Eric Herz

Biography

Eric Herz received a B.E.E degree from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1952 He has taken additional undergraduate and graduate courses in applied mathematics, engineering, and business at Adelphi College, San Diego State, UCLA, and Pepperdine University. He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Manhattan College in 1992.

He worked at Sperry Gyroscope Company in New York as a Project Engineer on the development and field tests of a military radio hyperbolic navigation system, predecessor to LORAN C/D. A significant contribution was the development of very high speed electro-mechanical dry circuit switches to work with tube type circuits used on those days. In 1956 he was stationed in Maui as lead engineer in a successful experimental system to detect and locate EMP's from nuclear tests in the Pacific.

In 1957 he joined General Dynamics Convair Division in San Diego. He was engineering supervisor of the development and implementation of Telemetering Data Processing Stations in San Diego and Cape Canaveral. The San Diego Station was the largest of its kind known in the free world, with the capability to convert all telemetered launch and flight data to readily readable engineering units from a missile test within 24 hours. Astronaut John Glenn's medical data was received from overhead passes for display in real time on CBS and NBC. He also became responsible for the company's engineering of automated test equipment.

In 1956 he became chief engineer and deputy program manager for an US Army digital position location and communication system for evaluating maneuvers using personnel, vehicles, and aircraft with two meter accuracy. After its completion he worked on avionics studies and proposals of early concepts of space shuttle using fly-back boosters, with responsibility for instrumentation, performance monitoring, displays, and timing. He became designated chief engineer of the Boeing/Convair team for the Space Shuttle External Tank Competition.

In 1974 Eric was assigned as a program manager for the proposal and subsequently for the fly-off competition of the Tomahawk Cruise Missile. He was responsible for systems engineering, and later for the radome competition. For the Air Launched Cruise Missile Program competition Eric was the program manager for all ground support equipment.

In 1976, Herz became a member of the IEEE Board of Directors. In 1979 He became the General Manager and Executive Director of IEEE. He retired in 1992, and since that time has been a Emeritus member of the IEEE Board of Directors.

Herz is a Fellow of IEEE, the Chinese Institute of Electronics and previously of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He served as governor of the American Association of Engineering Societies, president of Eta Kappa Nu, president of the Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies, executive director and treasurer of the IEEE Foundation, president of IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society and IEEE vice president for Technical Activities. A graduate of Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, and member of HKN's Beta Beta chapter, he was awarded an Sc.D (h.c.) by Manhattan College.

Both before and after his years as IEEE Executive Director, Herz served as an active IEEE Volunteer in a wide range of positions. The extensive list follows:

IEEE Activities

S’51 - M’56 - SM’69 - F’83

Offices

Board of Directors, 1976-Present
Division III Director, 1976-77
Vice President - Technical Activities, 1978
Executive Director, 1979-92
Director Emeritus, 1993 — present
IEEE Foundation Board of Directors, Executive Director 1979-1995; Treasurer 1994-1996; Director Emeritus, 2003-present.

Committee Boards

Ad Hoc on HQ Facilities, 1977-78
Alexander Bell Medal selection committee, 1978
Credentials, 1994-2003
Energy, 1975
Executive, 1978-92
Fault Tolerant Computing, 1971-75
Finance, 1978-92
IEEE Employee Benefits, 1979- 92
IEEE Facilities, 1983-92
Governance, 2007-present
History, 1996
Individual Benefits & Services, Chairman, 1993-1994
Life Members, Member, 1996-1999
Nominations and Appointments, 1976
RAB Member Services, Chairman, 1974
Strategic Planning, 1990-92
Technical Activities Board, 1971-72, 1976-78, Chairman, 1978
TAB OpCom, 1976-78, Chairman, 1978
Telemetry & Data Communications, Chairman, 1967- 69
United States Activities Board, 1976-77
USAB/U.S. Energy Program, 1981, USAB Technology Transfer, 1991.

Regions

Region 6: Secretary, 1974, Treasurer, 1973, Southwest Area Chairman, 1971-72, Meetings Committee, 1973-74, Publications Chairman, 1972.

Societies

Aerospace and Electronic Systems: Board of Governors, 1965-78, Vice Chairman, 1969-70, Chairman, 1971-72
Space Electronics and Telemetry: AdCom, 1963-64, Vice Chairman, 1964
Engineering in the Ocean Environment: AdCom, 1972- 75.

Related Materials

IEEE Overview - A general overview video of IEEE, presented by Eric Herz, IEEE General Manager & Executive Director. Produced by IEEE Technical Activities Department, 1987