The Honorable Donald C. Fraser, Ph.D.
After spending almost 30 years at the Draper Laboratory, culminating in his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Fraser served in the Bush administration as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition. Dr. Fraser was the Founder of the Photonics Center at Boston University and served as its Director for 12 years until his retirement in 2006.
Dr. Fraser was the Founder of the Photonics Center at Boston University and served as its Director for 12 years until his retirement in 2006. He created the Center to find and accelerate companies which exploit the technology of light. The founders and ideas could come from anywhere in the world. The Center provided for all initial needs of these companies, including space, laboratories and equipment, business and technical expertise, and access to investment capital. After completing construction of an $80 million laboratory building Dr. Fraser and his team helped found 18 companies which attracted a quarter billion dollars in investment capital.
Before joining Boston University, Dr. Fraser served in the Bush administration as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition. In this Senate-confirmed position he was the number two acquisition official managing the entire Department of Defense acquisition process, including setting policy and executing programs. This represented an annual budget of approximately $100 billion, over 12 million annual procurement actions, several hundred thousand people, and six defense agencies.
Prior to his government service Dr. Fraser spent almost 30 years at the Draper Laboratory in positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. The Laboratory designed and developed, through first flight systems, the nation's most advanced guidance and control systems. These include the Trident and MX guidance systems, and the Apollo guidance, navigation, and control system. During most of this period Dr. Fraser also served on the faculty of MIT. Early in his tenure at MIT he led the Apollo control system design team.
Dr. Fraser is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering, an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Orville Wright was the first to receive this honor), and a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society. He is a recipient of the Navy League Gold Medal for Technology, the NASA Public Service Medal and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award accorded to civilians by the Department of Defense. He is the Founder of AIAA’s Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics and served as its Editor in Chief for 13 years. He is an active pilot, having logged over 4500 hours as pilot in command. He is a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight, which provides air transportation to needy patients.