Making Space for Girls Co-Founders
Maryann Barry
A proud Girl Scout and seasoned not-for-profit business leader. She attended Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, then proceeded overseas to graduate from Tehran American School. She returned to the United States to complete a dual bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Biology from Marymount College and later attended graduate school in Alabama and is published in the fields of child welfare and educational psychology. While in graduate school, Maryann also completed a specialized program offered in conjunction with the Alabama Education Association, NASA, and Redstone Arsenal to become a Certified Aeronautics Educator.
Over the course of her 36-year career in not-for-profit and government industry, Maryann has always been involved in programs that support education and quality of life for women and girls. She has led several social impact initiatives, to include chairing a joint agency program that strengthened the health and economic sustainability of thousands of Florida families and received Federal recognition for innovative practice in delivering long-term positive outcomes for children and families. In 2008, Maryann became the 10th Floridian to receive the prestigious Governor Lawton Chiles Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in advancing the health and status of children and families in the State of Florida. In 2019, Maryann added another exciting and out of this world opportunity to her life journey. She will be fulfilling her childhood dream of traveling to space when she rockets toward the stars with Virgin Galactic. She completed her Future Astronaut onboarding with Virgin Galactic in London in June 2019 and hopes to fly in the not-too-distant future!
For more information visit Girl Scouts of Citrus
Sharon Hagle
Real estate entrepreneur since 1983, is a site selector and business developer for national tenants. Her passion for space exploration led her to become a future astronaut, having trained with Zero G, the NASTAR Center, and the Russian Cosmonauts in Star City, Russia. Sharon focuses her charitable and philanthropic work on STEAM+ (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics + environment) education programs. In 2015, Sharon launched SpaceKids Global, a non-profit organization to inspire elementary students to pursue careers in space exploration and technology. To date, SpaceKids Global has documented outreach to over 100,000 students globally, with an emphasis on empowering young girls. Sharon is an avid patron of the arts, and has supported numerous local, national and international cultural, educational, environmental and human service organizations. She is a founding member of the National Pulse Memorial & Museum Board of Trustees, and has served in board roles at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and the Orlando Museum of Art Acquisition Trust. She is also the Founder and President of the Winter Park Live Oak Fund.
For more information visit SpaceKids Global
Saba the Space Dog
Saba, a Pomeranian, has been working in the entertainment business for many years. His career began early on in a photo shoot with the Backstreet Boys. Having appeared in several episodes of Life Styles of the Rich and Furry, he needed a change. An opportunity with SpaceKids Global was the answer; kids, education and space.
SpaceKids Global gave Saba an opportunity to focus on his chartable and philanthropic work where he has supported numerous organizations including Canine Companions, ASPCA, and others. Saba, a national speaker, engages with kids through Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts, Yuri’s Night LA, and Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS).
Saba resides in Central Florida with his family.
