Chris Murray

Chief Safety Officer at Virgin Galactic

Chris is responsible for overseeing all safety operations across the company. He leads key safety policies and initiatives to strengthen our positive safety culture across our Mojave and New Mexico teams.

He is a highly experienced aviation safety executive with an impressive military career. As a retired Rear Admiral, Chris has over 30 years of experience in the U.S. Navy, including eight overseas deployments as an F-14/F-18 Naval Flight Officer and Commanding officer of both an F-14 fighter squadron and one of the Navy’s ten Carrier Air Wings.

Chris has a passion for safety and positive risk management culture, as well as a robust background in safety administration. His long and successful tenure in the Navy was capped off by three years as the Commander of the Naval Safety Center, the senior-most safety leadership role in the Navy for a force of 325,000 military and civilian personnel. Chris has worked on special projects with airlines, Boeing, and General Motors, and has also served on NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.

He attended James Madison University earning a Bachelor of Science in Business and Political Science and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance. He is a graduate of the Royal College of Defense Studies in London, as well as the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). Chris has been awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and various other personal achievement and service awards.

Timeline

  • Chief Safety Officer

    Current role

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