Bill Sherrod

Associate Director, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University

Bill is the Associate Director of Hopkins Marine Station, where he is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of the station’s infrastructure and facility operations. He also guides government and community relations on its behalf.

Bill joined Stanford after serving as the principal of Trident Advisory Group, a consulting firm providing strategic guidance to technology startups, regional economic development organizations, and higher education institutions. An International Coaching
Federation-educated coach, he also serves as a Fellow at Ordinary Hero Coaching. He also serves on the Monterey County Military and Veteran Affairs Commission. Previously, Bill served for 29 years in the US Navy, where he led from the small unit to the enterprise level in roles of increasing responsibility across maritime, aviation, special operations, installation management, and higher education administration. His operational experience spans from blue-water small-boat operations to Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier operations. It also includes nearly 2,000 hours of flying the SH-60B Seahawk multi-mission helicopter in support of operations ranging from humanitarian assistance to counter-terrorism. He held executive leadership roles managing a 42,000-acre multi-service Department of Defense installation. Bill’s military career concluded at the Naval Postgraduate School, where he served as Chief of Staff. He established the Office of Strategic Initiatives, serving as its director, and developed the institution’s strategic framework. He also served as the Director of the President’s Action Group, the Deputy Director (Navy) of the Naval Warfare Studies Institute, the Assistant Chief of Staff for Aviation Activities, and the Air Warfare Chair.