Ray Smith

Biography

Widely regarded as one of the Navy`s most inspirational leaders, Rear Admiral Ray Smith has spoken extensively on his leadership experiences to a wide range of audiences including corporate, political, military, and civic leaders.

A Navy SEAL for 31 years, Admiral Ray Smith achieved extraordinary success through focused, participatory leadership. During his four-year tenure as Commander of the 2300-men SEAL force, Admiral Smith raised personnel retention to a level three times the Navy average. As a Navy Captain, Ray Smith led the Navy SEALs in Operation Desert Storm, conducting over 200 operations of strategic significance while incurring no casualties. Earlier in his career, Admiral Smith directed Navy SEAL training, generally considered to be the most challenging military training in the world. While in this position, Admiral Smith achieved the highest graduation rate in the 50-year history of the course.

Admiral Ray Smith has been recognized in Newsweek, Fortune, Reader`s Digest, and on the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and CBS This Morning. He published two highly successful Navy SEAL manuals, one on nutrition and one on fitness. Ray Smith was awarded the California Distinguished Service Award while a member of the Governor`s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Admiral Ray Smith holds a Master of Science degree in Physical Oceanography from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

Admiral Smith was responsible for developing the Navy`s first capability-based assessment process. He led 100 systems analysts in providing service-level recommendations directly to the Chief of Naval Operations. Incorporating computer modeling and risk assessment, Admiral Smith provided Navy leadership with $36 billion in analysis-based savings over a six-year period.

Admiral Smith successfully completed the 350-mile Beast of the East Adventure Race in 1998 and 1999, finishing with his three Navy SEAL teammates in 9th place out of 34 teams.