Hi, I am Dr. Sian Proctor and I am a Geoscience Professor, an Afrofuturism Artist, and an Astronaut. I was the mission pilot for SpaceX Inspiration4, the first all-civilian orbital mission. I am the first female commercial astronaut spaceship pilot and the only African American woman to ever be a mission pilot. I am also the first African-American commercial astronaut, and the first African-American to paint in space. I am currently serving as a member of the National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group representing the Maricopa Community Colleges. My motto is Space2inspire where I encourage people to use their unique strengths and passion to inspire themselves and those within their reach. I believe that we need to actively strive for a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive (J.E.D.I.) space both on Earth and beyond. I have 3 goals when I give a keynote. They are:

• Inspire the audience to believe in themselves and what they can achieve.
• Make sure the audience learns how to take action, make opportunities, and develop a can-do mind shift.
• Engage and connect with the audience. I don't lecture or present - instead, we discuss and learn.

Take care!
Sian

Here is what people are saying about me!

A.B. PH.D., EDUCATION POLICY ADVISOR, CONFINDUSTRIA (VERIFIED @CONFINDUSTRIA.IT) 

• Sian opened the States-General of Education, an event promoted by the main Italian association of entrepreneurs (Confindustria) to attract the attention of public opinion on the urgency of renewing the Italian educational system by taking as an example, the good models of other countries. We could not have chosen a better speaker to tell the value of the American educational system: not only because she has deep knowledge about it, but because she is a direct witness and a real protagonist. Her extraordinary life, her competence for analysis, and her great communication skills literally inspired all the participants in the event (including the Secretary of Italian Education). Sian actively participated in all the activities of the event and interacted very well with Italian and international panelists, demonstrating a very strong curiosity. I can say that Sian is as an education expert - but also at a personal level - a formidable speaker. Thanks to her, our event has reached a very high level of interest, even among the media. 

S.U., COORDINATOR, OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE AT ASU WEST CAMPUS (VERIFIED @ASU.EDU)

• Sian has made such an impact on our program in such a short amount of time! My students, age 50+, immediately fell in love with her presentation style and personality and they could not get enough of her classes. She is intelligent and motivational; she makes learning fun at any age. Aside from her excellent teaching skills, she is a pleasure to work with before and after the event. She responds quickly to all correspondence during the planning stages, always arrives early for class, and is prepared with informative and well-thought-out discussion topics. I will hire her again and again!

L.Y., FACULTY DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING, SCOTTSDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE (VERIFIED @SCOTTSDALECC.EDU) 

• Dr. Sian Proctor has presented at Scottsdale Community College's TechTalks event on three occasions. Her presentations are engaging and always well-aligned to the theme of our event. Dr. Proctor has a strong stage presence and is relatable to a wide array of audiences from students, to teachers, to scientists, she is able to pique their interest, hold their attention, and inspire them.

T.F., ENGINEERING FACULTY, GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE (VERIFIED @GCCAZ.EDU) 

• Sian was a terrific speaker. She spoke at the Arizona Space Grant Symposium Banquet and talked about her experience with the NASA astronaut application and screening process. By the time she was through, everyone in the audience wanted to be an astronaut. She is very inspirational and makes you feel like you can do almost anything.

A.M., COMMUNICATION FACULTY & PTK ADVISOR, PHOENIX COLLEGE (VERIFIED @PHOENIXCOLLEGE.EDU) 

• Sian is a rock star! Her multiple presentations at Phi Theta Kappa Region events have been instructional, interactive, and inspiring. The students and teachers love her. She has been gracious enough to hang out for pictures and autograph signings. We will keep asking her to come and speak!

I.R., CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, BIGGER BANG FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTION COMPANY (VERIFIED @BIGGERBANG.TV) 

• Dr. Sian Proctor was terrific to work with on Genius by Stephen Hawking. Sian was engaging and dynamic on camera but also friendly and easy-going off camera. She's got a great personality and her passion and energy really come through. It was a pleasure to work with her.