Dr. Amy Kaminski

Amy Kaminski is the Engagement Branch Chief. She is a catalyst and champion for expanding public engagement with science and technology, having more than 20 years of experience in the U.S. federal government in policy and program development roles, working closely with the academic, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. Dr. Kaminski previously served as Program Executive for Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and as Senior Policy Advisor to NASA’s Chief Scientist. Before joining NASA, Dr. Kaminski contributed to the development of national space and science policies and oversaw NASA science and education program budgets and performance at the White House Office of Management and Budget. She also served as an analyst at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. 

Dr. Kaminski enjoys speaking with a variety of audiences about space policy, public engagement, and open innovation at NASA. She has written and co-authored numerous articles and book chapters on space policy and public engagement with space exploration. She is the editor of Space Science and Public Engagement: 21st Century Perspectives and Opportunities (Elsevier, 2021), a book showcasing the experiences and insights of some of the world’s leading practitioners and scholars in this arena. Dr. Kaminski’s second book, The People’s Spaceship: NASA, the Shuttle Era, and Public Engagement after Apollo, was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2024.