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Enrico Attanasio, President and CEO
Enrico “Rico” Attanasio is President and CEO of Parabilis Space Technologies and brings more than 30 years of diverse experience across government and commercial space. His career spans all aspects of space programs acquisition and delivery, including win strategy, proposal development, hardware and software engineering, manufacturing, global supply chain, assembly, test, launch, ground systems, and flight operations and maintenance.
Early in his engineering career, Rico focused on astrodynamics, avionics, and flight operations at The Aerospace Corporation, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Hughes Space and Communications, supporting missions ranging from low Earth orbit to interplanetary. He has led organizations of 20 to more than 400 personnel and managed contract portfolios from tens of millions of dollars to more than $1 billion, most recently on rapid prototyping programs. His customers have included commercial space companies, NASA, and the Department of Defense. Rico has a distinguished track record of delivering systems on schedule and on budget.
Rico holds a B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California, and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. He also completed the Program Management Executive Course at the Defense Acquisition University.
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Chris Grainger, Vice President of Engineering
Chris Grainger is Vice President of Engineering at Parabilis Space Technologies and has more than 25 years of experience designing, testing, producing, and flying propulsion systems and other spacecraft. Prior to co-founding Parabilis, Chris spent more than 15 years at SpaceDev Inc. (later acquired by Sierra Nevada Corporation).
At SpaceDev, Chris developed the spacecraft bus structure for CHIPSat, an innovative small satellite launched in 2003 that operated successfully until its decommissioning in 2008. He designed, built, and successfully tested the Space Shuttle-compatible Hybrid Maneuvering and Transfer Vehicle, designed to autonomously perform a two-burn circular orbit transfer. Chris also led the engineering team that designed, developed, and performed launch-vehicle integration for Trailblazer, a small spacecraft delivered in four months from ARO and flown on SpaceX’s Falcon 1. He made substantial contributions to the SpaceShipOne and other manned spaceflight programs, designing the main feed valves for the rockets on multiple vehicles.
Prior to SpaceDev, Chris worked at Integrated Space Systems and General Dynamics Space Systems, performing significant engineering on the Atlas series of launch vehicles. His responsibilities included ordnance, thermal protection, separation systems, and fluid components.
Chris earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from San Diego State University. He holds numerous space-related patents.
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David Brynes, Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
David Brynes is Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Parabilis Space Technologies, a position he has held since joining the company in 2017. He is responsible for all finance, accounting, and contracts matters. David brings more than 30 years of business experience, the majority in the high-tech computing industry, where he held senior financial management roles at large public companies including Sun Microsystems and Oracle.
David has managed globally dispersed teams through periods of rapid change and high growth. He is recognized as a business partner focused on delivering operational and financial results while upholding the highest standards of financial control and integrity. He has also led mergers-and-acquisitions activities, including the acquisition and integration of entire companies. David implemented and continues to maintain the Parabilis accounting systems and processes that meet Government Cost Accounting Standards.
David holds a B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Heriot-Watt University (United Kingdom) and is a Chartered Management Accountant.
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Richard Slansky, Chairman of the Board
Richard Slansky is Chairman of the Board of Parabilis Space Technologies and brings extensive operational and financial expertise to the company. He has more than 25 years of experience across public and private organizations in aerospace, technology, and healthcare.
Prior to co-founding Parabilis, Richard served as Chief Financial Officer of GenMark Diagnostics, Inc., an early-stage molecular diagnostics company focused on infectious disease tests. In that role he implemented strong financial controls, led the financial and due-diligence teams that raised more than $130 million in the public markets, directed cross-functional initiatives to improve performance, internal controls, and efficiency, and developed an expanded state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
Prior to GenMark, Richard held president, financial, and operating positions at several companies, including Digirad, SpaceDev (later acquired by Sierra Nevada Corporation), and Calbiochem. At SpaceDev he was responsible for accounting, finance, and business-management functions, encompassing SEC reporting and compliance, banking, business development, contract negotiations, information systems, investor relations, operations, and regulatory compliance. His work was instrumental in building the SpaceDev team, increasing shareholder value, and completing the sale of the company to Sierra Nevada Corporation.
Richard earned a B.S. in Economics with a concentration in decision sciences from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance and accounting from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management.