Chris Root

Chris Root
'87 B.S. Aerospace Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Jul 1987 - Aug 2020: NAVAIR, Fleet Readiness Center Southwest
Oct 2020 - present: ES3 Inc., Business Development
Jan 2021 - present: CEO, AeroRoot21 LLC, DoD Sustainment Consultant

BIOGRAPHY

Chris recently retired after serving 33 years as a Department of Navy civilian engineer with Naval Air Systems Command’s Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW). He spent his first 20 years in a variety of positions with increasing responsibility supporting the fleet and depot production customers across a variety of airframes. Chris served as project leader for the Navy’s F-5, T-38, and F-16N Adversary Platforms; E-2/C-2 Airframes Team Leader; Fighter-Attack Strength Branch Head; and Structures Division Then in 2008, he founded the Advanced Technology and Innovation (ATI) team which engaged with industry, academia, and other federal agencies to identify, develop, and champion innovative, cost-effective solutions to meet the evolving needs of the Naval Aviation Enterprise. Leveraging opportunities with the DoD Small Business Innovative Research program, the ATI successfully transition numerous sustainment technologies to improve aircraft reliability and enhance maintenance processes. Chris also served as FRCSW’s first Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) after obtaining Navy Federal Lab status through the Office of Naval Research in 2011. In this role, he was responsible for Technical Transfer (T2) functions including: Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, Educational Partnership Agreements, Partnership Intermediary Agreements, and patent & licensing activity.

After civil service retirement, Chris stays busy working part-time with ES3 Inc., a San Diego based engineering firm providing specialized design, development, and fabrication of products for aerospace and other heavy industry sectors. He also formed his own consulting company, AeroRoot21, which focuses on sustainment technology for the DoD. He is currently working with several companies to transition emerging digital technologies; to include a solution for rapid 3D content creation for virtual and augmented reality training and work instructions; blockchain technology for supply chain management; and innovative additive manufacturing for maintenance repair and overhaul operations.

Chris remains active on the Advisory Boards with SDSU College of Engineering and Department of Aerospace Engineering. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and serves on the AIAA San Diego Section Council.