Caryn Schenewerk ’02 has built her law career around one mission: to smooth the way for progress and innovation. Whether shaping tax and trade legislation in Congress, or helping space companies navigate complex regulations, her focus has always been on clearing policy and regulatory obstacles so that progress can soar.
The small-town New Boston, Texas native, now rooted in the U.S. capital, began her career in international trade at a Washington, D.C. boutique law firm. Then she headed to Capitol Hill, where she supported Rep. Lloyd Doggett and later served as deputy chief of staff and policy director for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Schenewerk went on to join former President Barack Obama’s administration as deputy to the associate director for legislative affairs at the Office of Management and Budget. From there, she moved into commercial spaceflight as senior counsel and senior director for SpaceX for over a decade.
There, she guided the company in securing congressional authorization and funding for the then-innovative (and, for some, controversial) proposal for a Commercial Crew Program partnering with private industry to deliver astronauts to and from the International Space Station. It was work that ultimately helped transform Dragon, SpaceX’s reusable spacecraft designed to carry cargo and crew to orbit, from a long-shot concept into NASA’s premier vehicle for human spaceflight. She played a key role in establishing SpaceX’s Texas presence, from supporting operations in McGregor to identifying and negotiating the development of Boca Chica (now Starbase), working with state lawmakers, officials, and community leaders to clear the way for the spaceport’s creation and growth.
We recently caught up with Schenewerk, who in 2023 opened her own practice—CS Consulting LLC—to help companies in the spaceflight industry navigate regulations governing space activities and support them in advocating for change.
You’ve spoken about the value of a liberal arts degree, which you earned from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. Why do you think that degree sets people up so well?
My liberal arts degree prepared me to go to law school. It was the reading comprehension and ability to digest information, becoming a good writer, and doing Model U.N. You learn how to come up with creative ideas, bring people together, seek out experts on a topic, and understand what’s really motivating people to care about a topic—whether they’re for or against it—and then propose solutions.
After earning your bachelor’s degree in literature and international gender studies, how did the law come onto your radar?
I went to work for a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on international health issues. While there, I observed people with really interesting jobs who also had law degrees. I decided law school was for me by looking at their non-traditional legal careers and the way they were applying legal thinking to advocacy efforts outside of a traditional courtroom legal advocacy role. The University of Texas at Austin offered me a spot as an in-state student and I came running back to Texas. It was a no-brainer. You cannot beat Texas Law in terms of the education, prestige, and value.
You cannot beat Texas Law in terms of the education, prestige, and value.
What was law school like for you, coming in with a non-traditional career in mind?
I was interested in taking courses on topics that were international and varied, things like redistricting, a class on NAFTA. As an undergrad, I didn’t study abroad since I finished college in three years. So when I arrived at Texas Law, I went straight to the study abroad office and said, “How do I map a course load and curriculum that gives me the ability to study abroad, preferably for a full year?” I spent my 3L year studying abroad, getting an LL.M. in International Criminal Justice and Armed Conflict Law from the University of Nottingham in England. It was a unique experience to be in a more industrial, traditional British city than London.
What law courses have proven most influential over the course of your career?
Two courses really stood out. One was a federal income tax class. Since I ended up advising and working in tax policy in Congress, that was really helpful. Another was a redistricting class, which I found absolutely fascinating. This was 1999 to 2000 when Texas was preparing to go through redistricting. The course equipped me to contribute to the Texas Legislative Council’s redistricting manual, which was provided to lawmakers in advance of new redistricting laws. It was nice to learn from a practitioner and then use that knowledge immediately to contribute to policy.
In England, I studied the laws of armed conflict. It’s a practice area I would have gone into, but I failed miserably at understanding a core requirement: to be bilingual in legal French. I needed to be more than proficient in French, not just be able to order a baguette and a latte. This was a very early and important failure in my career that obviously has turned out fine. I tell law students and young people all the time—you figure it out, and sometimes things turn out even better. I’ve had a very fulfilling and exciting career.
After working at a firm right out of law school, then in Congress, how did you make the leap into the space industry?
Space was one of the policy issues I was involved in after Congresswoman Gabby Giffords became chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee for Space. One of the great joys of working for her was going to Florida to watch her husband, Cmdr. Mark Kelly, now Sen. Kelly, launch on the shuttle to the space station. When astronauts are coming and going from your office, it’s inspirational. NASA and space exploration are uplifting topics, ones that tend to bring people together. Later, when I was at the OMB and the president’s budget in fiscal year 2010 proposed a major change to NASA’s budget, I was pulled in to trying to address lawmakers’ concerns. That experience got me engaging a lot more with the space community in Washington.
For the uninitiated, what exactly is “space law”?
It’s the set of international treaties and domestic regulations that govern human activities in space. Internationally, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty provides a framework for how countries conduct themselves and their nationals in space. Domestically, U.S. space law regulates commercial activities like space-based telecommunications, remote sensing, and launch and reentry. Emerging “novel space activities”—like commercial habitats, space laboratories, asteroid mining, and refueling depots—are increasingly under discussion for new regulations, likely overseen by the Department of Commerce. There are actually lots of lawyers at space-related companies who don’t spend their day-to-day thinking about space activity itself. Instead, they focus on facilities, employees, investors, and corporate governance. So, I like to remind people interested in working in the space industry that you don’t have to be a space lawyer to be part of a space company. Also, there’s no real case law. This is not an area of the law that’s been fully developed and litigated. I actually enjoy that unknown, that we’ve got to figure it out as we go. It allows for innovation and creativity and requires a lot of open-mindedness.
Your work often involves solving problems that take years to tackle. Which long-term wins are you especially proud of?
Earlier in my career, I was tasked with figuring out how to incentivize people to buy electric cars. This was back when we had a tax incentive for hybrid vehicles, but not electric plug-ins. It was fun to work with industry and experts to come up with a structure that gave a bigger incentive to vehicles with a longer battery range. The plug-in electric tax credit went into effect in 2008 and has evolved since.
Then, at SpaceX, I came to understand how space launch regulations were limiting innovation in rocket technology. When we launched and landed the Falcon 9, the rules weren’t built for rockets that could come back and land safely, so we had to work with regulators to figure out how to do it safely and legally. We worked with the Federal Aviation Administration, and even competitors, to address safety and build consensus for regulatory reform. It was a long, ongoing effort, but it’s a great example of making the law work better for new technologies, with major updates first going into effect in 2020 and still evolving today.
I love that I get to work with technologists, innovators, and incredible scientists and engineers who are thinking really big, for whom the sky is truly not the limit.
You launched your practice in 2023. What kind of work now fills your days?
My clients are companies building out space activities. Those companies—and their investors—want to know, “Who do we have to ask for permission or approval to conduct our activities? What licensing and permitting authorities apply?” I love that I get to work with technologists, innovators, and incredible scientists and engineers who are thinking really big, for whom the sky is truly not the limit. One company I work with, Vast, is building a replacement for the space station to host international astronauts. Another, AstroForge, is developing sophisticated laser mining capabilities to extract platinum class minerals from asteroids, the idea being that supply chain gets us out of reliance on countries we don’t want to be reliant on. My job is to figure out how the law isn’t the limit for them, so they can achieve amazing missions and technological breakthroughs that can significantly benefit the U.S., and in some cases, humanity. Space technologies have already made a real difference in people’s lives—whether through more efficient fuels and aviation, space-based remote sensing that helps track crop growth, or, critically, tools for national security and humanitarian response, like the satellite images captured of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border.
Do you ever picture yourself actually going to space?
I really, really, really want to. With the cost running into the tens of millions of dollars to fly on SpaceX’s Dragon, I’d say it’s unlikely anytime soon. But in 20 years, it might be more achievable. I’m staying tuned very closely.
What advice would you give today’s law students?
Taking a non-traditional path can be very rewarding, as can starting at a law firm and ending up as a partner. It’s really about figuring out what works for each person. Also, failure can be your friend.
How do you like to unwind when you’re off the clock?
I finally ran my first marathon, the New York City Marathon. I like to travel, hike, kayak, scuba dive, be in the backcountry, and climb mountains. Really, until I get the opportunity to go to space, my hobby is exploring as much of Earth as possible.