Blue Origin has announced that General John Hyten (Ret.) will serve as executive director for its foundation, Club for the Future, and as a strategic advisor to senior leadership.
General Hyten brings decades of experience as a space operations and acquisitions officer and held multiple assignments that included leading Air Force Space Command and U.S. Strategic Command.
“We are deeply honored to have General Hyten apply his tremendous leadership skills and space expertise to Blue Origin and Club for the Future. His knowledge of the space industry and his passion for inspiring the next generation make him a natural fit for these roles,” said Bob Smith, CEO of Blue Origin.
In his role with Club for the Future, General Hyten will focus on community outreach and engagement activities to empower students to become scientists, engineers, and explorers. General Hyten will also provide strategic counsel to Blue Origin senior leadership to help guide the company as it builds a road to space.
“Blue Origin combines a clear purpose of preserving Earth through safe, reliable, and affordable access to space with an equally important mission of inspiring the next generation through its foundation, Club for the Future,” said General Hyten. “That combination inspires me. My father worked on the Saturn V in Huntsville, AL, and ever since I dreamed about working on rockets and with the space community. I want the next generation to have similar dreams.”
As part of General Hyten’s first Club for the Future engagements, he will join the Launch to Learning STEM Forum at Blue Origin’s rocket factory in Florida to meet with statewide school superintendents and administrators. Hyten will also attend the upcoming premiere of “The Color of Space,” a documentary produced by NASA that showcases Black Astronauts and their career paths, providing advice to future space explorers of color.
“I’m excited to join Club for the Future and empower students from all backgrounds to pursue a career in STEM and make their dreams of working in space a reality,” General Hyten added.
General Hyten, the former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently retired after 40 years in the United States Air Force. As the nation’s second highest-ranking military officer, General Hyten was responsible for overseeing joint military requirements for nearly 1.5 million service members and their families across the U.S. Armed Forces.