Our Trials are a Blessing: A Life Shaped by a Genetic Disease by Allen Graves Smith PhD

Allen Graves Smith was co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of ISX Corporation until retiring for health reasons (Friedreich's Ataxia) in 2000. While at ISX he helped create the discipline of Advanced Concept Engineering, where new computing technology is used to quickly create systems that solve high-value military problems. The principles of Advanced Concept Engineering are now widely used at the Department of Defense and elsewhere. Before he retired Dr. Smith served on several corporate and non-profit boards, including ISX Corporation, Teknowledge Federal Systems Inc., Skoozle.com, ISRobotics (now iRobots) , and The Los Angeles Challenger Center. He was president of the Ventura County (CA) Boy Scout Council and of the Ventura County Learning for Life program. Since retiring to Orcas Island, Washington, he has been on the boards of the OPAL Community Land Trust and of the San Juan Preservation Trust. He received his BA from Princeton University in 1970 and his PhD from SUNY Buffalo in 1978. He and his wife Sara live on Orcas Island in Washington.