On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów will host Brent Sherwood, a world-class space architect, who will deliver two lectures. The first will focus on leadership development, while the second will explore the future of human spaceflight.
Visit Programme
10:00 – lecture “The Accidental Executive: One Leader’s Development”
13:00 – lecture “Four Futures for Human Space Flight: Options and Choices”
Both lectures will take place in the Prof. Jerzy Chłopecki Auditorium and are addressed to students, academic staff, and all those interested in the development of the space industry and modern leadership.
“The Accidental Executive: One Leader’s Development”
The morning lecture will be a personal account of how Brent Sherwood—educated as a humanist, architect, and engineer—became a leader responsible for key programs at prestigious institutions such as Boeing, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Blue Origin. The speaker will demonstrate how his curiosity about the world, interdisciplinary education, and passion for building “cities in space” translated into concrete managerial roles and responsibility for complex technological projects.
The lecture will focus on practical aspects of leadership, including team building, inspiring collaborators, coping with failure, and creating conditions for innovation in high-risk environments. Participants will learn about the principles, working methods, and decisions that shaped the career path of a leader—an “accidental executive” whose professional journey developed at the intersection of science, engineering, and a vision for the future of human civilization in space.
“Four Futures for Human Space Flight: Options and Choices”
The afternoon lecture will explore four possible paths for the development of human spaceflight: exploration, expansion, experience (space tourism), and exploitation (economic use of space). Brent Sherwood will demonstrate that each of these approaches involves different goals, technical requirements, costs, and societal impacts, and that treating all human space missions solely as “scientific exploration” hinders rational, long-term decision-making.
The speaker will explain why expansion—understood as establishing permanent settlements and extending civilization into space—is far more complex and costly than exploration alone, and why the path toward it must involve the development of tourism experiences and business models based on the utilization of space resources. The lecture will also encourage a more conscious approach to the future, addressing which locations in space are realistically accessible, what unique value they offer, and how to prioritize space program objectives to maximize synergy and preserve future development options.
Who is it for?
Both lectures are open to students and staff of UITM, as well as all individuals interested in modern leadership, technological innovation, and the future of human civilization in space. They will be particularly valuable for those involved in IT, engineering, management, and economics, as well as anyone considering a career in the space sector or the broader high-tech industry.
