Rick Williams is a multi-disciplinary engineer and career mariner. He works as a systems engineering practitioner and academic, with an adjunct graduate faculty appointments at Portland State University (PSU). He is a Senior Fellow, in the Center for Public Service of the Hatfield School of Government researching resilience, and a doctoral student in the Public Affairs and Policy Ph.D. Program focused on resilience governance. Rick is a retired Navy Captain, a Fellow Emeritus of The Explorers Club, and a Fellow of the Marine Technology Society. Fun facts: dove to 20,000 feet (and back) in command of Deep Submergence Vehicle SEA CLIFF, made two North Pole Expeditions in command of the nuclear fast attack submarine SPADEFISH, and volunteered on Mt Hood Ski Patrol for 14 years.
Rick is an experienced general manager with over 42 years of experience in public, private, and not-for-profit sectors in energy operations and program management. He is Founder and Principal of Oregon Applied Research, LLC. His certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and New Product Development Professional (NPDP). He worked at the global Fortune 500 research and engineering firms of Science Applications International (SAIC) and Leidos Corporation in the Maritime Technologies Division for 15 years as Director of the Columbia Region.
Captain Williams served on active duty for over 25 years as a salvage officer, mixed gas hardhat diver, aquanaut, hydronaut, submariner, and defense acquisition professional. Assignments included: command of Deep Submergence Vehicle SEA CLIFF during shipyard conversion, deep ocean recoveries, and the 20,000 ft Dive Expedition to the bottom of Middle America Trench; Commanding Officer of the nuclear attack submarine USS SPADEFISH during two North Pole Expeditions. He then served as Director of Command and Control for U.S. Third Fleet where he developed the Joint Command Ship of the Future (JCC-X), led the development of the Civil-Military Concept of Operations, and created the Sea Based Battle Laboratory to accelerate innovative technologies into the Fleet. As Deputy Director for Advanced Concepts, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, he created the Operational Experimentation Program Office and was assigned additional duty as the Navy Operational Integration Liaison at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Industry and Government Experience:
- Founder and Principal, Oregon Applied Research, LLC, 2017-present
- Chief Technologist, Monterey Technologies, Inc., 2018-2022
- President and Board Chair, International Subsea Solutions, 2015-2018
- Director, Columbia Region, Senior Program Manager, SAIC-Leidos Corporation 2003-2018
- Manufacturing Technologies Program Manager, Enterprise Architect, and Member of the Advanced Development Team, Tektronix Inc. 2000-2003
- Captain, U.S. Navy, active duty 1975 to 2000