Rockford Weitz

Professor of Practice and Director of the Fletcher Maritime Studies Program, Tufts University

Rockford Weitz is Professor of Practice, Entrepreneur Coach and Director of the Maritime Studies Program at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He also serves as president of the Institute for Global Maritime Studies Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit seeking practical solutions to global maritime challenges and president & CEO at Rhumb Line International LLC, a consultancy providing strategic advice to entrepreneurs and startups. In 2014, Rockford served as founding executive director at FinTech Sandbox Inc. From 2008 to 2013, he served as founding CEO at CargoMetrics, leading the effort to build a VC-backed financial technology business that started in his Cambridge apartment. Prior to co-founding CargoMetrics, he was a senior fellow at the Institute for Global Maritime Studies, a team leader of Fletcher's Abu Dhabi Project, a fellow at Fletcher's Maritime Studies Program, and a fellow at Fletcher's Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies. He has taught courses in Jurisprudence, Maritime Security, and Global Maritime Affairs at The Fletcher School, and published op-eds in The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Straits Times (Singapore), among others. Before co-founding Rhumb Line in 2005, he served as international counsel at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc., leading the effort to open 12 international subsidiaries and streamline global operations. He also worked at the U.S. Trade Representative, and co-founded and served as program director of the Borgenicht Peace Initiative, a social entrepreneurship venture in Bethlehem. Rockford earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from The Fletcher School, and a B.A. in International Relations: Political Economy from the College of William and Mary. He is a fellow in the U.S.-Japan Leadership Program, a member of the Fletcher School's Advancement Council, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.