Auria Appoints Former Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Space Executive Tony Frazier, and Retired Space Force Lt. General John Shaw to Board
Auria, a leading provider of solutions and software in support of complex Space, National Security, and Cyber missions for federal, international, and commercial customers, announced the Honorable Deborah Lee James, Tony Frazier, and John Shaw have joined the Company’s Board of Directors. Auria is backed by Enlightenment Capital.
Deborah Lee James served as the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force, with responsibility for 660,000 military and civilian personnel and a budget of nearly $140 billion. James was the second woman to ever lead a military service in the United States and served as the Principal Defense Space Advisor responsible for rewriting and coordinating the strategy for U.S. national security space efforts. Prior to serving as Secretary of the Air Force, James spent over 15 years in the private sector, including most recently as the President of Science Applications International Corporation’s (SAIC) Technical and Engineering sector, a $2 billion, 8,700-person enterprise.
“As the space theater continues to evolve, it is of paramount importance that the U.S. invests in, develops, and maintains a more resilient and integrated space architecture to preserve our nation’s superiority,” said Deborah James. “Auria brings an impressive track record of delivering visionary solutions and software that meet the complex and changing demands of the space mission. I am excited to work with the Auria and Enlightenment Capital teams.”
Tony Frazier brings over two decades of experience as an operating executive driving innovation at the intersection of space, geospatial intelligence, data analytics, and national security. He currently serves as CEO of LeoLabs, a leading commercial provider of space domain awareness and space situational awareness solutions. Frazier previously served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Public Sector Earth Intelligence at Maxar Technologies, where he became a trusted mission partner across the space and national security communities. He helped Maxar win billions of dollars in new contract awards with U.S. and International Government customers and led efforts to incubate and scale two new businesses above $100 million.
“I worked with the Auria team during my time at Maxar, and Auria’s suite of advanced mission software and solutions brings a differentiated approach to supporting how our country will apply national and commercial space capabilities to critical missions in an era of Great Power Competition,” said Tony Frazier. “I look forward to working with the team to expand their delivery of cutting-edge technology and solutions to various customers across the space ecosystem.”
Retired U.S. Space Force Lieutenant General John Shaw most recently served as the Deputy Commander of U.S. Space Command from 2020 to 2023, where he directed more than 12,000 personnel worldwide, oversaw a $525 million budget, and was responsible for conducting operations in, from, and to space to deliver space combat power, defend the nation’s critical space capabilities, and deliver advanced capabilities that enable dynamic space operations. This position culminated a distinguished 33-year career as a space officer with numerous senior positions across air and space operations, including as the Commander of 14th Air Force and the Combined Forces Space Component Command, Deputy Commander of Air Force Space Command, as well as operations tours in the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and Space Warfare Center, among others.
“Auria has built a reputation as a highly innovative and solutions-focused company that brings modern space capabilities and talent to its customers,” said John Shaw. “The continued innovation from companies like Auria are what will position the U.S. for dominance in the space domain for decades to come. I am thrilled to partner with the Auria team to support their continued growth and mission impact.”
“As the space domain becomes more congested and contested, and our national security is more dependent on maintaining our superiority in space, it is critical to have deep insights and connectivity across the space ecosystem,” said Jason Rigoli, Partner at Enlightenment Capital and Chairman of Auria. “Debbie, Tony, and John bring decades of experience across the federal and commercial space communities, providing us with unmatched, diverse perspectives on how to best position Auria for continued growth. We are honored to welcome them to the Auria team.”
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About Auria
Auria is a provider of solutions and software in support of complex Space, National Security, and Cyber missions of federal, international, and commercial customers. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO and with operations in Boulder, CO, Washington, DC, Huntsville, AL, Albuquerque, NM, Ogden, UT, and San Diego, CA, our success is built on the excellence of diverse teams advancing innovative systems and operational software to strengthen our customers’ superiority in Space. With a distinguished track record and a spirit of relentless pursuit, we set the pace for progress and execute every mission with the utmost precision. For more information, visit www.Auria.Space.
About Enlightenment Capital
Enlightenment Capital, a Washington, DC area based private investment firm, makes control and strategic, non-control investments in middle-market companies in the Aerospace, Defense, Government & Technology (ADG&T) sector. The firm partners with businesses that provide vital services, protect critical infrastructure, innovate cyber and data solutions, enhance decision making capabilities, engineer aerospace and space systems, safeguard national security, and endeavor to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. For more information, visit www.enlightenment-cap.com and follow us at www.linkedin.com/company/enlightenment-capital.