Venus Aerospace Strengthens Leadership Team to Mature RDRE Propulsion System, Scale Operations

Following its $91 million Series B, new and promoted leaders across government, product and operations build the capacity to carry RDRE from flight demonstration into a full propulsion system

HOUSTON, July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Venus Aerospace today announced eight leadership additions, new hires and internal promotions spanning government, product and operations. The moves follow the company's $91 million Series B, announced last week.

Venus flew the world's first high-thrust RDRE in May 2025. Venus' RDRE architecture is designed for the range, efficiency and manufacturability that defense and space customers need as legacy systems struggle to keep pace with production timelines and supply chain constraints. The leadership additions announced today are built to carry that architecture toward deployment: product leadership to mature engineering into a full propulsion system, government relationships to navigate policy, procurement and to engage the end users who will fly and operate this technology, and operational depth to build the organization Venus needs as it moves toward that goal.

Lane Bodian joins as Vice President of Public Policy, and Dan Rebnord joins as Director of Federal Government Relations, leading Venus' engagement with government stakeholders as the company advances its technology for defense and space missions. They join a team that has grown steadily over the past year, including Matt Stohr, Head of Business Development, and Sheila Menz, General Counsel.

Tom Barron, previously Vice President of Operations, becomes Chief Operating Officer. Nick Cardwell, previously Vice President of Research and Development, becomes Chief Product Officer. Both promotions reflect the depth Venus has built internally as its technology and organization have grown.

Cameron Taylor joins as Vice President of Operations. Sarah Boland Heine joins as Head of Communications.

"We flew the world's first high-thrust RDRE in just over four years on $80 million. We believe that makes it the fastest, most capital-efficient rocket engine program in history," said Sassie Duggleby, co-founder and CEO of Venus Aerospace. "Adding this talent to our leadership team is how we bring that same discipline to the company itself, as we scale to meet the technical needs of defense and space customers who need range and speed legacy systems can't deliver."

Lane Bodian, Vice President of Public Policy
Lane Bodian brings significant experience shaping national security policy to lead the company's government affairs strategy. He previously served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs at the Pentagon and spent over 12 years in the U.S. Senate working on foreign and domestic policy. He holds a master's degree from the U.S. Army War College and a bachelor's degree from Franklin & Marshall College.

Dan Rebnord, Director of Federal Government Relations
Dan Rebnord has spent more than a decade working national security issues on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch, most recently as Senior Policy Advisor to a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, with additional service in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the Department of Defense and as Staff Director for a national security subcommittee in the House of Representatives. He holds a master's degree from Georgetown University's Security Studies Program and a bachelor's degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Tom Barron, Chief Operating Officer
Tom Barron's career spans commercial, government and military experience. He previously served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, and was a White House Fellow at the Domestic Policy Council. He also served aerospace clients as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. He began his career as a U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces officer with multiple combat and operational deployments in leadership and command positions. He holds an A.B. from Harvard University and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge.

Nick Cardwell, PhD, Chief Product Officer
Before joining Venus, Nick Cardwell held product and technology leadership roles at deep tech VC-backed companies in San Francisco bay area and Austin, TX, working across product and technology development in aerospace, energy, biotech and smart cities. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Tyler and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech.

Cameron Taylor, Vice President of Operations
Cameron Taylor joins Venus with broad experience across commercial and operations functions, strategy and product management. Before joining Venus, Cameron worked at Crown Castle as the Vice President of Sales and Commercial Operations. He began his career as a U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence officer with multiple global deployments. He holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.

Sarah Boland Heine, Head of Communications
Sarah Boland Heine's experience spans political campaigns, national advocacy organizations and strategic consulting. As a founding member of the executive team at Intrepid, she advised Fortune 500 companies and emerging aerospace and aviation ventures navigating complex regulatory environments. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Teach For America alum.

Matt Stohr, Head of Business Development
Matt Stohr's background spans consulting, commercial operations and defense leadership. Before joining Venus, he worked at Deloitte Consulting, where he led business development and go-to-market initiatives for Deloitte's Sports practice. He began his career as a U.S. Army Infantry and Special Forces officer with multiple combat deployments. He holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Sheila Menz, General Counsel
Before joining Venus last summer, Sheila Menz served as Deputy General Counsel at the Pentagon and has held roles at the State Department, the U.S. Senate and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She also spent six years in private practice in Washington, D.C., counseling clients in technology, defense and other regulated industries. She holds a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and a J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law.

About Venus Aerospace
Venus Aerospace is building next-generation propulsion systems for defense, space, and future high-speed flight. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Venus is developing flight-proven Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) technology designed to deliver greater efficiency, range, and scalability for defense and space missions. Venus' propulsion systems are designed for domestic manufacturing and mission flexibility across national security and aerospace applications. Venus is backed by Mercury Fund, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Prime Movers Lab, Airbus Ventures, Trousdale Ventures and others. To learn more, visit www.venusaero.com.

Media Contact
Sarah Boland Heine
Head of Communications
[email protected]
502-471-6186

SOURCE Venus Aerospace