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David Rice

Manager at Newport News Shipbuilding, retired

David Rice currently serves as the part-time material science senior manager at Hepburn and Sons, LLC. He retired from Newport News Shipbuilding in 2019 after a 45-year career holding various leadership positions in advanced submarine design, advanced materials technology, aircraft carrier research and development, contracted research and development, and the industrial engineering division. He has been involved in material and fabrication research programs for more than 35 years.

Rice served as the ship design and material technologies major initiative team leader for the National Shipbuilding Research Program and was co-chair of Virginia’s Advanced Material Sector sub-committee, as well as chairing the U.S. Navy’s ManTech Composite Consortium executive steering committee.

Rice has also served on advisory boards for Jefferson National Laboratory, the Navy Metalworking Center and ASM International, of which he is a fellow. He is a 1977 graduate of the Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School, and he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech's Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 1983.