PARTNERSHIP - NOT PARTISANSHIP!
MEET MIKE SIMON
Mike grew up in New York City, where his father taught college physics and his mother was a high school art teacher. Mike decided he wanted to live in California when he was 15, after a summer vacation. During his last two years in high school, Mike held part-time jobs to save money to return to California for college. His acceptance by Stanford University enabled Mike to return to California when he was 17.
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At college, Mike developed a passion for space technology. After receiving a Master's degree in engineering, Mike completed a one-year internship at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He then came back to California to work for General Dynamics in San Diego. Throughout the 1980s, Mike was at the forefront of developing advanced space projects such as the International Space Station and lunar and Mars spacecraft.
During the 1990s, Mike changed his career direction. For most of the past 30 years, he has been a serial entrepreneur, building small businesses that have developed some of America's most advanced electric vehicle and renewable energy technologies. These companies have created hundreds of jobs in California's 48th Congressional district. Mike lives with his wife Kirsten, their daughter Jessica, their dog Twinkie, and an assortment of cats in Escondido.
Mike is now ready to return to Washington to use his technical and financial management skills to help the federal government operate more efficiently and make intelligent investments to improve the prosperity of our nation.
1959-1976
Early Life
Mike was born in New York City on Valentine's Day, 1959. He attended New York public schools from K-12. During his last two years of high school, he worked on an ice cream truck and in a supermarket to save money for college.
1976-1981
College
At Stanford University, Mike studied Political Science and Economics as an undergraduate, then received a Master's Degree in Engineering-Economic Systems. He also founded the Stanford Center for Space Development, a student technology advocacy group.
1981-1982
Internship
Mike worked as a research intern at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He learned how the federal government works while developing policies for commercial use of the new Space Shuttle and planned space station.
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1982-1993
Early Career
At General Dynamics Space Systems Division, Mike rapidly progressed from an engineer to a project manager, where he helped commercialize the Atlas launch vehicle and designed advanced spacecraft to support future missions to the Moon and Mars.
1993-2023
Serial Entrepreneur
After leaving General Dynamics in 1993, Mike chose to become his own boss and started International Space Enterprises, a space technology company that morphed into ISE Corp., an early leader in electric vehicle (EV) and hydrogen fuel cell technologies. After a four-year hiatus during which Mike worked as a marketing executive for General Atomics, Mike founded TransPower in 2010, which continued developing EV technologies. In 2020, TransPower was acquired by Meritor, a Fortune 500 company. Later that year, Mike founded his current high-tech startup company, RockeTruck.