MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER

Michael Christopher is the Managing Director and co-owner of Elemental Methods, LLC, an Information Technology consulting and software development firm. Prior to founding Elemental Methods in 2010, Mr. Christopher led an IBM consulting practice supporting Travel and Transportation clients and was responsible for the implementation of airline crew scheduling systems and self-service kiosks in passenger service environments. He retired from IBM after a thirty-year career specializing in the development and implementation of complex IT solutions in multiple industry segments.

Under Mr. Christopher’s direction, Elemental Methods has become a recognized leader in the development and integration of mobile applications for the collection of commercial and recreational catch data for fisheries management and research. Their projects include the development and hosting of the following systems:

  • Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (Tails n' Scales)

  • South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MyFishCount)

  • Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies

  • (iSnapper)

  • Angler Action Foundation (iAngler, iGHOFISH, Chesapeake Catch)

  • Angler Action Foundation and FWC (Gulf Red Snapper, Gulf Red Snapper Charter)

  • NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (Shark Bottom Longline Fishing Program Tablet App)

  • Florida International University and the US National Park Service (Joe Bay Study)

  • Coastal Conservation Association - Florida (CCA FLORIDA STAR TOURNAMENT)

  • iAngler Tournament (iAngler Tournament System)

  • International Women's Fishing Association (“iScore” System)

In 2016, Mr. Christopher served on a Blue-Ribbon Panel convened to develop recommendations to Congress and the incoming Presidential Administration regarding the modernization of fisheries information systems in the United States.

In 2019, Mr. Christopher initiated work with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to develop and implement the weather-related functionality now available in the “Elemental Weather” application suite and data feed.

Mr. Christopher is also a member of the “Recreational Electronic Reporting Task Force”, a special task force organized under NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC). This Task Force provides expert advice to MAFAC, and subsequently NOAA Fisheries leadership, on the generation, delivery, and use of electronically reported data from private recreational anglers to assist NOAA Fisheries in fulfilling its mission activities.

Mr. Christopher earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in the “Business Route to Electrical Engineering” at the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Southern Methodist University. He is credentialed as a "Project Management Professional" (PMP®) by the Project Management Institute (PMI).