Jim Zimmerman

As President of International Space Services, Jim Zimmerman provides space policy and program consulting support to government and industry organizations in Asia, Europe and the Americas. In addition Jim is a Past President of the International Astronautical Federation. He has more than 40 years of international space and science program experience. He is particularly familiar with space program and policy developments in the U.S. and Europe where he served as the European Representative of NASA for 12 years.

Jim Zimmerman has more than forty years of international space cooperation, program and policy experience. During this time he has successfully represented government and commercial organizations, negotiated international agreements and contracts, provided crucial program and policy advice and helped clients overcome a wide variety of space program and business difficulties.

Zimmerman is particularly well acquainted with European aeronautics and space activities having served as the European Representative of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Paris, France from 1985 to 1997. During this twelve-year assignment in France Jim Zimmerman traveled extensively throughout Europe to represent the U. S. Government's civil aerospace interests. He also established close working relationships with government and industry officials in fourteen European countries and developed a keen insight into the region's aeronautics and space programs and plans.

Before his European assignment Jim Zimmerman held several other senior executive positions in the U. S. Government. As the Assistant Director for Export, Import and International Safeguards of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission he was responsible for approving American exports of fuel and reactor components for nuclear power and research purposes. In 1980 Zimmerman founded and served as the first Director of the International Affairs Office of the National Environmental Satellite Service, U.S. Department of Commerce at the time when the Commerce Department assumed responsibility for the LANDSAT earth observations satellite program.

Prior to this, Jim Zimmerman, as Chief of NASA’s International Planning and Programs Office, was responsible for negotiating NASA's joint projects with space agencies in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. From 2004 to 2008 Jim Zimmerman served as President of the International Astronautical Federation which has 200 member organizations in more than 50 countries around the world. He also served as Vice President – International of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and was a co-author of the Next Steps in Exploring Deep Space cosmic study recently published by the International Academy of Astronautics.

Jim Zimmerman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Beloit College and a Master of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He also studied at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and at Universities in Finland, Austria and Italy. Zimmerman was twice awarded NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal. In addition he received the European Space Agency’s International Space Station Award and the German Space Agency’s International Cooperation Award. Jim Zimmerman is a Fellow in the American Astronautical Society and an Associate Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.