Max is the Assistant Deputy for Weapons and Sensors in the Surface Warfare Directorate of the OPNAV staff (OPNAV N96C). His duties include ensuring the continued lethality of the surface fleet by planning for and managing the requirements and resources for future weapons and sensors while sustaining existing systems. His portfolio includes 38 lines of effort totaling over $21B. Other assignments within OPNAV include Assistant Deputy for Operations, Maintenance and Modernization (OPNAV N96G) and Ship Inactivation Manager (OPNAV N9I).

Prior to arriving at OPNAV, Max served as the Chief of Staff for Surface Warfare (SEA 21) within the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), where he managed operations in support of the Navy’s surface ship maintenance and modernization programs, inactive ships disposal and transfer, foreign military sales fleet support, and surface training systems development.

Max holds a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies with a focus in Terrorism and Middle Eastern Studies from American Military University, Bachelors of Arts degrees in History and Religion from the University of Rochester, and is an MIT Seminar XXI National Security Fellow.

Max was commissioned an officer in the United States Navy in 2003 through the University of Rochester Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. He served on USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), and at the Military Sealift Command.