Our Team

Casey Phillips is a veteran project manager and former cabin attendant at Skystream Jet. As Project Director at Polaris, Phillips oversees a wide variety of campaign projects and coordinates travel logistics for the Polaris team.

John “Snap” Kraus is a spaceflight photographer with nine years of experience capturing rocket launches and other spaceflight operations worldwide for a variety of media publications and space entities. In his role as Content Director of Polaris, Kraus is responsible for photographing campaign milestones and sharing the Polaris story via social media.

Sarah Grover is a marketing, communications and brand strategy executive with 30+ years of experience in the restaurant, hospitality and CPG industries. She consults as fractional CMO and brand strategist as well as serves on the board of directors at Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR) and ChowNow. As Communications Director at Polaris, Grover oversees all aspects of communications and storytelling for the Polaris missions.

John “Slick” Baum is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, co-founder of Draken International, former USAF Thunderbird #2 pilot, USAF Weapons School (Top Gun) Graduate and Instructor. Slick has amassed 4,600 flying hours in the F-16, T-38, T-37, and L-39, including over 265 combat hours. He serves as a Senior Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. As Philanthropy Director of Polaris, Baum leads all global philanthropic efforts in coordination with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Dr. Samantha “Combo” Weeks, is a retired United States Air Force Colonel, with over 2,200 hours flying the F-15C, F-16, and T-38, including 105 combat hours. She commanded at the squadron, group, and wing level in the Air Force, and today is a corporate Vice President focusing on transformation and change management. Her position as Science & Research Director with Polaris comes after two and a half decades of focus on human performance in aviation.

Sean “Stroker” Gustafson is a retired USAF Reserve pilot, co-founder of Draken International, and former USAF Thunderbird #4 pilot. Lt Col Gustafson has accumulated over 5,700 hours flying the F-16, A-4, L-39, Alpha Jet, L-159, and 767-ER. Gustafson now serves as the Deputy Mission Director of Polaris, where he leads efforts with external partners and oversees execution of campaign events.

Todd “Leif” Ericson is a retired USAF Colonel and experimental test pilot with 20+ years of experience in aerospace testing and development of diverse aerospace vehicles. As Mission Director of Polaris, Ericson serves as the lead liaison with SpaceX for all facets of mission design, development, and safe execution. Leif has accumulated over 10,000 hours flying over 150+ aircraft.

Anna “Walker” Menon served as Mission Specialist & Medical Officer for Polaris Dawn. She perviously worked as a Lead Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX, managing crew operations and serving in mission control as a Mission Director and crew communicator. She led the development of Dragon’s crew capabilities and supported missions like Demo-2, Crew-1, and Axiom-1. Before SpaceX, Anna worked seven years at NASA as a biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station, leading biomedical operations for Expedition 47/48. With degrees in Mathematics and Spanish from Texas Christian University and Biomedical Engineering from Duke, she has also aided global health efforts, including post-earthquake response in Nepal. Her passion for space was sparked by her fourth-grade teacher, Alison Smith Balch, daughter of Challenger pilot Michael J. Smith. Anna enjoys hiking, flying small planes, and salsa dancing with her family—husband Anil and children James and Grace. During her time in space, she read the book she co-authored, Kisses from Space, to her family and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital patients. Alongside Sarah Gillis, she set the record for farthest distanced any woman has traveled from Earth. On September 22, 2025, NASA announced its 2025 class of astronaut candidates, including Anna. She reported to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for training.

Sarah “Cooper” Gillis served as Mission Specialist on Polaris Dawn. She previously spent 11 years as a Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX, ultimately overseeing astronaut training for NASA and commercial crews flying on the Dragon spacecraft. She has trained more than 60 astronauts, including the first NASA astronauts on Demo-2 and Crew-1, as well as the first all-civilian crew, Inspiration4. An experienced mission control operator, Sarah has supported Dragon resupply missions to the International Space Station as a navigation officer and human spaceflight missions as a crew communicator. She currently serves at NASA as a Senior Advisor to the Administrator. During Polaris Dawn, she became the youngest person to perform a spacewalk, and alongside Anna Menon, set the record for the farthest distance any woman has traveled from Earth. She also played violin from space, leading the Harmony of Resilience, a global music moment enabled by Starlink technology.

Scott “Kidd” Poteet served as Mission Pilot of Polaris Dawn. He is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and pilot who served 20 years, including as USAF Thunderbird #4 Demonstration Pilot, with over 3,200 flying hours and 400 combat hours across U.S.-led missions around the world. He later served as Director of Business Development at Draken International and VP of Strategy at Shift4. Kidd served as Mission Director for Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to space. An avid triathlete, he has competed in over 16 Ironman triathlons, including four Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. While on orbit, Kidd led a talk with families of Folds of Honor, an organization supporting the families of America’s fallen and disabled service members and first responders. He now inspires audiences as a keynote speaker, sharing his message and life experiences with audiences around the world.

Jared “Rook” Isaacman is a two-time astronaut, having served as Mission Commander for both Polaris Dawn and Inspiration4. He currently serves as NASA Administrator, following his swearing-in on December 18, 2025. Prior to entering public service, Jared was the founder and CEO of Shift4, a global payments and technology company, and Draken International, a defense aerospace firm. He is an experienced pilot with over 7,000 flight hours in jets and experimental aircraft, and a dedicated philanthropist who has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other charitable causes.