Biography of Greg Stemm

He has been a pioneer in the emerging field of deep ocean exploration and has played a primary role in the development of new technologies and the development of private sector standards for underwater cultural heritage resource management. Stemm was responsible for directing the archaeological team and operations that accomplished the world's first complete remote robotic archeological excavation on a Colonial Spanish shipwreck in a depth of 1,500 feet. The two year operation resulted in the excavation of 17,000 artifacts to precise scientific standards and still stands as the deepest complete archaeological excavation ever accomplished. He has directed operations resulting in discovery of hundreds of shipwrecks, including ancient Roman and Phoenician shipwrecks in waters a half mile deep.

Odyssey's dynamic executive has authored many papers and articles on deep ocean shipwreck exploration and archaeological excavation, and has given over 100 lectures on the subject to a variety of venues including the Explorer's Club, Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Young Presidents' Organization, World Presidents' Organization, World Business Council, Association of Dive Contractors, The UK National Shipwreck Conference, and BMC Software. He is a frequent enrichment lecturer for Cunard and Seabourn Cruise Lines.

A panelist at the 1998 Law of the Sea Institute, Stemm was appointed for four consecutive terms to the United States delegation to the UNESCO expert meeting to negotiate the Draft Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage.

He was selected as a Fellow of the Explorers Club, and was the founder, past-president and is currently a Director of the Professional Shipwreck Explorers Association (ProSEA). ProSEA is a non-profit group that provides a forum through which private sector explorers, archaeologists and governments cooperate to promote ethical policies for dealing with shipwreck resource management.

Stemm served as a founding director (1986-93) and international president (1992-93) of YEO (Young Entrepreneurs Organization), the world's largest international entrepreneurs organization with over 4,000 members in 74 chapters in 24 countries. He was also a founder of the Florida Aquarium and a member of MENSA, Nautical Archaeology Society, Marine Technology Society and the World Entrepreneurs Organization, where he served on the International Board of Directors (1997-98).

Greg Stemm lives in Tampa, FL, with his wife Laurie and two sons, Nicolas and Adam.