MEET THE TEAM

Earl Mullins

Board President

Earl Mullins founded the museum as a center to motivate the next generation of dreamers to touch the past and inspire the future of space exploration. In 2002, Mullins sought to share his aerospace collection and knowledge with others and began work to open a museum, acquiring the museum’s first building located at 116 East School Street in 2003. Earl soft-opened the museum in 2003, held the grand opening of The Space Museum in 2006, and expanded the facility with the opening of the Grissom Center in 2019. As Museum President, Earl plays a pivotal role in operations, fundraising, exhibit curation, and public outreach.

Dr. Steve Haug

Board Vice President

Dr. Stephen Haug joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center in 2008 as Board Vice President. He is employed by the NASA-Missouri Space Grant Consortium in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Missouri University of Science & Technology.  He serves as the Manager for Missouri’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program, whose mission is to maintain and enhance, through the State's research universities and corporate partners, the Nation's workforce capabilities in aerospace and space science, engineering, and technology; and to aid in dissemination of NASA related information to students, faculty, researchers, and the general public. The program strengthens the research capability of institutions in underfunded jurisdictions while also funding studies critical to NASA’s mission.

Debbie House

Board Secretary

Debbie House joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center in 2015 and oversees all administrative aspects of the museum’s operation ranging from communications to admissions and more. Debbie is behind the smooth operation of the museum, ensuring that our facility’s administrative office runs efficiently for our visitors and donors. Prior to joining the museum, Debbie spent her career as a Certified Medical Technician with more than three decades of experience caring for residents in nursing homes. Debbie has also served on the museum’s board of directors since 2019.

Dean purdy

Board Treasurer

Dean Purdy joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center’s Board of Directors in 2015 after a 40-year career in aerospace. Dean joined McDonnell Aircraft in 1955 and over the next several decades worked in design and test operations on one Mach 2 jet aircraft (F4H), three missile programs (Harpoon, Spartan, Peacekeeper) and eight space programs including five crewed space programs (Mercury, Gemini, Manned Orbiting Laboratory, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station). Other space activity included Program Management of the last two Orbital Attitude Maneuvering System (OAMS) pods for the Shuttle program, the Modular Power Subsystem (MPS) for NASA’s Multi-Mission Modular Spacecraft, Electrophoresis Operations in Space (EOS), and the Transporter Electrical Storage System and External Lighting Modules for the International Space Station. Dean was Director of Military and Space Electronics at retirement in 1994.

Earl Robb

Board Director

Earl Robb joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center’s Board of Directors in 2015 after a 40-year career in aerospace. Earl joined McDonnell Aircraft in 1952 and worked for six years on jet airplane design. Earl worked on spacecraft structural design during the Mercury Program and later was part of the design process for Mercury Mark II which became the Gemini Program. Earl led the structural and mechanical design of the Gemini launch adapter, the interface with the Titan II booster, and the elements needed to support astronaut extravehicular activity. Earl worked on Skylab for the structural and mechanical design of the Airlock Module, EVA hatch, Fixed Airlock Shroud, and interface with the Orbital Workshop. Following Skylab, Earl’s aerospace experience included work on Harpoon, Tomahawk, Advanced Cruise Missile, and Tacit Rainbow. He retired in 1993 after 41 years of aircraft, space, and missile design activity at McDonnell Aircraft and McDonnell Douglas.

louis mavros

Board Director

Louis Mavros joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center’s Board of Directors in 2017 after a storied career as part of the earliest days of crewed spaceflight. Louis worked for General Dynamics from 1959 to 1962 as a design engineer during NASA’s Mercury Program, and was responsible for the design and delivery of fluid test equipment and Atlas booster liquid oxygen boiloff valve test equipment. Louis joined McDonnell Aircraft in 1962 and served as a program manager for the Gemini and Space Shuttle Programs that followed, overseeing the design and delivery of fuel systems equipment and OMS Pod transportation and installation onto the Space Shuttle.

Kent Green

Board Director

Kent Green joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center’s Board of Directors in 2022 and has spent his career as a Mechanical Design Engineer covering a variety of finished products. The majority of Kent's time working for Boeing/McDonnell Douglas between 1979 and present includes designs for the commercial, medical, food, energy, military industries and space sectors. Kent worked on ground support and test equipment for the original Space Station Freedom prior to the current International Space Station configuration. The engineering tools and methods Kent has used have transitioned from the drafting board to a variety of Computer Aided Design software packages. About the time of joining the museum’s Board of Directors, Kent started the journey into the world of 3D printing, many examples which are now hidden around the museum.

Matt Polner

Board Director

Matt Polner joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center in 2021 and was elected to the museum’s Board of Directors in January 2023. Matt brings over a decade of experience in public nonprofit organizations with a background in exhibit design, educational programming, collections preparation, and conservation projects. His career spans museums, zoos, and aquariums across the United States. As a museum board member, Matt oversees the museum’s online presence and public branding. From the museum’s Facebook to Instagram to website, Matt has a hand in ensuring that the quality of the museum’s engagement matches the quality of the museum’s facility.

Mark Nankivil

Board Director

Mark Nankivil joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center’s Board of Directors in January 2023. Mark is the President of the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum and has been actively involved for 13 years. He is also a founding member of the Missouri Aviation Historical Society and a founding member of Aero Careers, a non-profit group that facilitates interaction in the greater St. Louis area aviation community. Mark is an Assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 62 and is a Merit Badge Counselor for Aviation and Space Exploration merit badges. He serves as the Water Distribution Executive for the Service Delivery Group, St. Louis Water Division, and has worked for more than 40 years overseeing the water distribution system for the City of St. Louis. Mark has strong interests in radio control model aircraft, photography and aerospace history.

Karen Flanagan

Board Director

Karen Flanagan joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center in 2022 and was elected to the museum’s Board of Directors in September 2023. She began her career as a Civil Engineer in dam construction and coastal flood control projects. She was recruited by NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1986 as a Valuation Engineer during the post-Challenger accident assessments. She became a Lead Program Analyst, overseeing business aspects of a $1.2 billion engineering services contract. In 1996 she returned to Missouri as a Quality Engineer and Supervisor for two automotive plants. She rejoined NASA at Marshall Spaceflight Center in 2006 as Business Analyst for the Space Operations Mission Directorate, then as Program Analyst for the Academic Affairs (STEM Education) Office, then performed technical assessments for the Office of Strategic Analysis and Communications before retiring in 2015. Karen works to archive and maintain the museum’s historical documents, collections, and exhibited artifacts.

Pam Clifton

Board Director

Pam Clifton joined The Space Museum and Grissom Center’s Board of Directors in November 2024. She has provided support for the museum for many years, including volunteering at major events and providing local media coverage. Pam’s professional career includes working as a middle school English and reading teacher and Journalism Staff sponsor. She is also a writer and photographer for multiple publications including the Daily Journal, Farmington Press, Democrat News, Missouri Life magazine, and Missouri State Teachers Association’s School & Community magazine. In addition to the museum’s Board of Directors, Pam is a board member for the Young People’s Performing Arts Theatre and vice president of Mineral Area Council on the Arts.

Lowell Grissom

Museum Advisor

Lowell Grissom is the brother of Mercury 7 Astronaut Gus Grissom and first became involved with The Space Museum and Grissom Center in 2001, later serving as a member of the museum’s first board of directors. Lowell was employed by McDonnell Douglas as Director of Sales and Marketing Administration and was President of Professional Event Planners from 1987 to 2010. He is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Astronaut Memorial Foundation and the Challenger Centers, and currently serves as a member of the Board of Advisors for both organizations in addition to the Apollo 1 Memorial Foundation and our museum. Lowell has spoken nationally about his brother’s legacy in America’s space program, appearing in the Discovery Channel documentaries “When We Left Earth”, “Liberty Bell 7, The Lost Spacecraft”, and the Purdue University video “Boilermakers-Gus Grissom”. As the namesake of our facility, the Grissom family has been a guiding force for our facility from the earliest days of the museum.

Eileen Collins

Museum Advisor

Eileen Collins flew in space four times as part of Space Shuttle missions STS-63, STS-84, STS-93, and STS-114. On her first mission, Collins became the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle and rendezvoused with the Russian space station Mir for the first time. Collins became the first woman to command a Space Shuttle as part of her third mission, deploying the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. Her final launch occurred in 2005 delivered the Raffaello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to the International Space Station.

Nicole Stott

Museum Advisor

Nicole Stott flew in space twice, the first time launching on STS-128 and returning on STS-129. As part of the International Space Station Expedition 20 and 21 crews, Stott became the 10th woman to perform a spacewalk, was the first person to operate the robotic arm to capture a free-flying H-II Transfer Vehicle, and painted the first watercolor in space. Her second spaceflight on STS-133 was the final flight of Space Shuttle Discovery and delivered the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module.

Jerry Ross

Museum Advisor

Jerry Ross is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle Missions and is tied for the record number of spaceflights. Ross flew on Space Shuttle missions STS-61B, STS-27, STS-37, STS-55, STS-74, STS-88, and STS-110. These include the mission to deploy the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the second Space Shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir, and the first International Space Station assembly mission. Ross has almost 1,400 hours in space, including 58 hours on nine spacewalks.

Charlie Walker

Museum Advisor

Charlie Walker served as a design engineer with the Bendix and later joined McDonnell Douglas in 1977 and worked as Chief Test Engineer and Payload Specialist. After extensive work in payload preparation, on-pad processing support, and astronaut crew training, Charlie flew in space three times on Space Shuttle missions 41-D, 51-D, and 61-B as the first industrial payload specialist.

Dr. Liz Warren

Museum Advisor

Dr. Liz Warren is the Director of Research Development for Blue Origin and is involved in the creation of the company’s Orbital Reef space station. Dr. Warren previously served as the Senior Program Director for the International Space Station, overseeing the research proposals and opportunities that made their way onto the station. Warren has served as the Deputy Project Scientist for Spaceflight Analogs and as a science operations lead in NASA’s Mission Control Center, in addition to a diverse background in engineering and education positions. Dr. Warren’s research has extensively investigated topics including the effects of spaceflight on the human body, artificial gravity, cancer biology, and neuroscience.

Gregg Maryniak

Museum Advisor

Gregg Maryniak is the Co-Founder and former Executive Director of the XPRIZE Foundation. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Maryniak is a recipient of Russia’s Tsiolkovsky Medal and the Space Frontier Foundation’s Vision to Reality Award. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Princeton University’s Space Studies Institute, Senior Scientist of the Futron Corporation, Director of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, and Vice President of the St. Louis Science Center.

Roland Miller

Museum Advisor

Roland Miller is an acclaimed space photographer and author. His work includes Interior Space: A Visual Exploration of the International Space Station, Abandoned in Place: Preserving America’s Space History, Orbital Planes: A Personal Vision of the Space Shuttle, and The Space Shuttle: A Mission-by-Mission Celebration of NASA’s Extraordinary Spaceflight Program. Miller’s work has been featured in numerous national and international publications and museums, including at The Space Museum and Grissom Center.

Daniel Green

Museum Advisor

Dan Green joined the museum’s Advisory Board in 2022 after decades of pioneering work across numerous spaceflight programs. Dan played an instrumental role in the development of Titan rocket engines and Apollo Program systems, had a part in the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft, was a staunch advocate for the creation of America's first space station Skylab, and rounded out his storied career by serving as a vice president - general manager at McDonnell Douglas working on several space and advanced proprietary programs.

Al Cikas

Museum Advisor

Al Cikas began his involvement with The Space Museum and Grissom Center in early 2006 and has a background in Air Force electronics and business operations. As a lifelong space buff who grew up with the space program, Al is a model maker with a focus on a wide variety of scratch built and commercial kit spacecraft. He is a former ham radio operator who has experience with weather and communication satellites.