United States Navy (Ret.)
Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) from 1994 to 1996
R.J. ’’Zap’’ Zlatoper ’63 assumed his current position as the 24th trustee of The Estate of James Campbell on the 1st of July, 2000, after successful earlier careers in the high-technology industry and the United States Navy. The Campbell Estate is a private trust with real estate assets valued in excess of $2 billion.
He has served for over 10 years as the chief executive officer of large organizations in the national defense and commercial sectors. Prior to joining the Estate, Admiral Zlatoper served as co-chairman and chief executive officer of Sanchez Computer Associates Inc., a banking software company rated 45th on the Forbes magazine list of the 200 best small companies in the U.S. Under Zlatoper, Sanchez grew from a $50 million market capitalization organization to a $1 billion corporation.
Before joining Sanchez, Zlatoper completed a distinguished naval career. His final assignment was commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the world’s largest naval command. A combat-experienced naval aviator with over 4,000 flying hours and 1,000 carrier landings, in addition to numerous operational assignments, he also served as the chief of naval personnel, a battle group commander in Desert Storm and Desert Shield, the military assistant to the Secretary of Defense, and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s chief of staff. He has received numerous personal decorations including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He testifies regularly before the U.S. Congress; has contributed to many Washington ’’think tank’’ studies; works as a consultant for several commercial corporations; has published articles on management, logistics, and naval strategy; and serves on the boards of directors of four corporations.
Admiral Zlatoper holds an honorary doctorate in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, master’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the George Washington University, and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a distinguished graduate of the Naval War College who lectures regularly at universities around the world. He currently serves on the boards of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Chaminade University, SBPM Board of Visitors at the George Washington University School of Business, the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation. He is the Honorary Consul for Slovenia in Hawaii.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Admiral Zlatoper and his wife, Barry (formerly Barry Lane Oliver of Virginia Beach, Virginia), reside in Honolulu.