Greg Stemm Detailed Bio

Greg Stemm is the Co-founder, CEO and Chairman of Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (NASDAQ CM: OMEX) the world leader in the exploration and archaeological excavation of deep-ocean shipwrecks. A pioneer in the emerging field of deep ocean exploration, Mr. Stemm has played an important role in the development of new technologies and private sector standards for underwater cultural heritage resource management since 1987, when he and his partner John Morris bought their first research vessel and ROV system and embarked on a mission to create a company dedicated to developing private sector exploration of shipwrecks while adhering to the highest standards of archaeology.

Mr. Stemm’s first major deep-ocean shipwreck project was the “Tortugas” project, a Colonial Spanish shipwreck that was the world’s first complete remote robotic archaeological excavation. Conducted in 1990-1991 at a depth of nearly 1,500 feet, it was the first project of its kind to integrate acoustic positioning and detailed photography to create deep ocean photomosaic and stands as the world’s first complete deep ocean archaeological excavation of a historical shipwreck site.

Under his leadership, Odyssey discovered and excavated over 51,000 coins and 14,000 artifacts from the SS Republic, a shipwreck lost in 1865 approximately 100 miles off the coast of Georgia in 2003 and 2004. In 2007 Odyssey announced the discovery and archaeological excavation of over 500,000 (more than 17 tons) of silver and gold coins from a shipwreck site in the Atlantic code-named “Black Swan”. Mr. Stemm has directed operations which have resulted in the discovery of hundreds of shipwrecks, ranging from ancient Roman and Phoenician sites to previously undiscovered U-boats and pirate ships in the deep oceans of the world.

Mr. Stemm 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 Explorers Club, Institute of Nautical Archaeology, Young President’s Organization, World President’s Organization, World Business Council, Association of Dive Contractors, and The UK National Shipwreck Conference and is a frequent enrichment lecturer for Cunard, Silver Seas, and Seabourn Cruise Lines. He was a panelist at the 1998 Law of the Sea Institute, and was appointed for four consecutive terms to the United States delegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) expert meeting to negotiate the Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage.

He has appeared on many television and radio programs including NPR, C-NBC, Bloomberg TV, The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Dateline NBC, FOX Business, FOX News, Oprah, National Geographic Ultimate Explorer, the National Geographic Special “Civil War Gold” (which continues to air on PBS), Discovery Channel Canada, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, Real TV, and all the major network news shows. He has been profiled in leading publications such as FORTUNE Magazine, FORTUNE Small Business, Der SPIEGEL, L’Express, Men’s Vogue, Popular Mechanics, New York Times, London Times, Washington Post, National Geographic Magazine, and other leading press outlets worldwide.  

He has written for Maritime Heritage Magazine, Anthropology Newsletter, Ocean News & Technology Magazine and was a regular columnist on shipwreck exploration and technology for Underwater Magazine.  He was selected as a Fellow of The Explorers Club, and was the founder and past-president of the Professional Shipwreck Explorers Association (ProSEA), 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 entrepreneur's organization with over 7,000 members in 113 chapters in 24 countries. YEO members average 33 years of age and together represent over $100 Billion in sales annually. He was also a Founder of the Florida Aquarium and 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).