Lessons on the water

by Jillian Tempesta

In 2005, Chris Kastner ’87 flew from Los Angeles to a Mississippi shipyard then owned by his employer, Northrop Grumman, to inspect damage from Hurricane Katrina. He was entranced by the complex vessels and the maritime world, in which generations of families worked together on the same ships. 

Now, as the president and CEO of Virginia-based Huntington Ingalls Industries, the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, Kastner’s career bridges California and D.C. He is the only current Gaucho CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and he continues to give back to UC Santa Barbara, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science. 

“I never thought that I would spend a lot of time in Washington, D.C., but over half my time now is with members of Congress or representatives that work in the Pentagon or U.S. Navy,” Kastner says. “The education I received at UC Santa Barbara really helped me.” 

For Kastner, personally and professionally, there is always a connectedness to his home state. California is the world’s fourth-largest economy, built on a foundation of global trade. Over 40% of America’s containerized imports flow through Los Angeles and Long Beach, the busiest port complex in the Western Hemisphere. Every import and export depends on secure sea lanes protected by the U.S. Navy. The carriers and submarines built by Huntington Ingalls Industries ensure that billions of dollars in California commerce move freely across the Pacific. 

“When we talk about U.S. naval power — the most powerful Navy in the world that has supported deterrence for the last 50 years — we’re also talking about protecting Silicon Valley’s supply chains and California’s economic engine,” says Kastner. He credits his critical thinking skills to his time at UC Santa Barbara, where he thrived in an atmosphere of open dialogue. 

“These are skills I use every day, leading over 44,000 employees building the most sophisticated vessels ever conceived. UCSB alumni are everywhere — tech, medicine, law, business — and we all benefit from the stable world order that allows innovation and commerce to flourish,” Kastner says. “That’s what our national defense secures. It isn’t someone else’s responsibility; it’s really the foundation that makes everything else possible.” 

Kastner maintains his campus connection as a supporter of UC Santa Barbara rowing and baseball. 

His sense of responsibility and ability to grind were forged as part of UCSB Rowing. In 2024, Kastner helped fund a replacement for the team dock, which was originally built for the 1984 Olympic rowing events at Lake Casitas. 

Staying involved as an alumnus is important to Kastner in part for the message it sends to students. 

“I was an average rower at best on a team that significantly improved because of investment and support from alumni who came before us,” he says. “I want the current team to know there have been people before them who questioned whether it made sense to get up at 5 a.m. to row. I want to let them know that it’s worth it, that at the end of the day, they’re going to learn from the experience of sacrificing for the greater good, and they’re going to develop long-lasting friendships.” 

Also a longtime supporter and fan of baseball at UCSB, Kastner says his personal connection to the sport started on his high school baseball team and deepened during his son’s college career. 

“It’s more than just winning games. It’s about developing the student athletes, not just for baseball but whatever they do in the future,” he says. “I like a program that’s run cleanly and with the right philosophical approach and the right mission. (UCSB) Coach (Andrew) Checketts has that, and so I want to support it.” 

“We are grateful for the faithful support of Chris and his wife, Michelle, over the past decade,” Checketts says. “In recruiting for UCSB Baseball, we always emphasize the value of a UCSB degree, and Chris is the perfect example of that. … To be able to show our student-athletes a Fortune 500 CEO who is a Gaucho is invaluable for our program.” 

The mission is the through line for Kastner. He urges students to prioritize it. You won’t make the sacrifices necessary, he says, unless you believe in the why. 

Decades after graduating, Kastner still feels a deep connection to campus. When he returned to Santa Barbara to celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary with Michelle, also a native Californian, the feeling rushed back. In that moment, he recalls, it felt exactly as he remembered: inspiring, welcoming and full of possibility.