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CAMX –  the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo organizers has announced that Joan Higginbotham, former (Washington, D.C., U.S.) astronaut and president of , will be this year’s keynote speaker. for CAMX 2023, taking place Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, is now open, and all registered attendees are invited to attend the presentation.

A retired NASA astronaut, Joan Higginbotham is an electrical engineer who, in 2006, flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery to become the third African American woman to travel into space. Higginbotham has had a storied career, serving as director of open innovation at Collins Aerospace (Charlotte, N.C., U.S.), sourcing cutting-edge technologies to close current technology gaps and meet future technology needs. Prior to that role, Higginbotham managed relationships with governmental agencies and public and private companies involved in human space exploration and served as director of corporate social responsibility. Preceding her time at Collins Aerospace, she held multiple director positions at Lowe’s Companies Inc. (Mooresville, N.C., U.S.), leading its community relations, supplier diversity and global sourcing efforts. In April 2022, she launched her own aerospace consulting firm, Joan Higginbotham Ad Astra LLC.

“Having Joan Higginbotham standing on our stage is indicative of the strength of the CAMX brand and will appeal to the intellectual curiosity of our audience,” Eric Smith, CAMX 2023 steering committee chair, says. “I look forward to learning how Higginbotham’s journey can inspire our audience to do great things.”

CAMX Award winners will also be announced at the General Session. For the complete program and to sign up for CAMX alerts, go , or connect with CAMX on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.

Registration packs, event schedule, a current exhibitor list and more can be found at .