Dean’s Corporate Advisory Board Member
Kevin D. Bell
Senior Vice President Space Systems Group
The Aerospace Corporation
Kevin D. Bell is senior vice president of Space Systems Group at The Aerospace Corporation. He assumed this position in July 2021. In this role he is responsible for the company’s support to all launch programs, ground networks, and satellite programs overseen by the U.S. Air Force Space Systems Command. Bell’s previous role was vice president, Space Program Operations; in that role, he worked directly with the Air Force, government, and industry partners to develop military satellites and to advance national security space systems. Bell oversaw five major mission areas: communications, surveillance, weather, navigation, and space superiority; assisted with the development of system requirements; supported acquisition and development; and solved technical problems to ensure successful operations of space systems.
Bell joined Aerospace in 1992 as a member of the technical staff in the Vehicle Systems Division of the Engineering and Technology Group (ETG). Previously, Bell was general manager of the Imagery Programs Division, National Systems Group, and prior to that he was general manager of the Systems Engineering Division in ETG. Bell has also supported the Air Force, NASA, commercial ventures, Missile Defense Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Organization customers, serving as systems director of the Space and Directed Energy Technology Directorate; principal director of the Missile Defense Division, Systems and Technology Subdivision; and principal director of Advanced Research and Engineering, Advanced Technology Division, among other increasingly responsible positions within the corporation’s National Systems Group. Prior to joining Aerospace, Bell held positions in industry, academia, and at the NASA Ames Research Center.
Bell has bachelor’s degrees in both mechanical engineering and aero engineering from the University of California, Davis, and a master’s degree in aero engineering from Stanford University. Bell has been recognized with the AIAA’s Distinguished Service Award (1997 and 2006), the MDA 2004 Systems Engineer Award, the AS&T 2007 Director’s Team Award, and the BMDO/Phillips Lab/NASA 1995 Joint Demonstration Award, among many others.