Christopher Michel

CEO

San Francisco, California, United States34 yrs 8 mos experience
Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

  • Founder of Military.com, a pioneering online community.
  • Artist-in-Residence at National Academies of Sciences.
  • Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a versatile entrepreneur and photographer with deep expertise in nonprofit and technology sectors.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Fine Art PhotographyEntrepreneurshipStorytellingAngel Investing

Other Skills

NonprofitsPhotographyProduct ManagementVenture CapitalStart-upsBusiness StrategyProduct DevelopmentOnline MarketingSocial MediaOnline AdvertisingBoard of Director experienceCEOsLeadershipBusiness DevelopmentCorporate Development

About

Christopher Michel is a photographer, explorer, and entrepreneur whose work focuses on the people pushing the boundaries of science, exploration, and human knowledge. After serving as a Naval Flight Officer in the U.S. Navy flying the P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, Chris earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and went on to found several early internet companies. He founded Military.com, one of the first large online communities for members of the U.S. military and their families, and later founded Affinity Labs, which built professional online communities. Both companies had successful outcomes. Chris has helped launch and build multiple technology ventures and has been an active angel investor and advisor to early-stage companies. His entrepreneurial journey is the subject of a Harvard Business School case study, and he is one of the entrepreneurs profiled in The Intelligent Entrepreneur by Bill Murphy. He has served on numerous nonprofit and corporate boards, including the USO, the USS Arizona Memorial Foundation, the United States Navy Memorial Foundation, the Marine Corps University Foundation, the U.S. Naval Institute, Castlight Health, IDG, EZBoard, and Dale Carnegie. Today, Chris works primarily as a photographer and storyteller documenting scientists, explorers, and innovators. He serves as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, where he is creating a long-term portrait project highlighting many of the world’s leading scientists. He is also the Artist-in-Residence at The Long Now Foundation, an organization dedicated to long-term thinking and civilization-scale projects. His photographs have reached millions of people, appearing in magazines, books, album covers, and even the screens people glance at each morning. Chris is a Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a member of the Explorers Club. He serves on the board of CatchLight and advises the Union of Concerned Scientists. He is also an adventure guide with Natural World Safaris and teaches photography through the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. He is currently working on Polar, a book with travel writer Pico Iyer exploring the landscapes, science, and human stories of the polar regions, alongside ongoing photographic work documenting scientists, explorers, and extreme environments around the world.

Experience

34 yrs 8 mos
Total Experience
6 yrs 11 mos
Average Tenure
17 yrs 8 mos
Current Experience

The long now foundation

Artist-in-Residence

May 2025Present · 1 yr · San Francisco Bay Area · Hybrid

  • At The Long Now Foundation I work as an entrepreneur-in-residence and photographer, documenting the thinkers, builders, and scientists engaged in long-term work across technology, science, and culture.

The national academies of sciences, engineering, and medicine

2 roles

Artist-in-Residence

Mar 2021Present · 5 yrs 2 mos

  • As Artist-in-Residence at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, I photograph and document some of the world’s leading scientists, engineers, and medical innovators. The role centers on creating portraits and narratives that reveal the people behind discovery, translating complex scientific work into human stories that broader audiences can see and understand.
  • The work forms part of a growing visual archive of contemporary science and contributes to my broader New Heroes portrait series, which highlights individuals pushing the boundaries of knowledge and exploration. By combining photography and storytelling, the project helps make the culture of science more visible, personal, and accessible to the public.
NonprofitsEntrepreneurshipFine Art Photography

Advisor to the Climate Communications Initiative

May 2020Jun 2025 · 5 yrs 1 mo

Adventure scientists

Advisor

Mar 2018Present · 8 yrs 2 mos

Union of concerned scientists

National Advisory Board Member

Apr 2016Present · 10 yrs 1 mo · Washington D.C. Metro Area

Catchlight

Board Member

Jan 2015Present · 11 yrs 4 mos · San Francisco Bay Area · Hybrid

  • CatchLight is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing visual storytelling in the public interest. Through grants, fellowships, and partnerships, it supports photographers and visual journalists working on urgent issues across science, environment, and society.
  • As a board member, I’m involved in helping shape its mission to ensure that powerful, fact-based imagery continues to inform and engage the public. CatchLight invests in storytellers who bring depth, rigor, and humanity to complex topics, and helps connect their work with audiences where it can have real impact.
  • At its core, CatchLight believes that visual storytelling is essential to a healthy, informed world.

The national academies of sciences, engineering, and medicine

President's Circle

Apr 2013Oct 2016 · 3 yrs 6 mos · Washington D.C. Metro Area

Tugboat yards inc.

Board Member

Apr 2013May 2015 · 2 yrs 1 mo · San Francisco Bay Area

Ne timeas restaurant group

Advisor

Feb 2013Present · 13 yrs 3 mos

  • Ne Timeas operates great restaurants in San Francisco (Flour & Water, Central Kitchen, etc).

3d robotics

Board Member

Nov 2012Sep 2018 · 5 yrs 10 mos

  • 3DR helps people see their world from above. As North America’s largest personal drone company, 3DR is a pioneer in making advanced, easy-to-use drone technology accessible to consumers for a wide range of everyday exploration and photography, and for applications using data analysis, mapping, surveying and 3D modeling for agriculture, construction, infrastructure, search and rescue and ecological study.

The center for investigative reporting

Advisor

Sep 2011Oct 2022 · 11 yrs 1 mo

Harvard business school

Entrepreneur in Residence

Aug 2010Jul 2011 · 11 mos

Kixeye

Board Member

Apr 2010Jun 2019 · 9 yrs 2 mos

  • On the board of a leading gaming company.

Oxford internet institute

Advisor

Mar 2010Oct 2014 · 4 yrs 7 mos

Castlight health

Board Member

Jun 2009Jul 2014 · 5 yrs 1 mo

  • Board member. Particular focus on helping the company with Internet product design. Member, Audit Committee.

International data group (idg)

Board Member

Jan 2009Jun 2014 · 5 yrs 5 mos · Greater Boston Area

  • Board member.

Christopher michel photography

Photographer

Oct 2008Present · 17 yrs 7 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

  • I create images that reveal the human spirit in extreme places, from scientific frontiers and polar landscapes to deep oceans and quiet moments of reflection. My work spans portraiture, documentary, and fine art, focusing on people who push the boundaries of knowledge and experience.
  • As Artist in Residence at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, I lead the New Heroes Project, a long term effort to photograph the world’s leading scientists and innovators. Beyond that, my camera has taken me from the South Pole to the stratosphere, from war zones to monasteries, always seeking the intersection of curiosity, courage, and beauty.
  • My photographs have appeared in museums, books, and collections worldwide. Whether in a lab, on an ice shelf, or high above the Earth, I aim to make visible the quiet wonder of exploration and the people who make it possible.

Nautilus ventures

Managing Director

Sep 2008Present · 17 yrs 8 mos · San Francisco Bay Area · On-site

  • Nautilus Ventures is a seed-stage venture firm focused on backing founders at the earliest moments of company creation, often before there is a product and sometimes before there is even a company.
  • I have made over 100 early investments across technology, consumer, and deep tech, including Reddit, Blue Bottle Coffee, Palantir, Diamond Foundry, and others that have gone on to shape their categories in lasting ways. The common thread is simple. Exceptional people with a clear sense of what needs to exist in the world and the drive to build it.
Angel InvestingEntrepreneurship

Dale carnegie

Board Member

Nov 2007Nov 2022 · 15 yrs

  • Board member. Particular focus on helping the company design and implement their digital / internet product strategy.

Uso

Governor (Board of Directors)

Sep 2007May 2012 · 4 yrs 8 mos

  • Serve on the Board of Governors for the USO

Affinity labs

Founder & CEO

Jul 2006Sep 2008 · 2 yrs 2 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

  • Media company focused on building & managing a portfolio of online communities. Became GM & President at the acquisition in early 2008.

Us naval institute

Board Member

Jan 2004Feb 2010 · 6 yrs 1 mo · Annapolis, Maryland

The united states navy memorial

Board Member

Jan 2002Jan 2005 · 3 yrs

Uss arizona memorial fund

Trustee

Jan 2001Jan 2003 · 2 yrs

Military.com

Founder & CEO

Aug 1999Sep 2008 · 9 yrs 1 mo

  • Nation's largest military membership organization. Became GM & President at the acquisition and then Chairman in 2006 when I started Affinity Labs.

Mercer management consulting

Associate

Aug 1998Aug 1999 · 1 yr

United states navy

Naval Flight Officer (LCDR, USN)

Jan 1990Nov 1996 · 6 yrs 10 mos

  • Flew P-3's as a Naval Flight Officer - Navigator, Tactical Coordinator & Mission Commander.

Education

Harvard Business School

MBA — MBA

Jan 1996Jan 1998

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

BA

Jan 1985Jan 1989

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