<p>With his electrifying blend of rock ‘n’ roll energy, scientific brilliance, and leadership mastery, Adam Steltzner delivers powerful real-world lessons in collaboration, ingenuity, and the audacity to achieve the impossible.</p><p> Dr. Adam Steltzner doesn’t just talk about innovation—he lives it. As the lead engineer of NASA’s Mars Sample Return program, the most ambitious robotic mission ever attempted in history, he is spearheading a decades-long effort to bring samples from the Red Planet back to Earth for study and scientific analysis. </p><p> The groundbreaking endeavor—initiated with the Mars 2020 Mission and Rover Perseverance—requires seamless collaboration across nine time zones, varying industries and work cultures, and multiple governments. Few understand the challenges of leading high-stakes, high-performance teams better than Adam Steltzner.</p><p> A former aspiring rock star turned Ph.D. rocket scientist, Adam has spent his career solving seemingly impossible problems. From pioneering the revolutionary “sky crane” landing system that delivered Curiosity to Mars in 2012 to navigating the unprecedented challenge of launching a mission during a global pandemic, he knows firsthand what it takes to build and lead teams that succeed under extreme pressure. When COVID-19 forced the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s 6,000+ employees into remote operations, he and his team pressed forward, meeting every milestone on schedule and successfully landing Perseverance on Mars on February 18, 2021—more than 200 million miles from Earth.</p><p> Sharing the principles he puts into practice every day, Adam offers strategies for bridging diverse work cultures, aligning different learning styles, and fostering collaboration among experts with competing priorities. Audiences walk away armed with the leadership, adaptability, and problem-solving skills that drive success—whether on Mars or right here on Earth. </p><p> Adam is the author of <em>The Right Kind of Crazy: A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership and High Stakes Innovation, </em>named a “best leadership book of the year” by the Washington Post. He has also been honored with the “American Ingenuity” Award from the Smithsonian Institute, among many other awards and accolades. </p>
Leader and Chief Engineer of the groundbreaking NASA Mars Sample Return Mission
<ul><li><strong>Making the Impossible Possible: Lessons in Curiosity, Perseverance, and Ingenuity</strong></li><li>Adam Steltzner and his team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory achieved the impossible with the successful Mars 2020 mission, landing the Perseverance rover on the Red Planet. Now, as the lead engineer of the groundbreaking Mars Sample Return Mission, Steltzner is spearheading the most ambitious robotic endeavor in history—requiring seamless collaboration across nine time zones, diverse industries, and international governments.</li><li>In this exhilarating keynote filled with awe-inspiring stories and breathtaking images drawn from his remarkable career, Steltzner shares firsthand lessons on driving innovation, navigating complexity, and fostering a culture of trust and teamwork. As a true practitioner—not just a theorist—he brings actionable insights that empower individuals and organizations to break barriers, push boundaries, and achieve bold goals, even in the face of uncertainty.</li><li><strong>Dare Mighty Things: A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership, and High-Stakes Innovation</strong></li><li>For over a decade, the motto of NASA’s Jet Propulsions Laboratory has been “Dare Mighty Things.” And Adam Steltzner’s team has done just that. From the development of the Sky Crane landing system in 2012 and the Curiosity mission to Mars, to the groundbreaking Mars Sample Return program currently collecting samples for study, Steltzner has led teams that have repeatedly broken the status quo and delivered unexpected success. Collaborating across nine time zones, a wide variety of industries and work cultures, and international governments, Steltzner understands what it takes to keep teams focused, engaged, and innovative in the face of uncertainty.</li><li>In this captivating keynote, Adam shares lessons from his teams’ own success, offering organizations actionable strategies for turbo-charging collaboration, making decisions based on curiosity rather than fear, fostering more productive brainstorming, bringing levity and play for heightened creativity, and getting the best ideas into the room by getting all the ideas into the room—regardless of someone’s role or status. Audiences walk away with powerful insights on how to embrace bold thinking, lead through challenges, and create a workplace culture that thrives on trust, adaptability, and innovation.</li></ul>