Keynote Speakers

Colonel Mullane was born September 10, 1945 in Wichita Falls, Texas, but spent much of his youth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he currently resides. Upon his graduation from West Point in 1967, he was commissioned in the United States Air Force. As a Weapon Systems Operator aboard RF-4C Phantom aircraft, he completed 138 combat missions in Vietnam. He holds a Master's of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and is also a graduate of the Air Force Flight Test Engineer School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Mullane was selected as a Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of Space Shuttle Astronauts. He completed three space missions aboard the Shuttles Discovery (STS-41D) and Atlantis (STS-27 & 36) before retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1990.

Mullane has been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and is the recipient of many awards, including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit and the NASA Space Flight Medal.

Since his retirement from NASA, Colonel Mullane has written an award-winning children's book, Liftoff! An Astronaut's Dream, and a popular space-fact book, Do Your Ears Pop In Space? His memoir, Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut, has been reviewed in the New York Times and on the Jon Stewart Daily Show. It has also been featured on Barnes and Noble’s 2010 recommended summer reading list.

Mullane has held a lifelong passion for mountain climbing. Since age 60, he has summited Africa’s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro, as well as Mt. Rainier and forty of Colorado’s 14,000 ft. peaks.

Colonel Mullane has established himself as an acclaimed professional speaker on the topics of teamwork, leadership, and safety. He has educated, entertained, inspired and thrilled tens of thousands of people from every walk of business and government with his incredibly unique programs.

In a career spanning over five decades, Joe Pantoliano has amassed an impressive catalog of classic American film and television titles which have made him a household name. Everybody loves Joey Pants! Just ask some of Hollywood’s most prestigious filmmakers including Christopher Nolan (“Memento”), Steven Spielberg (“Goonies,” “Empire of the Sun”), Andrew Davis (“The Fugitive,” “Steal Big Steal Little”), Martin Brest (“Midnight Run”), and Jerry Bruckheimer (“Bad Boys” Franchise) among others. Throughout his career as an actor, writer, and producer, Joe Pantoliano’s films have grossed over $1.5 billion.

In addition to working on critically acclaimed feature films, Pantoliano’s television appearances have included the likes of the hit TV series “The Sopranos” for which he has received critical acclaim, multiple SAG Award nominations, and a Primetime Emmy Award® victory for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series’. In 2025, Pantoliano appeared in season 2 of “The Last Of Us”, in which he received an Emmy® Nomination for ‘Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series’. 

Beyond television and film, Pantoliano has founded a non-profit organization called No Kidding, Me Too! which brings members of the entertainment industry together to educate the public about mental illness. To further this, Pantoliano directed, wrote, and starred in the documentary, “No Kidding! Me 2!!”

Pantoliano has also lent his talents to writing two memoirs. The first, “Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-Up Guy” was released in 2003 to critical acclaim and became a New York Times bestseller. He later wrote the sequel, “Asylum: Hollywood Tales From My Great Depression: Brain Dis-Ease, Recovery and Being My Mother's Son”.

Pantoliano can most recently be seen starring in the fourth installment of the Bad Boys Franchise, “Bad Boys for Life” alongside Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and in Showtime’s “Dexter: Original Sin.”