Leading with Integrity.
Delivering with Impact.
Meet the team behind the nation’s most trusted R&D collaborations.
Chris Van Metre
Board Chair
Chris Van Metre is the Chair of the Board of Directors of Advanced Technology International (ATI).
Chris was born in Philadelphia, PA, the son of a career naval officer. He moved frequently with his family during his childhood starting school in Charleston, SC, and ultimately graduating from high school in Virginia Beach, VA. After high school, Chris attended the University of Notre Dame on a Naval ROTC scholarship and majored in Aerospace Engineering. After graduation, he was commissioned an Ensign in the U. S. Navy and immediately began nuclear power and initial submarine training. He completed a 20-year Navy career that included four submarine assignments, including command of a fast attack submarine, as well as a variety of shore assignments focused on training and education.
After retiring from the Navy, Chris returned to the Lowcountry and joined the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) in North Charleston, SC. Originally hired by ATI as a project manager in May 2005, Chris soon transitioned into a Business Development role, responsible for growing ATI’s market reach and business portfolio.
In April 2012, he became the third President and CEO of the renamed Advanced Technology International (ATI). In this role, he oversaw the strategic direction of ATI, which has grown to become the largest collaboration management services company in the US. ATI’s mission is supports federal government agencies, industry, and universities in the collaborative execution of the nation’s most innovative research initiatives. ATI leads R&D collaborations that cover a broad array of technology domains including armaments, biotechnology, energy, aviation technologies, advanced materials, shipbuilding, and ship repair. Building multi-disciplinary teams from the private sector (Fortune 500 companies to small businesses), federal agencies and universities to deliver prototype technologies is a prominent feature of these programs.
Chris led the 2023 spin-out of ATI into an independent not for profit. As CEO, Chris led the growth of ATI’s research management portfolio from annual revenues of $150 million to more than $4 billion, with ATI repeatedly recognized as a South Carolina Best Places to Work.He retired as CEO in 2024 and was named as Board Chair later that year.
Chris is active in the local community, serving on the National Medal of Honor Center for Leadership Board, as the Director of Officials for SC High School League Swimming and as a professional mentor for local young professionals. Chris and his wife, Rose are the incredibly proud parents of three children: Brian, a Navy Lieutenant Commander currently serving at the Pentagon (N96); Ashleigh, a Navy Lieutenant Commander physician (OB/GYN) at the Medical University of South Carolina and Regan, a surgery resident physician at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. They are also serial dog rescuers and currently the parents of a rescue Great Dane and a Golden Retriever.
