Shaping the Future of Space
Charity (Stephenson) Weeden, ’03, helps set the course for how we explore beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
The future of space exploration isn’t decided by one entity. It’s a global effort, shaped by collaborations and strategic partnerships — including NASA.
Charity (Stephenson) Weeden, ’03, has been part of that conversation for more than 20 years. Until recently, she served as Associate Administrator in NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS), helping guide big-picture decisions on how we explore space. Over the last two years, she helped advance the Artemis Accords. Grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, the non-binding agreement outlines how NASA and other agencies will peacefully, cooperatively, and transparently explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Charity walking at Summer Commencement on Aug. 8, 2003 at the Chester Fritz Auditorium. She earned her Master of Science in Space Studies.
Before joining NASA, Charity was Vice President of Global Space Policy and Government Relations at Astroscale.
“A significant part of OTPS work in 2024 was centered around a sustained lunar presence,” Charity said. That included protecting historic lunar landing sites, maintaining travel paths, and minimizing damage from lunar dust — all of which support NASA’s Moon to Mars strategy.
From Engineering to Influence
A 23-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Charity was a distance learning pioneer at UND. While on active duty, she pursued a master’s degree in Space Studies by watching lectures on VHS tape. “The stack was probably five feet tall by my second year.”
Charity began her career as an air navigator after earning a mechanical engineering degree from the Royal Military College (RMC), inspired by astronaut — and fellow RMC alum — Chris Hadfield. But a UND class called Presidential Policy set her on a different path. “As a Canadian, I knew nothing about how it all worked in the U.S.,” she said. “I loved it. It made sense and I was intrigued by it.”
The most exciting part about space policy and how UND is helping set up their students for success is giving them an insight into what are the decisions that need to be made so we can explore the universe?Charity Weeden
Charity (second from left) pictured with her space studies capstone classmates, including her future husband, Brian (third from left).
After serving in Greenwood, Nova Scotia, and a deployment in Southwest Asia, Charity was stationed at NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) in Colorado Springs, where she tracked satellites. There, she gained her first experience in policy — and reconnected with a former UND classmate, Dr. Brian Weeden, ’05, now her husband and a professional at the Aerospace Corporation. “He likes to joke that we met online,” she laughed.
Charity didn’t become an astronaut, but she discovered a career she loved.
“When I was 17, the only thing I knew was that there’s a pathway to becoming an astronaut,” she said. “But there are so many other roles across the space community that are powerful and effective and influential – and space policy is one of those.”
Charity flew P-3s and C-140s in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was stationed in Southwest Asia in 2003, where she was completing her classes and took her final exam in the middle of the night.
On Sept. 25, 2023 upon a copy of Carl Sagan’s “Contact,” Charity was sworn in as associate administrator for NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy by former astronaut and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
