Yuri Gawdiak is the Director for the Interagency Portfolio and Systems Analysis (IPSA) Division at the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO). He has worked in advanced information systems and strategic planning for over 20 years in industry, academia, and government covering space, aeronautics, and engineering research. At the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Johnson Space Flight Center, Mr. Gawdiak served as Principal Investigator for the Wireless Network Experiment on STS-76/Mir-21 on the Space Station program. He was also the Build Manager at the NASA Ames Research Center for the Surface Movement Advisor at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. At NASA headquarters, Mr. Gawdiak served as program manager for the Engineering for Complex Systems program. He worked both in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, as well as in the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and also served in the Strategic Investment Division.
Yuri Gawdiak earned his bachelor's degree in Information Systems with a concentration in Ergonomics at Carnegie Mellon University. Mr. Gawdiak was awarded both the NASA Outstanding Leadership and Exceptional Achievement medals for his work on Personal Satellite Assistant, as well as other programs and projects.