Christopher Watkins

Christopher R. Watkins is the chief mission engineering and integration officer (CMEIO) at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). As CMEIO, he develops deep connections across the Laboratory, to connect complementary technical work and research initiatives that could substantially advance or accelerate capability development. He also advocates for investments and improvements that APL can make to fast-track technology development, prototyping, and transition to fielded capabilities. Mr. Watkins was previously APL’s mission area executive for Sea Control. In that role, he was responsible for strategic planning, execution, and performance of multiple Department of War and Intelligence Community programs, managing $300 million in annual funding and 700 staff. He is the cochair of the Submarine Technology Symposium and serves on the advisory board for the National Defense Industrial Association’s Undersea Warfare Division. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Seminar XXI and Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in National and International Security programs. He earned a B.S. with distinction in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, both an M.S. in space systems engineering and an MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an M.S. in engineering management from Old Dominion University.