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About the Foundation
OVERVIEW | BOARD OF TRUSTEES | BOARD OF ADVISORS
Board of Trustees
Walter Kistler was born in Biel, Switzerland, in 1918, the third of
three children born to Hermann Kistler, a lawyer, and Marguerite Jeanneret,
a nurse. He studied sciences at the University of Geneva and earned
a master’s degree in physics from the Federal Institute of Technology
in Zurich.
In 1944, at age 26, Mr. Kistler went to work for the Swiss
Locomotive and Machine Works, Winterthur, and subsequently spent several
years as the head of its Instrumentation Lab. During this time, he
pioneered a new measurement technology using Piezo-electric quartz
crystals as the transduction element in accelerometers, load cells,
and pressure gauges. This new technology made possible his own invention
of a charge amplifier that could handle the very high impedance signals
obtained from such sensors. In 1980 he received the prestigious Albert
F. Sperry Award from the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society
(ISA) for these achievements.
In 1951 Mr. Kistler moved to the United States, where he joined Bell
Aircraft, Buffalo, NY. At Bell, he invented and developed a pulse constraint
servo-accelerometer that was later used in the guidance of the Agena
space rocket. For this work, he received the 1968 Aerospace Pioneer
Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
recognizing “his pioneering effort in the development
of high-performance aerospace instrumentation.”
Wishing to further
pursue his work in quartz instrumentation, Mr. Kistler inaugurated
in 1957 Kistler Instrument Corporation, which became a world leader
in the development of quartz sensors. One of the major innovations
under his supervision was the invention and development of the Piezotron,
a semiconductor module that made a high-impedance quartz sensor to
a low-impedance instrument. Several accelerometers of this type were
used in the Apollo manned spaceflight project. Through these inventions,
Kistler Instrument Corporation acquired a worldwide reputation.
Following
the sale of Kistler Instrument Corporation in 1970, Mr. Kistler moved
to Seattle, WA, and, with his partner, Charles Morse, founded Kistler-Morse
Corporation. In a development effort spanning several years, Kistler-Morse
created the new technology of bolt-on weighing, based on Kistler’s
invention of the Microcell, an extremely sensitive semiconductor strain
sensor. Mr. Kistler subsequently designed and developed a number of
additional instruments: load stands, load blocks, and load discs for
monitoring the contents of vessels through direct weighing. In 1982,
he was named an ISA Fellow for his contributions in the field of sensor
development. He also became a member of the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) committee that established standards for pressure
sensor testing.
Over the years, Mr. Kistler has played a key role in
the startup of several high-technology companies either as a Director
or as Chairman. These companies include Kistler Products, SRS, ICI,
Interpoint, Paroscientific, and SPACEHAB,
Inc. In 1993 he co-founded
Kistler Aerospace Corporation (Kirkland, WA) to pursue his lifelong
dream of designing and building a totally reusable space vehicle. The
company is developing the world’s first reusable launch vehicles
to reduce the cost of access to space by 80 to 90 percent. The reusable
system will be capable of launching Earth satellites into low Earth
orbit, medium Earth orbit, geosynchronous orbit, and even on escape
trajectories to the Moon and the planets.
In 1996, Mr. Kistler established
the Foundation For the Future, a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated
to the increase and diffusion of knowledge concerning the long-term
future of humanity.
Walter Kistler is a life member of the Swiss Physical Society and a
member of AIAA and ISA, which presented him the Life Achievement Award
in 2000. He is listed in American Men of Science, Who’s Who in Aviation, Who’s
Who in Finance and Industry, and Who’s Who in the World.
He is the owner of more than 50 US and foreign patents and the author
of a number of papers published in scientific and trade journals.
His book Reflections
on Life was published in 2003.
Bob Citron
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Bob Citron is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation
For the Future,
Bellevue, WA. To fulfill its mission to increase and diffuse knowledge
concerning the long-term future of humanity, the Foundation organizes
and hosts workshops, seminars, conferences, and symposia that bring
together scholars from all over the world for face-to-face discussions
on the future.
Mr. Citron worked for 20 years with the Smithsonian Institution, managing
international scientific programs. Beginning
in 1975, he founded several successful companies
involved in the fields of global communications, worldwide scientific field research,
publishing, and commercial space development. He is the co-founder
of Kistler Aerospace
Corporation,
a company that is developing the world’s first reusable rocket launch systems
that will place medium-class satellites into Earth orbit and provide logistic
support for the International Space Station.
SPACEHAB, Inc., a successful
public company founded by Mr. Citron in 1984, operates space research laboratories
aboard the Space Shuttle, allowing astronauts to undertake microgravity
and space systems research, and to provide logistic support for the International
Space Station. SPACEHAB
modules have been launched on the Space Shuttle 19 times during the
past 12 years, and NASA plans three additional SPACEHAB missions
in 2006 and 2007. EARTHWATCH,
an organization founded by Mr. Citron 30 years ago, has provided over
$60 million in grants to scientists to undertake field research with
members of the public. Today
EARTHWATCH operates more than 100 expeditions each year in all parts
of the world, undertaking scientific research to understand the human
impacts on our planet and how these impacts might affect the future
of the Earth.
Mr. Citron has won numerous national and international awards
for his outstanding leadership and organizational and management skills.
He is a two-time recipient of the Smithsonian Institution's Outstanding
Achievement Award for
his management of the Smithsonian Satellite Tracking Program and for
the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Short-Lived
Phenomena (http://www.volcano.si.edu/). He is a recipient of the National
Space Society's Space Pioneer Award for
his invention of the SPACEHAB laboratories and of the Haile
Selassie Gold Medal for his contributions to the people of Ethiopia. The latter award was presented to him personally by the Emperor of Ethiopia.
Mr. Citron
has published over 200 articles and lectured throughout the world on
subjects ranging from the evolution of human culture to
future prospects for humanity during the next thousand years. He
is a member of numerous professional organizations including the British
Interplanetary Society, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
National Space Society, Space Studies Institute, American
Astronautical Society, The Planetary Society, The Mars Society,
Space Exploration Alliance, Space Frontier Foundation, National
Space Society, United States Space Foundation, World Future
Society, and Union of Concerned Scientists.
Sesh Velamoor
Deputy Director, Programs
Sesh Velamoor, a native of Hyderabad, India, is the Director of Programs
at the Foundation For the Future. In this
capacity he organizes and moderates think tanks to discuss issues pertaining
to the long-term future of humanity, including global education. He
also routinely speaks and writes on various aspects of the long-term
future in local, national, and international journals and forums.
Mr. Velamoor previously held the position of President at Kistler-Morse
Corporation in Bothell, WA, a manufacturer of instrumentation.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, and
has master's degrees in industrial engineering and business administration.
Mr. Velamoor has more than 30 years' experience in management at top
levels of industrial corporations. During his career in business, he has published technical articles
in manufacturing journals and was active in speaking on a variety of
business topics, including excellence, material requirements planning,
total quality, empowerment, Japanese management, and cultural diversity
in the workplace. He has also taught university-level courses in marketing
research, operations research, and organizational development.
He has been listed in Who's Who in the Northwest and Who's Who in
the United States. He is active in community affairs and has served
as President of the India Association of Western Washington and Chairman
of the High-Tech Board of Bellevue Community College. He currently
serves as a Foundation Associate of the Pacific Science Center, Trustee
of the Kistler-Ritso Foundation, and member of the board of the Seattle
Snow Leopard Trust.
Donna Hines
Deputy Director, Administration
As Director of Administration at the Foundation For the Future, Ms. Hines oversees general administrative policy, accounting, personnel management, and office services. She supervises logistical details related to scheduling and hosting events, meeting planning, and travel and accommodations for Foundation officers as well as for participants who attend Foundation workshops, seminars, and symposia.
Ms. Hines was invited to be part of the Foundation For the Future at its inception in 1996. She was named Deputy Director in 1997 and Trustee in 2001. Prior to joining the Foundation, she held a variety of administrative posts over some 20 years, most recently at Kistler Aerospace Corporation, Kirkland, WA, a company dedicated to developing the first fully reusable aerospace vehicles. Previous positions included Assistant Director of the Academy of Performing Arts in Honolulu, HI; Travel Coordinator for a Seattle tour wholesaler that packaged tours to Easter Island, the Galapagos Islands, and the Paleolithic caves of France and Spain; and administrative posts in The Kelsh Company, which promoted Alaska as a tourist destination, and Mosquito Fleet Enterprises, a whale-watching company. She also worked in general administration for SPACEHAB, Inc., a leading provider of commercial space services.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico (UNM) in university studies, with emphases in psychology and sociology, and a teaching certificate for secondary education. During her college years, she was accepted into a UNM exchange program with the University of Massachusetts (UMass), where she won the approval of both UMass and UNM to take part in the writing and implementing of a unique off-campus program to investigate the academic and personal growth of students in independent study.
Milt Woods
Trustee
Mr. Woods has been active in the aerospace industry since 1960. He
has held senior engineering, marketing, and management positions for
Borg Warner Controls and Sundstrand Data Control. He is co-founder
of Integrated Circuits Inc. (Interpoint) and was a Director and Executive
Vice President of that company. Mr. Woods was a member of the Board
of Directors of Kistler-Morse Corporation from 1975 to 1995, and is
currently a consultant to small businesses.
Mr. Woods is also managing partner of Cornet Bay Marina Properties, a Northwest
development company.
Charles Murray
Trustee
Dr. Charles Murray, author and Bradley Fellow of the American
Enterprise Institute, was elected to the Foundation For the Future Board of Trustees
in 2006. He has often come to USA national attention for his books
and articles related to social science and social policy.
Born in Newton,
Iowa, Murray earned a bachelor’s degree in history
from Harvard and a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. He spent six years in Thailand, first as a
Peace Corps volunteer with the Village Health Program, then as a researcher.
From 1974 to 1981, he worked for the American Institutes for Research,
a private social science research organization, where he was ultimately
named Chief Scientist. He supervised evaluations in urban education,
welfare services, daycare, adolescent pregnancy, services for the elderly,
and criminal justice. From 1981 to 1990, he was a Fellow with the Manhattan
Institute, then became affiliated in 1990 with the American Enterprise
Institute for Public Policy Research, a private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit
institution founded in 1943 and dedicated to research and education
on issues of government, politics, economics, and social welfare.
Among
Dr. Murray’s books are Losing Ground: American
Social Policy 1950–1980, a controversial analysis of the reforms of the 1960s,
published in 1984; In Pursuit of Happiness and
Good Government, published
in 1988; and The Bell Curve: Intelligence and
Class Structure in American Life, co-written with Richard J. Herrnstein and published in 1994;
What It Means to Be a Libertarian: A Personal
Interpretation, published
in 1996, and, most recently, In Our Hands: A Plan
to Replace the Welfare State, published in 2006. He has also published numerous shorter pieces
in The New Republic, Commentary, The Public Interest,
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and The
Washington Post. He has been a frequent witness before congressional and senate
committees and a consultant to senior government officials of the United
States, Great Britain, Eastern Europe, and the OECD.
Murray has been
the subject of cover articles in Newsweek, The
New York Times Magazine,
and The Los Angeles Times Magazine, as well as of segments on television
programs such as 20/20, PrimeTime Live, 60 Minutes, and network news.
He has been a guest on Nightline, This Week with
David Brinkley, Meet the Press, The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, Firing
Line, Crossfire, Today,
and Good Morning America. Murray was named by National
Journal as one
of the 150 “People Who Make
a Difference” in national policy-making. When U.S.
News and World Report published a cover story on “The New American Establishment,” Murray
was chosen as one of 32 men and women who define the contemporary intellectual
debate on social policy, and Newsweek recently chose Murray as one
of a hundred Americans who lead their fields.
Sir Crispin Tickell
Trustee
Crispin Tickell, GCMG, KCVO, was elected to the Foundation For the Future Board of Trustees in 2007.
Tickell is the Director of the Policy Foresight Programme at the James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization at Oxford University, as well as Chairman of the Trustees of the St. Andrew’s Prize for the Environment and Advisor at Large to the President of Arizona State University. His main interests are in the field of the environment and international affairs.
Most of Tickell’s career has been in the Diplomatic Service. He was Chef de Cabinet to the President of the European Commission from 1977 to 1980, Ambassador to Mexico from 1981 to 1983, Permanent Secretary of the Overseas Development Administration from 1984 to 1987, and British Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1987 to 1990. Other past positions include Warden of Green College, Oxford; Chancellor of the University of Kent; President of the Royal Geographical Society; Chairman of the Board of the Climate Institute of Washington, DC; Convenor of the Government Panel on Sustainable Development; a Trustee of the Baring Foundation; Inaugural Senior Visiting Fellow at the Harvard University Center for the Environment; and Advisor-at-Large to the President of Arizona State University. Since 1992 he has been a member of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development.
Tickell was a member of two Government Task Forces: one on Urban Regeneration, the other on Potentially Hazardous Near Earth Objects. From 1999 to 2004, he was a member of the Oxford Commission on Sustainable Consumption, and from 1994 to 2000, he served on the Government Round Table on Sustainable Development. He was a part of the Committee for the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) from 1991 to 1994, and of the Working Group on the Use of Non-Human Primates in Research, 2005 to 2006. Since 2002, he has served on the Board of Overseers of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at the Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York. His interests range from business and charities to climate, pre-Colombian art, and the early history of the Earth.
Among many honours and distinctions Tickell has received are the GCMG (Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George) in 1988, KCVO (Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order) in 1983, and MVO (Member of the Royal Victorian Order) in 1958. He received the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2004, the Award for International Cooperation on Environmental Protection (Chinese State Environmental Protection Agency SEPA) in 2003, Distinguished Environmental Lecturer at Harvard University in 2001, Melchett Medallist of the Institute of Energy in 1996, and Global Environmental Leadership Award of the Climate Institute of Washington, DC, in 1996. Eight institutions have named him an Honorary Fellow and 24 honorary doctor degrees have been conferred upon him.
The Foundation For the Future welcomes Crispin Tickell to its Board of Trustees.
Copyright © 1996–2008 Foundation For the Future
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