Technical Director, Naval Surface Warfare Center

Technical Director, Naval Surface Warfare Center

Biography

Stephen E Mitchell was appointed as the Technical Director (TD) of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in March 2007. He manages and directs seven NSWC Divisions across the United States, with approximately 14,000 employees.

He is responsible for ensuring that the Fleet, the Joint Forces, U.S. Allies, Program Managers and other customers receive systems engineered technical products supporting acquisition programs, as well as in-service and deployed systems. Underpinning these products are full-spectrum research, development, test, and evaluation capabilities that he stewards for today’s and tomorrow’s Navy. As TD, he oversees the safety and effectiveness of surface ship weapons, combat systems, ship and ship systems, and products that support the Global War on Terrorism.

Prior to this assignment, Mr. Mitchell served as the Product Area Director for Ordnance. In that position, he was responsible for Energetics and Ordnance programs and infrastructure for NAVSEA’s Warfare Centers. Prior to that position he served as Executive Director for NSWC’s Indian Head Division (IHDIV). The focus of his tenure as Executive Director was on building collaboration between the Navy laboratories in order to sustain the Navy’s core capability in the militarily unique area of Energetics, workforce development, and reengineering of business and technical processes to reduce costs and cycle times.

Mr. Mitchell’s began his Navy career in 1968 as a junior propellant chemist at IHDIV. He held senior technologist positions at Indian Head and at the U. S. Army Ballistics Research Laboratory with responsibility for gun propulsion research programs. Significant accomplishments included the development of a family of low vulnerability ammunition gun propellants, solventless propellants for use in gun propelling charges and cartridge actuated devices, and new propelling charges for several Navy gun systems.

Mr. Mitchell held numerous leadership roles at IHDIV, serving as Director of the divisions responsible for cartridge and propellant actuated devices research and development (R&D) programs, and the gun propulsion programs. He was also head of the Sea Weapons and Manufacturing Technology Departments. For seven years Mitchell held the position of IHDIV Chief Scientist and in 2001 was promoted to the Senior Scientific Technical Manager executive position as IHDIV’s Deputy Director for Technology. In this position, he had the responsibility for ensuring the high quality of the technical work at IHDIV. He managed the In-house Laboratory Independent Research and Technology Investment Programs, provided direction of the Science and Technology program, and coordinated scientific and engineering work among internal organizations and with other Navy laboratories.

Mr. Mitchell’s awards include the 2006 Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive, the Navy’s Superior and Meritorious Civilian Service Awards, the Dr. George W. Patterson Award for Technical Excellence, and the U. S. Army R&D Award. He also authored /coauthored 38 technical papers and reports.

Mr. Mitchell graduated from the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana with a Bachelor of Science Degree in chemistry.