Adam Steltzner

With his electrifying blend of rock ‘n’ roll energy, scientific brilliance, and leadership mastery, Adam Steltzner delivers powerful real-world lessons in collaboration, ingenuity, and the audacity to achieve the impossible.

 Dr. Adam Steltzner doesn’t just talk about innovation—he lives it. As the lead engineer of NASA’s Mars Sample Return program, the most ambitious robotic mission ever attempted in history, he is spearheading a decades-long effort to bring samples from the Red Planet back to Earth for study and scientific analysis. 

 The groundbreaking endeavor—initiated with the Mars 2020 Mission and Rover Perseverance—requires seamless collaboration across nine time zones, varying industries and work cultures, and multiple governments. Few understand the challenges of leading high-stakes, high-performance teams better than Adam Steltzner.

 A former aspiring rock star turned Ph.D. rocket scientist, Adam has spent his career solving seemingly impossible problems. From pioneering the revolutionary “sky crane” landing system that delivered Curiosity to Mars in 2012 to navigating the unprecedented challenge of launching a mission during a global pandemic, he knows firsthand what it takes to build and lead teams that succeed under extreme pressure. When COVID-19 forced the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s 6,000+ employees into remote operations, he and his team pressed forward, meeting every milestone on schedule and successfully landing Perseverance on Mars on February 18, 2021—more than 200 million miles from Earth.

 Sharing the principles he puts into practice every day, Adam offers strategies for bridging diverse work cultures, aligning different learning styles, and fostering collaboration among experts with competing priorities. Audiences walk away armed with the leadership, adaptability, and problem-solving skills that drive success—whether on Mars or right here on Earth. 

 Adam is the author of The Right Kind of Crazy: A True Story of Teamwork, Leadership and High Stakes Innovation, named a “best leadership book of the year” by the Washington Post. He has also been honored with the “American Ingenuity” Award from the Smithsonian Institute, among many other awards and accolades.  

Books & Movies

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