Jennifer Vaughn

The fearless leader behind the team at The Planetary Society is Jennifer Vaughn, our Chief Executive Officer. She started with the Society working on The Planetary Report in 1997, moving up from Editorial Assistant to Managing Editor to Director of Publications. In time, her passion for The Planetary Society and her aptitude for management led her to the Chief Operating Officer position shortly after Bill Nye took the helm as Chief Executive Officer. In 2026 she became CEO of The Planetary Society, with Bill Nye moving to the roles of Chief Ambassador and Vice Chairman.

From forging partnerships to overseeing program implementation to managing the strategic planning process to hiring new staff, Jennifer does it all. Day-to-day, you’ll most often find her planning a meeting or in a meeting with staff, directors, board members, donors, members, partners, or sometimes, even herself. She’s passionate about people and the power of teamwork. A dedicated support system for the staff, Jennifer devotes time from her days to help cultivate each individual’s skills and goals so that both the Society and the individual grow in a positive way.