Francisco Cordova

Francisco (Cla) Córdova is an aerospace executive currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer of the International Space Station National Lab, the world's premier microgravity research facility. He leads a team of scientists, project managers, engineers, and operations personnel that are shaping the future of research in space, and partnering with commercial providers to establish a future low earth orbit economy.

Prior to this role he served as the director of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center located at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, where he he had overall responsibility for the research facility, including research portfolio , engineering activities and facility operations for 130+ staff members.

He has also served as Sr. Manager for Composite Materials and Fabrication Technology at The Boeing Company, leading the R&D portfolio for composites in the area of superstructure fabrication and next generation materials. Francisco has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico Aerospace Consortium.

He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, a M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and is a Harvard Business School alum.