Law School Alum Undertakes Pioneering Pursuits in Space

In 2024, Alina Nassar Jorge (LLM ’02) delivered a keynote speech at the 10th annual Space Traffic Management Conference, hosted by her alma mater, The University of Texas at Austin. Topics of the prestigious aerospace conference centered on security, safety and sustainability in space.   

For Nassar, this was more than just a professional milestone. It was a deeply personal return to the academic institution that helped shape her career in international law and aerospace. Nassar, now a well-known lawyer in Costa Rica, spoke about an issue close to her heart: the opportunities available to emerging nations in the growing sector of space.  

“I had the pleasure to be back at UT, speaking at a conference on space, and that was amazing,” Nassar said. “I hadn't been back to UT in a long time, and to be there as one of the keynote speakers at [such] a relevant conference was really an honor and something I treasure.”   

Nassar’s presence at the conference was a testament to her extraordinary career, which she’s built on savvy expertise and committed advocacy in the sectors of aviation law and aerospace.   

In Professional Orbit 

Nassar's accomplishments are extensive not only because of her deep legal competence but also her ability to approach the multifaceted issues facing aviation, antitrust and space law in informed and innovative ways. Strategic thinking and leadership capabilities have positioned her as an influential voice in the global space law community.  

“I'm happy to say that 100 percent of my work is either in aerospace or a combination of aviation, antitrust and space,” she said. “I've done a lot of work in competition matters for the aviation and airline industry, which is, for me, very fulfilling.” 

A partner at Nassar Abogados Centroamerica, a law firm with offices across Central America, Nassar leads the firm’s aviation and space practice. The role reflects her far-reaching work in advising international airlines, multinational corporations and government agencies on a range of legal issues in aviation and space, from regulatory challenges to corporate competition concerns.  

“It's quite diverse. No day is the same, which is what I love about the industry,” she added. “It’s very dynamic. One day you have a regulatory issue; the next day you have an antitrust issue; and another day you have an environmental issue that is impacting the operators in the industry.”  

Co-chairing the firm’s competition practice, Nassar coordinates legal initiatives for clients across multiple jurisdictions such as Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. This international scope allows her to navigate complex regulatory environments and stay at the forefront of efforts to grow the aerospace sector in developing regions, including her home country.  

Nassar champions the development of the aerospace sector in Central America, and Costa Rica in particular. She has helped shape policies that promote foreign investment and innovation in the region, working to bring more opportunities and higher-paying jobs to Costa Rica and nearby developing nations. 

Continuing Education, Constant Elevation 

Nassar’s professional journey began with earning an undergraduate law degree at Universidad de Costa Rica. Subsequent academic experiences at UT Austin further shaped her intellectual and professional trajectories while she pursued a Master of Laws (LLM) degree.  

While on the Forty Acres, she studied with the late Professor Lino Graglia, an esteemed antitrust law scholar known for his rigorous approach to legal reasoning. Nassar’s thesis, covering the intersection of antitrust law and aviation, explored computer reservation systems and the issues that arose from their widespread use in the airline industry.   

“I think a lot of Professor Graglia. He had a reputation of being a tough professor, but I treasure and still remember his lessons,” recalled Nassar. “He was very determined to make us think outside the box, reasoning and justifying what our thoughts were. It didn't matter if you were right or wrong, only that you could defend a position and the reasoning that you presented.”  

Nassar credits her education at UT with preparing her to negotiate the complexities of the global legal landscape, particularly in the fields of antitrust law. The foundation she built at UT has enabled her to excel in a diverse and dynamic career, and that knowledge continues to shape her approach to legal challenges and opportunities.  

Leadership and Lifelong Learning 

Throughout her career, Nassar has continually sought to build upon her education and leadership skills. This commitment to lifelong learning is a hallmark of her professional journey, as are the mounting achievements that result from it.   

Several years into Nassar’s membership in the International Aerospace Women's Association (IAWA), she was asked to assume the presidency of the organization in 2018-2019. This heightened responsibility prompted her to seek executive education in the Advanced Management and Leadership Programme in the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.   

“Given my role at that time in IAWA and the role I was also holding at the law firm, I decided to pursue further executive education in areas of leadership and management,” said Nassar. “That particular course was very helpful in my development as a leader and in taking over the presidency of IAWA.”  

Equally intentional was her subsequent decision to pursue a Master of Science in space policy, law and business at the renowned university KU Leuven in Belgium. Nassar realized that although an understanding of international treaties on space law came easily to her, she would need to expand her knowledge beyond the legal frameworks.   

“It turned out to be very useful in my application of space law on a daily basis.” she said. “Now I see, when I sit with a client and talk about their space operations, it really helps my understanding of how things work — not only the legal aspects but also the scientific.”    

This educational experience proved invaluable, informing Nassar about aspects of aerospace that were new to her, such as the intricacies of space missions and the science behind rocket launches, as well as the complex business dynamics of global space agencies.  

“It's a very particular way of doing business because you are dealing with the big space agencies,” said Nassar. “To send something to space, you have to deal with NASA or ESA or the Japanese or the Chinese or the Russian space agencies. So that aspect was of a lot of interest to me.” 

Bringing Aviation Down to Earth  

Another of Nassar’s profound professional contributions has been her commitment to working with IAWA to foster greater opportunities for women working in the aerospace industry.   

“This organization works for better positioning of women in the aviation sector at C-level and other positions,” said Nassar. “It grants scholarships for students interested in aviation at different universities in the United States and across the world, and provides a platform for women's development in the aerospace industry.”   

IAWA also offers mentoring opportunities, networking events and resources to provide an international platform for women's development in aerospace.     

“I have two daughters; it’s my most important job. And as a working mother in the field, I have a particular interest in making sure that opportunities are available for professional development,” said Nassar.   

Nassar described a groundbreaking step the organization undertook in 2018 during her presidency: an industry-wide study examining the growth of women’s representation in the sector.   

“We put together a study with Korn Ferry, the consulting firm, and other relevant stakeholders in global aviation and aerospace ... to understand what were the accelerators of women's growth in the industry, as well as the inhibitors of that growth,” said Nassar.     

The report helped illuminate the barriers women face in advancing to executive roles, also determining key strategies for improvement across the sector.  

“One of the issues that we identified ... in the aerospace industry was the lack of visibility of role models: women who are in executive positions in aviation,” said Nassar. “[That] emerged as one of the main inhibitors of women's growth in this specific industry.”  

Nassar’s work in these areas continues through written works and speaking engagements. She has recently contributed chapters to books, including one on gender equality in leadership and an upcoming one on space law in Latin America, in which she used Costa Rica as a model for space industry development in emerging nations.   

Staying Connected, Moving Forward 

Amid her global success, Nassar remains linked to UT Austin. Through Texas Exes, the University’s alumni network, she stays informed about developments at UT. Ongoing access to the University’s resources, such as the UT library online, also have proven invaluable to her ongoing professional and academic research. This access allows Nassar to continue building on the intellectual foundation she formed years ago on the Forty Acres.   

“My education at UT helped me develop a different way of thinking,” she said. “It also challenged me in very different ways. I had always been a good student, but sometimes studying is not enough, so you have to develop other skills.”  

Among those skills is networking; Nassar also remains appreciative of the relationships she formed and communities she joined while studying at UT, many of which still enrich her life and career today.   

“I developed very good friends when I was at UT, whom I'm still connected with. I still work with my friends and colleagues who live in different parts of the world,” said Nassar. “More [important] than the position you hold are the people you meet. I think the value of my engagement in any project has been the people I’ve been able to meet and how much I have learned from them.”   

Nassar acknowledged the consequence of others opening doors for her throughout her career, as well as the importance of returning the favor and paying it forward. She similarly encourages current students to seize opportunities when they arise. While visiting UT for the conference in 2024, she spoke to a group of MBA and business students who were interested in engaging in space. Her advice to them boiled down to this:    

“Don't take anything for granted. When someone opens the door to offer you an opportunity, just take it! You don't know where it could take you from there.”