Benjamin “Benji” Reed is the Senior Director of Human Spaceflight Programs at SpaceX, leading a team that serves customers across multiple platforms, including NASA and commercial astronaut missions, both domestic and international. Benji’s team supports missions for both Dragon/Falcon 9 and Starship vehicle systems that serve crew and cargo needs across space, including low-Earth orbit, lunar space, and other human exploration efforts.

Prior to this position, Benji led the program elements of the successful development and certification for the Commercial Crew Program, culminating in SpaceX’s first-ever human spaceflight and the return of American crew launch capability for the first time in almost a decade. Throughout his 25 years of experience in the industry, Benji has overseen various efforts for the International Space Station, commercial aerospace, hardware development for the Hubble Space Telescope, and others in support of human spaceflight, planetary science, and cosmic origins missions. He has also served as the co-founder of a software and internet development firm and a public high school math teacher.

A native of Boulder, Colorado, Benji graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Mathematics, working at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy. With roots in both California and Colorado, he a proud father and husband living happily in Los Angeles in a multicultural and bilingual family, including his wife, children, and a multitude of non-human family members.