HORSHAM, Pa., March 14, 2013 — Today, officials with Universal Space Network, Inc. (USN) announced Stephen M. Tanous as USN’s new Vice President, Operations and Engineering. He will oversee and advance all of USN’s operations and engineering activities, leading over 40 employees located around the globe to provide exceptional, reliable support to our customers.
“Steve was our top candidate to take the reins of USN operations and engineering. His technical expertise, operational background and leadership experience are a perfect fit for USN as we continue to grow the business and further develop our National Security Space presence,” said USN President and CEO John Williams. “He has a unique combination of military and business skills that are extremely well-matched to his new role. USN is very pleased to have Steve on board, as we work together to extend USN’s presence and leadership as a global provider of advanced space services.”
Tanous joins USN with 28 years of aerospace and defense leadership experience gained through an extensive military and private industry career. In the private sector, Tanous most recently served a two-year term with Raytheon Corp. as Program Manager where he was responsible for developing and executing space control/space protection strategies for the Advanced Programs (AP) product line.
Tanous is a retired U.S. Air Force officer, having served 26 years in a variety of national security space-related and leadership roles, including Commander of the Air Force’s first mobile and transportable space control capability; Commander of the 30th Operations and Maintenance Groups, where he led Western Range operations; and Commander of the 30th Space Wing leading spacelift and missile defense operations, as well as the Western Range. Additionally, in 2004, Tanous was handpicked to be Director of Space Forces for the Combined Forces Air Component Commander during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, active in the planning and execution of space forces in support of combat activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. During his last tour, Tanous led the Air Force’s Squadron Office College, and transformed the way the Air Force executed leadership training for its 36,000 junior officers.
Tanous is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering, and earned an MBA from the University of Nebraska.
About USN
USN is a U.S.-based, independent subsidiary of SSC (formerly Swedish Space Corporation) with U.S. government approval and oversight. USN is a leader in space operations and ground network services. The company provides mission critical solutions to satellite operations through PrioraNet, the largest commercial ground station network in the world.
For more information contact:
Wendy Niemann
USN Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Tel: +1-215-394-0162
Email: wniemann@uspacenet.com
www.sscspace.com/usn
