Access TO real-world opportunities with the backing of the Brooke Owens Fellowship. Work alongside leaders shaping the future of flight and space exploration. Gain executive mentorship, peer support, and a lifelong community that will set your career in motion!
OUR MISSION
Created to honor the legacy of a beloved space industry pioneer and accomplished pilot, Dawn Brooke Owens (1980 – 2016). The Brooke Owens Fellowship was established to help address a historic gender imbalance in the aerospace field. The organization provides programming and mentoring designed to serve as an inspiration and career boost for exceptional undergraduates who, like Brooke, aspire to advance the aerospace industry through service. Our goal is to provide opportunities and access to talented female and gender minority students from all backgrounds who have been previously underrepresented in the aerospace industry.
THE BROOKE OWENS FELLOW EXPERIENCE
Brooke Owens Fellows are chosen for their talent, initiative, service-mindedness, and creativity. Throughout the Fellowship, Brookies grow as individuals and as future aerospace leaders by gaining confidence and a deep sense of community. The Brooke Owens Fellow experience is anchored by four key pillars:
01. Expanding Horizons
Fellows are connected to opportunities at some of the most exciting organizations in the aerospace industry. With the backing of the Fellowship, you will gain access to experiences that broaden perspectives and launch their careers.
02. Mentorship
Each Fellow is paired with two mentors : an Executive Mentor and a Brookie Alumni Mentor. These trusted guides range from astronauts to executives to policy peeps to engingeering experts. They are here to offer personal support, career advice, and encouragement throughout the Fellowship and beyond.
03. Professional Development
Through workshops, panels, and our exclusive annual Summit and Alumni Summit, Fellows gain the skills and confidence to thrive in aerospace and beyond. From private Q&A sessions with astronauts and CEOs to collaborative projects, every element is designed to prepare Fellows for leadership.
04. Network & Community
By earning their place in the Fellowship, Brookies join a lifelong network of extraordinary peers and supporters. This tight-knit community provides connection, collaboration, and a sense of belonging that endures well past the summer!
Photo: Asia Sbrugnera
HISTORY
The Brooke Owens Fellowship honors the legacy of D. Brooke Owens, a beloved pilot, space policy expert, and industry pioneer whose life and career inspired those around her to dream bigger and do better. Founded in 2016 shortly after Brooke’s passing, the Fellowship was created to carry forward her spirit of service, boldness, and brilliance.
The program was co-founded by Lori Garver, former Deputy Administrator of NASA; Cassie Lee, CEO of Sound Future; and Will Pomerantz, aerospace executive and long-time space advocate. Together, with the support of a network of Brooke’s colleagues and friends, they built a one-of-a-kind program to support and launch the careers of exceptional undergraduate women and gender-minority students pursuing futures in aerospace.
Led by an all-volunteer Leadership Team and one full-time Fellowship Administrator, the Brooke Owens Fellowship has grown into a highly respected, mission-driven nonprofit that brings together executive mentorship, professional development, and a transformative community experience each summer. Fellows are selected not only for their talent and accomplishments, but also for their creativity, commitment to service, and leadership potential.
Our Fellows — affectionately known as "Brookies" — have participated in the program. Alumni have gone on to launch rockets, shape aerospace policy, build hardware for space and aviation, and spark change across the industry. They are supported by a vibrant network of mentors that includes astronauts, CEOs, scientists, engineers, and educators, as well as a growing Alumni Association dedicated to paying it forward.
Our community’s success would not be possible without the generous involvement of our mentors, partners, donors, and volunteers — individuals and organizations committed to equity, excellence, and the future of aerospace. What started as a tribute has grown into a movement, helping to build a more inclusive, more inspiring aerospace industry.
The Brooke Owens Fellowship is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations go directly toward supporting the program and its Fellows, and are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
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