Mangala Sharma, 2012-14 Executive Branch Fellow at the Department of State Office of Space and Advanced Technology, co-organized the first ministerial-level International Space Exploration Forum (ISEF) on January 9, 2014 in Washington at the State Department. The meeting brought together nearly 140 high-ranking government officials, including 30 heads of space agencies, from both established and emerging space faring nations to encourage cooperation in space exploration.
Alumnus fellow Jonathan Margolis (1991-92 Executive Branch Fellow at the Department of State) served as moderator. White House Science and Technology Director John Holdren discussed the announcement by the White House that it approved an extension of the International Space Station until at least 2024 to enable the continuation of research in the orbiting laboratory. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden also made remarks.