Anthony J. Tether (born ca. 1941) served as Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (
DARPA
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military.
Originally known as the Ad ...
) from June 18, 2001, until February 20, 2009. As Director, Dr. Tether was responsible for management of the Agency's projects for high-payoff, innovative research and development. In 2020, he became a consultant with MISTRAS Group, USA.
Early life
Dr. Tether received his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1964, and his Master of Science (1965) and Ph.D. (1969) in Electrical Engineering from
Stanford University.
Career
In 2009, Dr. Tether re-formed The Sequoia Group, which serves government and industrial clients. The Sequoia Group provides program management and strategy development services to government and industry. Dr. Tether is on several Advisory and Corporate Boards, and is a Distinguished Fellow with the Council on Competitiveness located in Washington DC. He is also on the fund management team for Ellington Healthcare Partners, which invests in start-up and early stage companies with unique therapeutic products and devices; other fund managers include former Governor
Tommy Thompson
Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American Republican politician who most recently served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served a ...
.
From 1996 to 2001, Dr. Tether held the position of CEO and President of The Sequoia Group, which he founded in 1996. From 1994 to 1996, Dr. Tether served as CEO for Dynamics Technology Inc. From 1992 to 1994, he was vice president at
Science Applications International Corporation
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Inc. is an American technology company headquartered in Reston, Virginia that provides government services and information technology support.
History
The original SAIC was created in 19 ...
's (SAIC) Advanced Technology Sector, and then Vice President and General Manager for Range Systems at SAIC. Prior to this, he spent six years as vice president for Technology and Advanced Development at
Ford Aerospace
Ford Aerospace was the aerospace and defense division of Ford Motor Company. It was based in Dearborn, Michigan and was active from 1956 (originally as Philco and then Philco Ford) through 1990, when it was sold to the Loral Corporation. Major ...
, which was acquired by
Loral Corporation
Loral Corporation was a defense contractor founded in 1948 in New York by William Lorenz and Leon Alpert as Loral Electronics Corporation. The company's name was taken from the first letters of each founder's surname.
History
Loral Corporation or ...
during that period.
He has held other positions in the Defense Department, serving as director of DARPA's Strategic Technology Office from 1982 to 1986, and as Director National Intelligence in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1978 to 1982. He served as Vice President of Systems Control Inc., a company he helped start after receiving his Ph.D., where he applied stochastic estimation and control theory to military and commercial problems with concentration on development of algorithms to perform real-time resource allocation and control.
Dr. Tether has served on the Army, Navy and Defense Science Boards, and on the
Office of National Drug Control Policy Research and Development Committee. He is a Life Fellow of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and is listed in several Who's Who publications.
Dr. Tether is notable for initiating the series of
DARPA Grand Challenge
The DARPA Grand Challenge is a prize competition for American autonomous vehicles, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the most prominent research organization of the United States Department of Defense. Congress has authoriz ...
s which marked the resurgence of research in autonomous vehicles. As of September 8, 2009, Tether is a member of the SSCI Scientific Advisory Board.
Awards
In 1986, Director Central Intelligence Bill Casey honored him with the National Intelligence Medal and Secretary of Defense
Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Willard Weinberger (August 18, 1917 – March 28, 2006) was an American statesman and businessman. As a prominent Republican, he served in a variety of state and federal positions for three decades, including chairman of the Californ ...
with the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
Civilian Meritorious Service Medal respectively. In 2008, he received the founders award from Council of Competitiveness. In 2009, Secretary of Defense Gates honored him with the Department of Defense Outstanding Public Service Medal. In 2013, AIAA awarded him the Aerospace Communications Award for aerospace communication contributions.
References
External links
Interview with Noah Shachtman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tether, Tony
1942 births
21st-century American engineers
DARPA directors
Living people
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni
Stanford University alumni
United States Department of Defense officials