Executive Director, Regional Defense Partnership for the 21st Century (RDP-21)

Apr 11, 2024 7:15 AM

Gene Fisher

He serves as Executive Director for the Regional Defense Partnership for Ventura County in California, an organization of Community, Business, and elected officials to promote economic growth, support partnerships between commercial and military sectors, and provide support and lobbying for the local military bases and commands.

Gene R. Fisher ran his own consulting business, Gene Fisher Associates, until 2023 after retiring from the U.S. Government with 34 years of service in January 1997. He is respected throughout the Surface Navy and Contractor community for his engineering, organizational, and management skills. His expertise and advice is called upon continuously both in the Industry, DOD and educational community to head review and study groups, to act in advisory capacity, and provide expert advice on major management, program, quality and engineering issues.

He began his government career at the Naval Missile Center, Point Mugu, California in 1963, working in the early evaluation of the Airborne Tactical Data System. He also worked in Range Development at the Pacific Missile Range. Shortly after the establishment of the Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station, Port Hueneme in 1963, he was one of the people selected to work on improving surface-to-air tactical guided missile performance reliability.

Mr. Fisher is widely recognized in the missile and combat system industry and government community as being largely responsible for many innovations considered far ahead of their time in the design, manufacture and testing of the tactical AAW missile. Mr. Fisher was responsible for defining and implementing life cycle support concepts into many surface warfare Navy programs. He is often consulted by various companies and defense organizations for advice and audit of weapons programs. He served on a number of executive oversight panels on advanced versions of Standard Missile, AEGIS Combat System, tactical missile defense and most of the surface Navy systems deployed today.

From 1986 to 1997 he was Director of Engineering, where he led an organization of approximately 2400 engineers and other disciplines with an annual budget of more than $500 million. In this capacity, he was responsible for in-service engineering and test and evaluation performed by twelve weapons systems departments, including such systems as AEGIS, TERRIER, TARTAR, RAM, Standard Missile, NATO SEASPARROW, TAS, MK86 Gun Systems, TOMAHAWK, and CEC.

Mr. Fisher received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) at the University of Texas in 1963. He earned his MBA in Business Administration from Pepperdine University in 1973. He is also a graduated of the Federal Executive Institute. He is a member of Int'l Society of Logistics Engineers and American Society of Naval Engineers and ITEA, and Old Crows.