Anthony Tether

Anthony J. Tether (born ca. 1942) served as director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) from June 18, 2001, until February 20, 2009. As of September 8, 2009, Tether is a member of the SSCI Scientific Advisory Board. Scientific Systems Company, Inc. (SSCI) is a developer of technology solutions for defense and industrial suppliers.

Prior to his appointment, Tether held the position of CEO and president of The Sequoia Group, which he founded in 1996. The Sequoia Group provided program management and strategy development services to government and industry. From 1994-96, Tether served as CEO for Dynamics Technology Inc. From 1992-94, he was vice president at Science Applications International Corporation's (SAIC) Advanced Technology Sector, and then was vice president and general manager for Range Systems at SAIC.

Prior to this, he spent six years as Vice President for Technology and Advanced Development at Ford Aerospace, which was acquired by Loral Corporation during that period. He has held other positions in the Defense Department, serving as director of DARPA's Strategic Technology Office from 1982–86, and as director of the National Intelligence Office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1978-82. Prior to entering government service, he served as executive vice president of Systems Control Inc. from 1969–78, where he applied estimation and control theory to military and commercial problems, with particular concentration on algorithms used to perform real-time resource allocation and control.

Tether has served on both the Army Science Board and the Defense Science Board, and on the Office of National Drug Control Policy Research and Development Committee. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and is listed in several Who's Who publications. In 1986, he was honored with both the National Intelligence Medal and the Department of Defense Civilian Meritorious Service Medal.

Tether received his Bachelor's of Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1964, and his Master of Science (1965) and Ph.D. (1969) in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.