James H Clark III, Director of the Navy Precision Optical Interferometer (NPOI) in Flagstaff, Arizona as of August 2018, received his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 2006 and is currently a PhD candidate in the same department. Prior to joining NPOI, he worked at Optelecom, Inc. on fiber optic payout systems for guided missiles, tethered terrestrial and unmanned underwater vehicles. His research interests include solid mechanics and optomechanical systems. Some of his past research projects included analysis of optical fiber strain in wound composite payout bobbins under dynamic and thermal loading, deflection and compliance sensitivities of mounted optical mirrors under thermal and gravity loading, and modal analysis of large aperture fast steering mirror structures. Since 2005, he has worked closely with NAU on a variety of applications related to the NPOI, and intermittently teaches classes as a part-time instructor in mechanical engineering and sponsors senior engineering capstone projects. He has disseminated the results of his research activities in archival journals as well as technical conferences.