Vice President of Budget & Finance - Dr. Fritz Stahr

Dr. Fritz Stahr is the Chief Technology Officer at Open Ocean Robotics in Victoria, BC, where he focuses on moving the company’s uncrewed surface vehicles to the next level of ability to observe the ocean. Prior to that he was Vice President and CTO at MRV Systems in Seattle, a leading manufacturer of underwater robotics for academic and defense customers. In 2005, he established the Seaglider® Fabrication Center (SFC) at the University of Washington’s School of Oceanography and directed it through 2018 providing buoyancy-driven 1000m-rated underwater gliders to customers worldwide, including the U.S. Navy. While there, he helped develop and manufacture the 6000m-rated Deepglider™ and his ongoing efforts at UW include teaching courses in the School of Oceanography’s Ocean Technology program as an Affiliate Professor.

Dr. Stahr also volunteers for various education and outreach programs such as the MATE Remote Operated Vehicle Competition and the National Ocean Science Bowl, joined the Marine Technology Society in 1998 and chaired the OCEANS-2019 Seattle conference. In 2000 he co-founded Ocean Inquiry Project, a non-profit dedicated to teaching marine science through on-the-water experience while conducting research in Puget Sound. He earned a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the UW in 1998 following ten years at instrument companies in California after receiving his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. 

Indicate one or two key goals that you hope to accomplish in this position over the next 3 years:
During the course of my term in office I hope to bring all of the society's new functions, such as the MATE program, into view for members to understand the impact those have on overall financial health of the society. I also hope to provide the board with a perspective from the small enterprise standpoint as an active member of a small ocean tech business. These will both be accomplished with focused communications about overall financial status as it pertains to members and leaders. 

Discuss the qualities and experience you possess that make you a strong candidate for the position for which you are running:
Throughout my career I've managed groups and budgets in a multitude of situations and organizational types from for-profit companies, non-profits, and academic institutions. As always, good general accounting principles are key for accurate and timely reporting and guidance to all parties. Additionally, I've been involved at the MTS Section leadership level, OCEANS conference leadership, and in the MATE student ROV program leadership for almost 20 years, so I understand a wide range of MTS activities and audiences as well as the finances that make those work.