Administration from San Francisco State University where he graduated magna cum laude.

Ronald D. Sugar served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Northrop Grumman from 2003 until his retirement in 2010.

During his tenure, Northrop Grumman grew to become one of the world’s largest aerospace and defense companies, with 120,000 employees and $35B annual revenue.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman in 2001, Sugar held senior operating, technical, and financial positions at TRW Inc. and Litton Industries.

He is currently Chairman of the Board of Uber Technologies, a director of Apple Inc., and was formerly lead director of Chevron Corporation and director of Amgen Inc. He also serves as senior advisor to the private investment firm Ares Management LLC and Bain & Company.

He is a trustee of the University of Southern California, where he also holds the Judge Widney Chair as Professor of Management and Technology, member of UCLA Anderson School of Management board of advisors, and director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

He is past chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He was appointed earlier by the President of the United States to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee.

He received BS (summa cum laude), MS, and PhD degrees in engineering from UCLA and was subsequently honored as UCLA Alumnus of the Year.

Will is a lifelong intern of disruptive new things. Though he’s old school at heart, his curiosity stays new tech focused. Digital transformation is his latest all-consuming passion. His superpower is his improbability drive. (Don’t ask where he got it.)

Seth is a Partner at Eclipse, where he backs founders building breakthrough companies redefining the industry. He began his career at GE, developing robotics, 3D printing, and IoT solutions—an experience that shaped his conviction in the transformative power technology can have on the physical world industries. Motivated by the belief that the most impactful companies of this new era were yet to be built, Seth joined Eclipse to help launch and scale businesses at the forefront of the Industrial Evolution. He focuses on early-stage investments in manufacturing, supply chain, transportation, high performance computing, and healthcare, partnering closely with entrepreneurs from the pre-product stage. Seth is a proud Claremont McKenna alum. He enjoys skiing, playing golf, and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Nick Doucette is the Vice President of Strategic Operations at Ursa Major. He joined the company in 2016 to help build the next generation of American-made rocket engines to get customers to space quickly, reliably, and affordably. Prior to joining Ursa Major, Nick worked for SpaceX where he led the manufacturing teams responsible for the Dragon capsule propulsion systems, production for the Merlin and Raptor engines, and additive manufacturing processes. He holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Boston University and a master’s in business administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Brad Appel is the prior Chief Technology Officer, now technical advisor, at Ursa Major and has been with the company since 2018. As a world-leading expert on propulsion systems, Brad was previously Manager of Propulsion Engineering at SpaceX, where he led development and qualification for the Merlin main engines on Falcon 9. Brad Appel earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master’s in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M University.