Rear Admiral Frank Thorp IV, USN (Ret.)

President & CEO

Rear Admiral Thorp joined the United States Navy Memorial as President and CEO on July 25, 2016.   

He has held senior communication positions in the corporate, not-for-profit, and government sectors.  In 2013, he founded Quattro Communications, a communications consulting company with national and international clients.  Prior to that, he served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the USO Worldwide and was the Vice President for Communications & Government Operations for AM General, manufacturer of the HUMVEE. 

In his twenty-eight year Navy career, Admiral Thorp served as the U.S. Navy’s Chief of Information, the principal spokesman for the Department of the Navy.  Prior to that, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Joint Communication) where he was responsible for overseeing Department of Defense strategic communication initiatives.  

His other assignments include Special Assistant for Public Affairs to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Special Assistant for Public Affairs to the Chief of Naval Operations, and Chief of Media for US Central Command (forward) during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.  

Admiral Thorp completed a fellowship at Hill & Knowlton Worldwide Public Affairs in Washington D.C.  He holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Naval Academy, a Master of Arts in Public Affairs and Broadcast Journalism from American University in Washington, DC, and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.   

Admiral Thorp serves on the board of the Navy Mutual Aid Association and the Annapolis Maritime Museum and as a Trustee on the US Naval Academy Foundation Athletic & Scholarship Program.  He is also a former board member of the Navy Federal Credit Union. 

Born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, Admiral Thorp is married to Tammy Kupperman Thorp.  He has two children, Frank and Brittany, and three grandchildren.