VP, Motion Control

Erik Mumm has over 18 years of experience in electro-mechanical systems design, development, and testing for NASA programs. In tandem with the Chief Engineer, Mr. Mumm chairs internal design reviews and ensures Honeybee’s technical standards are followed and continuously improved upon. Most recently he has acted as technical lead on a robotic Sample Manipulation System for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory. His responsibilities since joining Honeybee in 2002 include mechanism and systems design of flight hardware, controls and software development, flight operations support, and extensive laboratory and field testing. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska.

VP, Exploration Systems

Dr. Kris Zacny is VP of Exploration Systems (EX) and Senior Research Scientist at Honeybee Robotics. His interests include space mining, In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), extraterrestrial drilling and sampling, and planetary geotechnical engineering. He co-founded EX, based in Altadena, CA to focus on developing space mining robots for the Solar System exploration and utilization. EX has grown from 2 to over 100 employees in less than 10 years.

In his previous capacity as an engineer in South African underground gold, diamond, and coal mines, Dr. Zacny managed numerous mining projects and production divisions. This hands-on experience became invaluable in developing such technologies for Space.

Dr. Zacny received his PhD from UC Berkeley (2005) in Geotechnical Engineering with an emphasis on Extraterrestrial Drilling and Mining, ME from UC Berkeley (2001) in Petroleum Engineering with emphasis on Drilling and Materials Science, and BSc cum laude from U. of Cape Town (1997) in Mechanical Engineering.

He participated in several Antarctic, Arctic, Atacama, and Greenland expeditions. Dr Zacny has over 200 publications including several books, he has been a Principal Investigator on over 50 projects, he has over 40 NASA New Technology Records and several NASA Group Achievement Awards.

Senior Director, Finance

Christine Rhoden is the Senior Director of Finance for Honeybee and oversees all financial functions, including Accounting, FP&A, Pricing, Accounts Payable, and Accounts Receivable. She has over 15 years of experience in finance for manufacturing and a proven track record of implementing financial strategies that align with business objectives and improve company performance.

Before joining Honeybee, Christine held roles at several publicly traded manufacturing companies in mining, automotive supplies, and aerospace. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College.

Director of Procurement

Jennifer Smith has over 20 years of experience in Supply Chain, Program Management, and General Management in the Aerospace and Automotive Industries.  Her experience spans to all areas of supply chain from strategic sourcing to material management.  Her responsibilities at Honeybee include leading procurement and overseeing the Honeybee supply base.  She has a Bachelor’s and MBA degree from Arizona State University.

Director, Quality Systems

Sase Singh has over 27 years of experience in electro-mechanical systems at Honeybee as a project engineer, software developer, quality engineer, program manager, and as of 2011, the Quality Manager. He is responsible for ensuring Honeybee maintains its high level of quality and, as appropriate, works with the various process owners to establish and implement new and improved processes. He holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the City College of New York.