Chris Van Metre 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, Van Metre 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, Van Metre 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, Van Metre 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 oversees the strategic direction of ATI, which has grown to become the largest collaboration management services company in the US. ATI’s mission is to lessen the burden of government by supporting federal government agencies, industry, and universities in the collaborative execution of our nation’s most innovative research initiatives. ATI leads R&D collaborations that cover a broad array of technology domains including armaments, biotechnology, electromagnetic spectrum, space 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.
Van Metre led the 2023 spin-out of ATI into an independent not for profit. As President and CEO, Van Metre has led the growth of ATI’s research management portfolio from annual revenues of $150 million to more than $3 billion, with ATI repeatedly recognized as a South Carolina Best Places to Work.
Van Metre is active in the local community, serving on the Lowcountry Heart Walk Executive Leadership team, as the Director of Officials for SC High School League Swimming and as a professional mentor for local young professionals. Van Metre and his wife, Rose are the incredibly proud parents of three children: Brian, a Navy Lieutenant Commander currently serving as a Department Head on USS MASON (DDG 87); Ashleigh, a Navy Lieutenant physician (OB/GYN) at Naval Hospital Okinawa and Regan, a 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 rescue Great Dane/Lab mix.
