Dr. Frederick A. Tarantino

USRA CEO & President

Frederick A. (Fred) Tarantino is President and CEO of Universities Space Research Association (USRA). In this capacity, Fred manages an array of research activities and programs that together span the breadth of disciplines in space research and related technologies: astronomy and astrophysics, life sciences, earth sciences, microgravity, computer sciences, space technology, advanced concepts, and space nuclear power. USRA’s Houston facility houses the Lunar and Planetary Institute, the Division of Space Life Sciences, and a suite of regional and national educational programs. All USRA programs have a strong connection to university research, and the organizations 102 research university members.

Fred joined USRA in 2006 from Burns and Roe, a global engineering, construction and operations management company where he directed all Department of Energy and Commercial Nuclear Power operations. He previously served as the Principal Associate Director for Nuclear Weapons Programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory, with overall responsibility for all aspects of the Laboratory’s science based weapons stewardship program.

Prior to joining Los Alamos, Fred was a Principal Vice President of Bechtel National, Inc., the government contracting arm of Bechtel Group. He joined Bechtel in 1996 as a project manager, and performed both operations and business development assignments. Fred led the successful Bechtel business development effort to win award of the $750M Aberdeen Chemical Weapons Disposal Facility. From 1999 to 2001, he was Bechtel’s space and defense operations manager, providing services to commercial space customers, NASA and the Department of Defense on a variety of projects in the U.S. and in Europe, South America and Asia. From 2001 to 2004, he served as President of Bechtel Nevada, the 2,900 persons, $460M annual revenue management and operations contractor for the DOE/NNSA’s Nevada Operations Office.

While on active duty with the U.S. Army, Fred served on a number of space, arms control and missile defense interagency teams and international delegations, including discussions with Russia on anti-ballistic missile treaty modifications and Nunn-Lugar program negotiations to reduce the risks from Russian nuclear capabilities. An infantry officer by training, Fred commanded rifle units overseas and in the U.S. In 1992, while at the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, Fred led a Department of Defense mission to Russia to procure over 100 tons of advanced Soviet space hardware; then operated a special test facility for it in the United States. He served as defense liaison to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 1992-1995. Fred’s last active duty assignment was Chief, Air and Missile Defense Branch in the Office of the Secretary of the Army.

In addition to his distinguished management career, he is a graduate of the Wharton Business School’s Advanced Management Program and a member of both the National Scientific and Engineering Honor Societies.