Dr. Sian ‘Leo’ Proctor is a geoscientist, explorer, astronaut, space artist, and the Founder and Chief Inspiration Astronaut at Space2Inspire. With over 22 years of experience as a Professor of Geoscience and Sustainability at South Mountain Community College where she designed, developed, evaluated, and maintained the geology program and curriculum, she was nominated for the NISOD Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2011. The first Black Woman Spacecraft Pilot, she was an Inspiration4 Mission Pilot at SpaceX on its all-civilian orbital mission to space in 2021. Her book “Space2Inspire: The Art of Inspiration” follows her journey to becoming the first black commercial astronaut and the first black female to pilot a spacecraft. Sian is now available to speak on topics like diversity in STEM, geology, sustainable food solutions, and inspirational leadership, amongst several others.
Having a decorated career such as Sian’s, it is no surprise that she was included on the Explorer’s Club 50: Fifty People Changing the World list. Currently an ASU XRtx Fellow at the ASU Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center, she is also the founder of Space2Inspire which is an art and media company that aims to encourage more women of colour to join space using Afrofuturism, space art and poetry. She also runs the Proctor Programme – a non-profit designed to empower BIPOC community college students and faculty who have studied arts/humanities to pursue careers in STEM by exposing them to experiential learning opportunities. Before Sian became an astronaut, she was an analog astronaut – one who conducted activities in simulated conditions and has lived in 4 analog missions including a 4-mont stint in NASA-funded Mars Simulation called HI-SEAS (Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation). A finalist of the 2009 NASA Astronaut Program, she is the Co-Founder of Analog Astronaut Community which is run by analog astronauts for analog astronauts, and the Chief Inspiration Officer at STAR HARBOR.
Sian received her BSc in Environmental Science from PennWest Edinboro, M.S. in Geology from Arizona State University, and her Ph.D. Curriculum and Instructions: Science Education from Arizona State University. She is a Guest Lecturer for ASU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Open Educations Resource Coordinator for the Maricopa Community College District. She has also been a part of several STEM-based programmes like Genius by Stephen Hawking, Discovery Channel’s The Colony and is the STEM demonstration expert on Strange Evidence (seasons 1-3). Sian also wrote the Meals for Mars Cookbook which combined images, stories, and recipes from her time in HI-SEAS Mars Simulation. Sian is also a NASA Solar System Ambassador, and has been on the Board of Directors for Explore Mars, Advisory Board for JustSpace Alliance and SEDS USA, and on the Aerospace Advisory Board of the National Science Teaching Association.
An extraordinary TEDx Speaker, Sian has delivered prolific presentations such as Eat Like a Martian, Our Transformative Space, and Imposter Syndrome. She also volunteers as an Aerospace Education Officer at Civil Air Patrol and was awarded the Air Force Association’s Frank Luke Chapter Teacher of the Year award in 2012. A proponent of a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive space, she has been a motivational speaker since 2008. She is now available to speak at a range of events on topics like geology, inspirational leadership, imposter syndrome, and exploration to name a few. If you are looking for a speaker with a unique career and a strong desire to inspire, look no further than Dr. Sian Proctor!
