Chris Tindal started his federal civil service career in 1988 at Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) in Charleston, South Carolina working in Facilities Management, Operations, and Energy Management. Early in his job as the Utilities and Energy Management Division Director, Chris created, developed and led the innovative Utilities and Energy Cost Saver Tiger Team. This program helped save the Navy over $10 million in energy reductions. He moved up to NAVFAC Headquarters in Washington, DC in 2006 to work in the Department of Navy’s Energy Program as the Energy Operations Director.
In 2008, Chris became the Director for Operational Energy working for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy. In this position, Chris was in charge of setting energy policy and direction for the Department of the Navy and promoting the adoption of alternative fuels and renewable energy resources. Additionally, he developed intergovernmental, international, and industry relationships throughout the energy field. He was the Navy leader of the pioneering U.S. Department of Agriculture/ U.S. Department of Energy/ U.S. Navy Alternative Fuels Initiative which developed programs to launch the advanced biofuels industry.
In his role, Chris led the Great Green Fleet effort, overseeing the planning and logistics. Through his strong coordination with the Defense Logistics Agency-Energy, the U.S. Navy acquired and used 77 million gallons of F-76 alternative fuel blend for their ships in the Great Green Fleet deployment in 2016.
Chris has deep-seated international connections and has engaged with numerous foreign navies to discuss interoperability concerns with alternative fuel use by the U.S. Navy in the future. These engagements included Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Spain, Chile, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Norway, Germany, Mexico, Columbia, Turkey, Denmark, Argentina, Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Brunei.
He has had the honor to be named in the peer-selected competition for the “Top 100 People in the Bioeconomy” Awards by the Biofuels Digest from 2013 through 2017.
Chris Tindal was a Navy man for over 40 years. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and served on Active Duty on two ships in Charleston, South Carolina. He retired as a Captain in the Navy Reserves in 2010. Chris is a Professional Engineer and a Certified Energy Manager. Originally from Alabama, Chris currently lives in South Carolina.
If you would like to meet with him, contact Ginger Sigmon. Learn more
Originally published at energy.nd.edu.