![European American Chamber of Commerce Texas [EACCTX] | Your Partner for Transatlantic Business Resources](https://www.eacctx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/EACC-Texas-1-e1712676066139.png)
Discover our exceptional lineup of industry-leading speakers!
Guests of Honor:
Her Excellency Jovita Neliupšienė
Ambassador of the European Union to the United States
Jovita Neliupšienė became the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States on January 1, 2024. Before that, she was a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from September 2022, where she was responsible for the coordination of European Affairs, European bilateral and regional issues, as well as national sanctions coordinator.
From 2020-2022, she was Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania, tasked with investment and export promotion, international cooperation, including policy coordination of state-owned enterprises, as well as chairing the interagency commission for export control.
In 2020, she held the post of Chancellor and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. This position included responsibility for staff coordination, and legal and consular affairs. Between 2015-2020, she served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the EU. These years were marked by the migration crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
From 2009-2015, she worked as an advisor and chief foreign policy advisor to the President of the Republic of Lithuania Ms. Dalia Grybauskaite. She was responsible for foreign policy coordination, and inter-institutional relations, as well as the role of sherpa/EU advisor, and in this respect took a leading position in preparing and coordinating the Lithuanian presidency of the EU Council in 2013. In 2014, she was awarded the State Decoration Order “For Merit to Lithuania” Commander’s Cross.
His Excellency Szabolcs Takács
Ambassador of Hungary to the United States
MEET AMBASSADOR SZABOLCS TAKÁCS
Mr. Szabolcs Takács is currently the Hungarian Ambassador to the United States. Prior to his arrival to Washington D.C. in November 2020, he was the Ministerial Commissioner for BREXIT in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Budapest between 2019 and 2020. He is also the Head of the Hungarian Delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) since 2016. During the Hungarian Chairmanship year of IHRA in 2015-2016 he was the Chair of the organization.
Prior to these positions, he was State Secretary for European Union Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office between 2015-2019. Before that he served as the Deputy State Secretary for Security Policy (Political Director) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He also served as the Deputy State Secretary for Global Affairs between 2012 and 2013, and as a Director General of the Asia-Pacific Department between 2011 and 2012.
His earlier assignments included working as a director at the Office of the Deputy State Secretary for Global Affairs in charge of bilateral relations with non-European countries and International Development Cooperation. Between 2005 and 2009 he was the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Hungary in Doha, State of Qatar, and prior to that worked at the Department of Asia-Pacific since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2002.
David Lopez
Head of Finance & Supply Chain
Outpost is pioneering multi-ton Earth return to support the growing space economy and to enable point-to-point delivery around the globe. Outpost is developing two core technologies: sustainable re-entry and space manufacturing.
Re-entry will allow the reusability of satellites after leaving Earth, as 99% of satellites have not been reused. Space manufacturing will include fiber glass for data centers, pharmaceuticals, and even human organs.
David is the Head of Finance & Supply Chain at Outpost. He has been fortunate to mix his passion for space with his passion to build organizations. He works closely with the engineering team to ensure resources are available for a timely execution of the production schedule.
In his role, David has been involved in negotiating with NASA and the Pentagon, supporting the business to secure multi-million-dollar contracts, and raise capital to ensure the continuity of operations.
Szabolcs Szolnoki
Deputy State Secretary for Technology
Szabolcs Szolnoki currently serves as Deputy State Secretary for Technology at the Ministry for National Economy of Hungary, where he leads programs to enhance the technological maturity of Hungarian companies. He is also a researcher and PhD candidate.
Previously, Szolnoki was Chief Innovation Officer to the President, focusing on university-centric innovation ecosystems, and the founder of an international NGO dealing with innovation and humanitarian technology transfer. He also served as Deputy CEO for Valorisation at Express Innovation Agency, transforming scientific insights into industry applications for societal and economic benefits.
His past roles include Deputy CEO for Innovation and Business Development at EAC Group, where he worked on consulting, investment, and IT technology development. From 2017 to 2021, he was a diplomat for scientific and technological affairs in Tel-Aviv, focusing on cybersecurity, fintech, life sciences, mobility, and the space industry. He has also led startup relations at the Export Promotion Agency (HEPA) and was head of Budapest’s startup incubator and microfinance provider (BVK). Early in his career, he worked as an employment policy expert and remains involved in co-managing his family’s enterprises.
Michelle Schulz
Managing Partner, International Trade and Customs Attorney
Michelle Schulz advises corporate clients on complex international trade and Customs compliance, focusing on export/import disclosures, investigations, penalties, encryption controls, and more.
With over 22 years of experience, she served two terms on the President’s Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration, advising the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative on Export Control Reform. She also spent 10 years as a senior advisor on the Industry Trade Advisory for Aerospace (ITAC-1).
Licensed to practice before the Supreme Court of Texas and the U.S. Court of International Trade, Michelle represents Fortune 500 companies across industries like oil and gas, aerospace, healthcare, and automotive. She is well-versed in defense exports under ITAR, dual-use exports under EAR, and other U.S. trade regulations including FCPA, FTZs, and CFIUS.
Michelle is known for her solution-focused approach, negotiating effectively with enforcement agencies and collaborating with corporate teams to design robust trade compliance programs that mitigate risk.
Blake Calvert
Deputy Executive Director
Blake Calvert began his career in state government as the assistant clerk for the House Committee on Appropriations during the 82nd Legislature. Following the Regular Session, he worked in the Chair of Appropriations’ Capitol office, handling legislative duties and constituent relations. He has also served as a campaign manager and Field Representative for the Texas Association of REALTORS.
In 2015, Blake joined the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) as part of the State Legislative Affairs office, collaborating with the Governor’s Office, Legislature, and various stakeholders to communicate the agency’s budget and policy priorities. In 2020, he became a Budget and Policy Advisor in Governor Abbott’s office, focusing on transportation and economic development, working closely with TxDOT, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, and other stakeholders.
In June, Blake was appointed Interim Executive Director of the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium, where he played a key role in establishing processes for the new $698 million program and contributed to its initial grant recommendations.
Texas Space Commission
Zsolt Menesi
Chief Executive Officer — eCon USA, LLCSenior Trade and Consular Officer — Vice-Consulate of Hungary in HoustonExecutive Director — Hungarian-American Chamber of Commerce, Texas (HACCTX)Senior Business Development Manager — GroupGen LLCSecretary — Hungarian Scientific Entrepreneurial Society of Texas
Zsolt is an experienced international business development professional. He currently holdsthe positions of CEO of eCon USA, Senior Trade and Consular Officer at the Vice-Consulate ofHungary in Houston, and Executive Director of the Hungarian-American Chamber ofCommerce in Texas.
With over 30 years of career experience, Zsolt has worked in sales, marketing, and businessdevelopment for multimillion-dollar brands, giving him a deep understanding of the factorsthat drive sales and market awareness.
He is skilled in maximizing available resources to achieve the desired strategic market impact.
Zsolt’s vast experience with goods, services, and brands across Europe, Asia, the Middle East,Africa, and the United States gives him a unique and innovative perspective that can benefitany market.
During his tenure at Nokia, Zsolt spearheaded sales and marketing activities in CentralEuropean and MENA countries. He led Nokia’s growth period in the region and activelyhelped establish the Nokia factory in Hungary. Later, while in Dubai, he launched Nokia’sMultimedia Business Unit in MEA, which increased volume and net sales and raised marketawareness.
Zsolt has lived in Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, China, Thailand, and the United States.He studied agricultural mechanical engineering.
Kirsten Whittingham
President
Kirsten is responsible for Max Space’s day-to-day operations, including business development and Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy.
In Kirsten’s previous role as Vice President of Revenue Operations at Axiom Space, she led the negotiation efforts for international governments and commercial sponsors, while also overseeing the team that delivered on these contracts. Her efforts generated over $200M in revenue. Additionally, she was responsible for creating processes and systems for the Revenue team.
Prior to Axiom Space, Kirsten served as the Director of the F100 engine program, overseeing a $750M+ P&L, which included the USAF and 22 international air forces. Kirsten has also had roles at Cirrus Aircraft as the Deputy Program Manager for the design, certification, and production of the SF50 Vision Jet and as a NASA flight controller for the space shuttle and space station programs.
Kirsten holds an aerospace engineering degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Dr Tibor Pacher
Founder & CEO
Tibor, trained as a PhD physicist (Budapest, Heidelberg), has a 10-years academic career, with numerous publications on General Relativity, Cosmology, and Quantum Chemistry topics.
He also has a solid background in management and financial accounting consultancy (15+ years) and has conducted many projects in 18 countries on 4 continents.Tibor is also a member of the XPRIZE Space & Exploration Brain Trust and a dedicated advocate for a coordinated international lunar resource prospecting campaign. Since the founding of Puli Space in 2010, he has relentlessly worked on the first Hungarian Moon missions.
Puli is developing a range of lunar exploration technologies, including the NASA award-winning Puli Lunar WaterSnooper (PLWS), a rugged, micro-sized, neutron spectrometer and its own low-cost, lightweight planetary rover platform with unique mobility capabilities.
Joe Guzman
Founder & CEO
Retired Army Colonel Joe Guzman, now an entrepreneur, has combined his passion for space with a mission to clean up Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and ensure that orbital space is safe for global business operations. Growing up in Houston, Texas, Guzman developed a fascination with space, leading him to study electrical engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After serving eight years in Field Artillery units, he transitioned to space operations in 2002 and played a pivotal role in establishing the U.S. Space Command in 2019.
Throughout his military career, Guzman planned and executed military space operations, focusing on debris collision avoidance and providing research and development support to NASA, the Space Force, and the Intelligence Community. He has been operationally deployed in support of U.S. Forces Korea, U.S. Central Command, the Department of the Army (Pentagon), U.S. Strategic Command, and U.S. Space Command.
Beyond his professional achievements, Joe is a dedicated father, warfighter, athlete, and businessman, committed to making orbital space a safer environment for future generations.
Moderated by
Erin McKelvey
President & CEO, European American Chamber of Commerce Texas
Erin McKelvey has extensive experience in association management having served for 11 years as Director of both the Dallas/Fort Worth and San Francisco Chapters of the French-American Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Erin served as Director of Programs & Member Relations at the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, where she enjoyed interacting with the Council on Foreign Relations and other international think tanks to create policy-related programming. Erin recently launched successful programs in Dallas such as EuroTech Talks and European American Flight Forum. Both are innovation-focused business initiatives.
Erin’s prior business achievements include the launch and management of her own import company wholesaling high-end wine accessories nationwide through large and small-scale retailers, restaurants, and online stores. She also worked for Equifax as a bi-lingual analyst for Canadian data research.
Erin holds a degree in Marketing from Texas A&M University and a Certification in Non-Profit Mgmt. She is fluent in French.
