MELBOURNE, FLA. — Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba, a past STARCOM commander now serving as Special Assistant to the Vice Chief of Space Operations, will be the speaker at the 2026 F. Alan Smith Distinguished Lecture Series on Feb. 19 at Gleason Performing Arts Center.
The free event starts at 5:30 p.m. Registration is requested.
Maj. Gen. Sejba will offer this presentation: “Three Waves of Space Force-Led Innovation: Transportation To, In, and From Space,” to be followed by a brief Q&A segment.
A decorated and innovative leader, Maj. Gen. Sejba is responsible in his current role for assisting in management of service priorities for organizing, training and equipping the United States Space Force.
From July 2023 to July 2025, he was Commander, Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM), where he was responsible for preparing the USSF and more than 8,600 Guardians to prevail in competition and conflict through innovative education, training, doctrine and test activities.
Maj. Gen. Sejba graduated in 1995 from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. He was commissioned into the Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps as a distinguished graduate.
He has served in a wide variety of operations and acquisition leadership positions within the Air Force, National Reconnaissance Office, Defense Threat Reduction Agency and U.S. Strategic Command. His assignments include duties as a Flight Commander, Project Manager, Executive Officer, Congressional Liaison, Squadron Commander, Group Commander, Deputy Program Director, Program Director, Program Executive Officer and Field Command Commander.
Over his career, Maj. Gen. Sejba has been recognized with multiple awards and decorations, including Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters and Joint Service Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters.
F. Alan Smith, a generous benefactor, established the lecture program in 2007 to enhance the academic experience for students, introduce outstanding speakers to the university, and engage the community around the topic of transportation—the industry to which he dedicated his career. A nearly 30-year member of the Florida Tech Board of Trustees, Smith had a prestigious career at General Motors Corporation that spanned more than 35 years. He passed away in 2023.
Smith spent more than three decades in leadership positions at General Motors in the U.S. and Canada, including serving as executive vice president of finance of General Motors and president and general manager of General Motors of Canada, Ltd. Smith has served on Florida Tech’s Board of Trustees since 1996.
