President and Chief Operating Officer, Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Shotwell supervises operations at SpaceX, which has more than 8,000 employees at a number of facilities. She joined the company in 2002 as its first vice president of business development and was promoted to president and chief operating officer in 2008. Under her guidance, Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite-based internet service, expects to turn a profit this year. Shotwell also worked at El Segundo-based Aerospace Corp. and rocket manufacturer Microcosm Inc., where she was director of the space systems division. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 6