Kim Ellis Hayes

Kim Ellis Hayes is an Associate Professor, strategist, lawyer, scientist, commercial astronaut candidate and executive advisor whose career spans commercial space, international regulation, mining and mineral processing, higher education, and cross-border strategic partnerships. With a rare combination of scientific & technical, legal, academic, and leadership expertise, she is recognized for bringing clarity, authority, and vision to complex, high-stakes environments.

Throughout her career, Kim has operated at the intersection of innovation, strategy, and execution; designing high-value programs, supporting aerospace research and experimentation, navigating sophisticated regulatory landscapes, and building influential partnerships across academia, government, and industry. She brings particular distinction in educational leadership, with expertise spanning the globe within the International Space University ecosystem, international learning environments, and the design of undergraduate programs that align strategic vision, academic quality, and industry-facing outcomes.

Her distinctive background across law, science, astronaut training, executive leadership, and international education gives her an uncommon perspective on resilience, transformation, and strategic opportunity. Kim’s work is especially valued where discretion, interdisciplinary insight, and premium judgment are required particularly in situations involving disruption, reinvention, emerging industries, complex systems, and the design of high-impact educational and strategic initiatives.

Today, Kim is building a premium advisory and thought leadership platform dedicated to helping business leaders, women founders, and select high-value clients move from disruption to winning. Her approach combines sophisticated systems thinking, strategic precision, educational innovation, and values-led leadership to create clear pathways that protect momentum, strengthen positioning, and unlock exceptional possibilities.