ALEXANDRIA, Va.., June 16,  2004/Satnews/The board of directors of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) has named David Cavossa as the new executive director effective June 14, 2004.  Cavossa has served as SIA’s director of external relations the last three years and as the acting executive director during the last two months. As executive director, Mr. Cavossa will act as a chief advocate for the satellite operators, manufacturers, value–added resellers, launch service providers, and ground equipment suppliers on a broad range of trade, regulatory, and legislative issues of common concern to the

David Cavossa

commercial satellite industry.

Kalpak Gude, vice president for government and regulatory affairs and associate general counsel for PanAmSat Corporation and current SIA Chairman, said "David Cavossa, in his years at SIA, has demonstrated a great passion for working on the issues that affect the satellite industry. The entire SIA board is very confident that Mr. Cavossa is the right person to manage the organization at this time.”

Before joining the SIA, Cavossa worked at NASA Headquarters, in Washington, D.C., in the Office of External Relations and in the Office of Legislative Affairs where he participated in NASA’s education and outreach campaign for Congressional staff.  Cavossa obtained a Master of Science, Technology and Public Policy from the George Washington University (GWU), Space Policy Institute as a Space Policy Fellow. He also holds a Bachelor of Physics/Astronomy and Political Science from Wheaton College, in Norton, Mass.