MEDIA ADVISORY: UND to host fireside chat on national security at the U.S. Capitol, with Iridium Vice President and General Manager John McNiff

Executive to discuss with UND President Andrew Armacost the importance of space development among other national security topics

Event details:

Who: John McNiff, Vice President and General Manager, Space Development, Iridium, will speak with President Andrew Armacost
What: Fireside Chat, followed by tour of U.S. Capitol and networking social.
When: Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 2 p.m., ET.
Where: Capitol Visitor Center, HVC 201 A&B, located within the U.S. Capitol Complex, 1st Street SE, Washington, D.C., 20004
Registration Required: This event is open to the public, but on a first-come-first-served basis. The link to register online can be found the UND Alumni Association & Foundation’s events webpage.

UND will host a fireside chat with John McNiff, Vice President and General Manager for Space Development at Iridium, on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. In Washington D.C., at the Capitol Visitor Center, HVC 201 A&B.

Since February 2024, McNiff has led Iridium’s Space Development Agency-related business as the company establishes operations and ground infrastructure for the Agency’s low Earth orbit Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) mission.

Iridium’s scope in the program includes network engineering, ground entry point development, mission operations, payload data management and software development.

McNiff brings more than 30 years of telecommunications and national security experience to his role. Prior to joining Iridium, he held executive leadership positions with Microsoft Federal, Northrop Grumman and GTE. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The event provides students, faculty and community members the opportunity to engage with a leader at the forefront of space communications and national security innovation.

For more information, visit UND Alumni Association & Foundation’s events webpage.

Following the fireside chat, participants are invited to join a walking tour of the U.S. Capitol, from 3:20 to 4:20 p.m.

This will then be followed by a networking social in room 385, in the Russell Senate Office Building, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

About:

Each fall and spring semester, the University of North Dakota welcomes a prominent national expert to speak at an event hosted by UND President Andrew Armacost. The fall event is held on the UND campus in Grand Forks, with the spring event taking place in Washington, D.C. The series complements the University’s National Security Initiative, which is focused on advancing research and preparing tomorrow’s workforce leaders in national security.

Members of the media interested in scheduling an interview with Andrew Armacost should contact David Dodds. For local North Dakota media coordination, please contact Adam Kurtz. Contact information can be found below.

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Photo: John McNiff, Iridium Vice President and General Manager

Media Contacts:

In Washington, D.C.: David Dodds, associate vice president for Communications, at david.dodds@UND.edu.

In North Dakota: Adam Kurtz, strategic communication editor, at adam.kurtz.1@UND.edu.