Jason Kim, Chief Executive Officer
Jason Kim has served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board at Firefly Aerospace since October 2024. He brings over two decades of experience in the aerospace and defense sectors. Prior to joining Firefly, Mr. Kim served as CEO of Millennium Space Systems from December 2020 to September 2024, leading the company through a period of significant expansion and technology advancements. Before his CEO role, he was Vice President of Strategic Planning at Millennium Space Systems from September 2009 to December 2019. Mr. Kim has also held positions with Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. He attended the United States Air Force Academy, earning a BS in Electrical Engineering, and served in the U.S. Air Force from 1999 to 2006. He also holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. Mr. Kim serves on the Board of Directors for the Air Force Academy Foundation and is a member of the Executive Committee for Space Workforce 2030.
Darren Ma, Chief Financial Officer
Darren Ma has served as Chief Financial Officer of Firefly Aerospace since August 2020, bringing 21 years of finance experience. He oversees all financial business operations, capital raises, and investor relations. Prior to Firefly, Mr. Ma served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Spectra7 Microsystems from November 2017 to July 2020. He was also Chief Financial Officer of GigPeak, Inc. from October 2014 to September 2017. During his tenure at GigPeak, he was instrumental in strategically raising capital and driving profitable growth that led to its $250 million acquisition by Integrated Device Technology. Mr. Ma has also served as a business unit controller at Semtech and a finance manager at Intel. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis, and an MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
Shea Ferring, Chief Technology Officer
Shea Ferring has served as Chief Technology Officer at Firefly Aerospace since June 2023. He has been a key part of the Firefly leadership team since mid-2018, initially joining as Vice President of Mission Assurance. Mr. Ferring has nearly 30 years of experience designing, building, and testing spacecraft, with expertise in mission assurance, systems engineering, qualification, integration, and test. Prior to Firefly, he held numerous engineering and leadership positions at both heritage and NewSpace companies, working on more than 60 missions and vehicles, including Minotaur, Atlas V, Delta II & IV, Pegasus, Skybox, Mars Exploration Rovers, Antares, and Falcon 9. He founded two successful companies in engineering consulting and real estate. He previously served as Manager of Technical Programs at Bradford ECAPS and Commercial Space Chief Engineer at Vencore. Mr. Ferring also spent six years as a propulsion engineering manager at Orbital Sciences, which now operates under Northrop Grumman. He holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and a master's in aerospace and satellite design from Arizona State University.
Dan Fermon, Chief Operating Officer
Dan Fermon has served as Chief Operating Officer of Firefly Aerospace since October 2022. He is a seasoned operating leader with decades of experience in highly technical industries, primarily aerospace. Prior to joining Firefly, Mr. Fermon was a Vice President at AE Industrial Partners from September 2021 to November 2022, a U.S.-based private equity firm specializing in aerospace, defense, and government services. Firefly Aerospace is a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners. Previously, he served as the P&L and Operations Leader for GE Aerospace's Global Component Repair team from August 2006 to December 2020, where he doubled revenue to over $3 billion in three years. Mr. Fermon holds a dual bachelor's degree in both Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Olga Bai, Chief of Staff
Olga Bai is the Chief of Staff at Firefly Aerospace. Prior to joining Firefly, Ms. Bai worked at Dassault Systemes, a Fortune 50 software company. She also worked at v(room)), a Paris-based marketing and strategic consultancy agency, where she advised top technology and luxury companies, including Moët & Chandon, Hennessy, Audemars Piguet, and SOLIDWORKS, on building a brand presence in the digital realm.