Laurel-Ruth Ladd, Executive Officer/Logistics

Laurel Ladd is a Canadian, born and raised. A bilingual baby-boomer, she is a true ‘child of Apollo’, whose fascination with aerospace predates even Sputnik. She is a two time graduate of the University of Western Ontario (BA and MBA). She holds a Fellowship of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and has a variety of certifications ranging from applied ecology to androgogy.

This diverse background led her to a field of research few have touched. Convinced that traditional management has little relevance in non-traditional settings, Laurel has been busy filling that gap. Component Integration in Complex Closed/Semi-Closed Systems (CICCS, pronounced kicks) is the result. CICCS is the product of rethinking, reorganizing, and often rejecting aspects of current management theories and practices to deal with the reality of unusual conditions and specialized groups.

As a member of Crew #45 (Moon Mission Sim #1) Laurel will be working on CICCS strategies dealing with wetware support. These include working with other crewmembers on human factors and site management while continuing work on a sustainable space frontier diet.

Laurel enjoys organic vegetable gardening and, when fuel prices allow, flying a C-172 out of Les Cèdres, west of Montreal. She shares her life with three males (two human and one feline) and many fish. You will be delighted to know that she has yet to seriously injure any of them with either her cooking or her flying.