KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Inside Out: How We Change Systems - and Ourselves

This flagship keynote explores what it means to lead from within systems that weren't built for you and to reshape them from the inside out. Drawing from her journey as an aerospace engineer, entrepreneur, and citizen astronaut, Aisha reflects on the emotional, strategic, and cultural lessons of going to space - and coming back changed. Her mess isn't about waiting for change. It's about becoming it.

Aisha Bowe

Aisha Bowe is an aerospace engineer, CEO, and citizen astronaut shaping the future of science, business, and culture. She creates mission-driven companies and inspires global audiences to imagine what's possible.

In 2025, Aisha flew aboard Blue Origin's NS-31 mission as part of a historic all-female-crew, and the first of its kind since Valentina Tereshkova's solo mission in 1963. Aboard the New Shepard rocket, she conducted a NASA-backed biomedical experiment, supported by an HBCU-led plant biology study, and flew flight-qualified hardware designed to enable future science missions on New Shepard. She also carried the Apollo 12 moon mission flag of astronaut Pete Conrad symbolizing her commitment to honoring legacy while building new pathways. A former NASA engineer, Aisha made history not only in space but on the ground by raising the funding for her own seat and proving that access to space can be created, not just granted.

Aisha is the founder and CEO of STEMBoard, an Inc. 5000-ranked tech company an award-winning technical firm that provides exclusive advisory services to premier federal and commercial organizations. She also created LINGO, a hand-on coding kit with a mission to equip one million students worldwide with real-world tech skills. One of fewer than 2% of women founders to raise over $2 million in venture capital, Aisha has built mission-drive companies that are nearly 50% women and 51% veteran-led - intentionally designed to reflect the inclusive future she's helping to build.

Recognized for her technical excellence and commitment to equity, Aisha has received NASA's Equal Employment Opportunity Medal and the Department of Defense's Nunn-Perry Award for outstanding achievement in small business contracting. She holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Space Systems Engineering from the University of Michigan.

A dynamic global voice, Aisha has delivered invited keynotes in nearly a dozen countries including India, South Africa, and Egypt as a U.S. State Department Global Speaker. She also hosted Inc. Magazine's "Your Next Move", where she interviewed top business leaders on building purpose-driven careers. Her story has been features in Entrepreneur, ABC, CBS, Amazon Prime, and a BBC StoryWorks documentary supported by Logitech.

Whether mentoring students or sharing the stage with heads of state, Aisha represents a new kind of leader, one who bridges science, entrepreneurship, and culture.