Dr. Alton D. Romig, Jr. is the Executive Officer of the National Academy of Engineering. Under Congressional charter, the Academy provides advice to the federal government, when requested, on matters of engineering and technology. As executive officer, Dr. Romig is the chief operating officer responsible for the program, financial, and membership operations of the Academy, reporting to the NAE President.
He was previously Vice President and General Manager of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company Advanced Development Programs, better known as the Skunk Works®. He spent the majority of his career at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), operated by the Lockheed Martin Corporation, having joined SNL as a member of the technical staff in 1979 and moved through a succession of R&D management positions leading to his appointment as Executive Vice President in 2005. He served as Deputy Laboratories Director and Chief Operating Officer until 2010, when he transferred to the Skunk Works.
Dr. Romig serves or has served on a number of Advisory Committees including those at the University of Washington, MIT, Ohio State, Purdue, Georgia Tech, the Colorado School of Mines, and Sandia National Laboratories. He is also visiting Associate of Applied Physics and Materials Science at Cal Tech. Dr. Romig is a member of the Board of Directors of Football Research, Inc., a non-profit entity created and supported by the National Football League to review engineering technology to improve the safety of the sport. From 2003 to 2008, he served on the Board of AWE, Aldermaston, UK and chaired the Program committee.
Dr. Romig is a Fellow TMS, IEEE, AIAA, and AAAS. He is also a Fellow and Honorary Member of ASM International. Dr. Romig was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2003 and the Council of Foreign Relations in 2008. He was awarded the ASM Silver Medal for Materials Research in 1988. Dr. Romig graduated from Lehigh University in 1975 with a BS in Materials Science and Engineering. He received his MS and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Lehigh University in 1977 and 1979, respectively.
