Sidney W. Theis, Ph.D.

Term: Oct. 24, 2023 – June 30, 2027

Sid Theis has a distinguished career in developing advanced military radars for the Department of Defense. He has over 45 years of radar experience and was part of the initial development of numerous fielded radars which include the F22 radar, the Automatic Tactical Targeting and Tracking (AT3) capabilities integrated into the ALR-69A(V), Silent Knight radar, and classified missile systems. He also has contributed to upgrades to several current systems.

Theis is CEO, CTO, and owner of RDRTec Inc., which solves information-processing problems associated with advanced sensor systems. Prior to this, he was a self-employed radar consultant for companies such as CAESoft Corp., Raytheon, and Rockwell; and was senior technical staff for Raytheon TI Systems. Earlier in his career, Theis was senior staff at Technology Service Corp., radar engineer/lead engineer for Boeing Aerospace, and a research associate in the Remote Sensing Center at Texas A&M University. 

He retired after 20 years of service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and is a major donor to Texas A&M University. In support of youth and youth education, Theis contributes to Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, Our Redeemer Lutheran School, and Hillsdale’s Barney Charter School Initiative. In support of improving the college experience, Theis became the founding donor of Texas A&M’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). With his continued support and mentoring, this chapter has grown and was subsequently named YAF Chapter of the year in 2020.

Theis is a member of the Texas A&M Galveston Board of Visitors, the Texas Higher Education Foundation, and Texas Governor’s Council. Theis has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering, an M.S. in Meteorology, and a BS in Physics, all from Texas A&M.