Chief Operating Officer, Montreal Science Centre and Vice-President of Canada Lands Company; Former NASA/CSA Astronaut, Canada.

An electrical engineer by trade, Julie Payette has flown two missions in space for the construction of the International Space Station (ISS). During her astronaut training, she completed training as a military pilot on the CT-114 "Snowbird" jet and also holds a commercial pilot’s licence.  Ms. Payette joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in Houston in August 1996. Ms. Payette has logged 611 hours and more than 400 orbits around the Earth in two separate spaceflights on board Space Shuttles “Discovery” (1999) and “Endeavour” (2009).   Ms. Payette served as Chief Astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency from 2000 to 2007, was a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC and Quebec scientific delegate to the United States from 2011 to 2013. In July 2013, Madame Payette became the Chief Operating Officer of the Montreal Science Center and Vice-President MSC, Canada Land Company.  Ms. Payette is a Knight of the National Order of Québec and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Ms. Payette delivered a keynote address at the Gender Summit 3 North America 2013.