The Rear Admiral Peter C. Conrad Chair of Financial Management was instituted to provide a direct link between the students and faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management & Comptroller).  Graduate schools of business invite experienced executives to serve, on campus, in the capacity of “Executive in Residence.”  This executive becomes a resident expert, thinker and transmitter of corporate experience.  

Given his or her background, the individual knows the workings of the corporate machinery as well as the strategies and tactics, which make management function.  He or she reflects on that experience to assist both students and faculty through a variety of forums.  Similarly, it is highly beneficial to have an individual on the NPS faculty who has experienced the world of DoD financial management.  This recognizes that there are differences between the world of academia and the world of application, where personalities, organizational culture and policies play a different role.

A part of the Chair’s charter is managing the Conrad Scholar Program.  This is a program designed to identify the future leaders of the Department’s financial management community.  Top students are identified in the 4th quarter of their MBA (FM) curriculum as potential Conrad Scholars and cleared to complete their theses.  Their thesis topics are selected to address issues of importance to the Defense Department’s financial management community and are approved by the program sponsor, the Director of the Office of Budget (FMB).  The students brief their theses to FMB and other interested members of the OPNAV, HQMC and Secretariat staffs.  Additionally, they may be asked to write an essay for publication based on their theses.

If Conrad Scholars have their essays published, it provides excellent exposure for their research.  Numerous requests for copies of Conrad Scholar theses have resulted in extending the reach of their research and its value to the Department. 

Conrad Chair: Henry (Hank) Sanford