DIU team members include active duty military, reservists, civilians, and contractors who bring extensive military and private sector experience to accelerate commercial technology for national security.
Leadership
Director's Office
Doug Beck
Director, DIU
Sivram Prasad
General Counsel
Trevor Burns
Director, Strategic Planning and Portfolio Operations
Mark Burchill
Military Advisor to the Director
Alex Campbell
Chief of Staff
Cullen M. Greenfield
Director's Action Group
People, Finance and Management
Kirstin Riesbeck
Deputy Director, People, Finance and Management
Carson Spence
Operations Chief of Staff
Laura Hunnewell
Executive Secretary
Rose Brunner
Security and Facilities Director
Carrie Shideler
Acting Human Capital Director
David Henry
CIO
Corinna Mendoza
Contracting Officer Representative (COR)
Commercial Operations
Liz Young McNally
Deputy Director, Commercial Operations
Jesse Gipe
Director, Venture Portfolio
Ngoc Lund
Acting Director, Talent Portfolio
Cassie Muffley
Director, Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub Program
Kedar Pavgi
Director, Strategy and Operations
Sarah Pearson
Director, Commercial Engagement
Strategy, Policy, and National Security Partnerships
Katherine Koleski
Director, Congressional Affairs
Bryan Wilson
Director, Global Partnerships
Military Directorate
Steve "Bucky" Butow
Military Deputy
Bale Dalton
Senior Embed, US SOUTHCOM
Glenn McCartan
Senior Embed, US EUCOM
Charles "Newt" McKissick
Senior Embed, US NORTHCOM
Dr. Chris Murphy (CTR)
Embed, US INDOPACOM
Raj Shah
Director, Joint Reserve Detachment (JRD)
Joel VanBrunt
Senior Embed, US TRANSCOM and US STRATCOM
Technology Platforms and Developer Ecosystem
Cheryl Ingstad
Deputy Director, Digital Platforms and Developer Ecosystem
Acquisitions
Cherissa Tamayori
Deputy Director, Acquisitions
Philip Lee
Acting Deputy Director
Nick DuPre
DIU Materiel Leader
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Portfolio
Thomas Horan
Director, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Portfolio
Autonomy Portfolio
David Michelson
Director, Autonomy Portfolio
Katya Volkovska
Deputy Director
Travis DeMeester
Blue Manufacturing Project Manager (CTR)
Trent Emeneker
Blue UAS lead (CTR)
Derek McBride
Portfolio Manager
Will Ryan
Portfolio Manager
Cyber and Telecommunications Portfolio
Pat Gould
Director, Cyber and Telecommunications portfolio
Andrew Hong
Deputy Director
Lynne Guey
Strategic Lead (CTR)
Emerging Technology Portfolio
Dr. Nick Estep
Director, Emerging Technology portfolio
Energy Portfolio
Dr. Andrew Higier
Director, Energy portfolio
Charles "Newt" McKissick
Senior Military Advisor
Human Systems Portfolio
Dr. Christian Whitchurch
Director, Human Systems portfolio
Niels Olson
Chief Medical Officer
Space Portfolio
Maj Gen Steve "Bucky" Butow
Director, Space portfolio
Allen Varghese
Deputy Director
Ric Mommer
Commercial Engagement Executive (CTR)
Cherissa Tamayori
DIU Director of Acquisitions
DIU is a relatively young organization, and I have really enjoyed being a part of its growth story. I’m extremely proud of my team for championing the use of the Other Transaction Authority across the DoD and helping to drive DIU’s impact through the prototypes we’ve been able to contract over the last five years!
Join Us.
Be Part Of Our Team.
We Break Down Silos DIU is a proven catalyst for reinvigorating how the government and business work together. We’re not bound by traditional DoD silos, enabling us to work across Services, at the seams of our portfolios, and the overlap among technology areas -- the intersection of space and cyber, health and AI, and more -- where the real innovation takes place and where new thriving businesses can be created.
We’re Trailblazers Our team embodies the same entrepreneurial spirit that drives the startups and companies at the leading edge of technology. We were founded because traditional approaches to defense acquisition were failing to capture innovative applications available to global consumers but out of reach for the U.S. military. DIU is intrinsically invested in getting to yes, whether it’s finding a new solution to a national security challenge or navigating simpler paths to success within the largest bureaucracy in the world.
We’re Passionate About the Mission Technological innovation is central to our future economic prosperity and national security. DIU is building the technology pipeline to ensure our global leadership alongside our allies and partners by forging new partnerships and growing the innovation ecosystem at the intersection of industry, academia, and government. A thriving public-private ecosystem is essential to maintaining American competitiveness and developing foundational discoveries that will sustain us for the next generation.
We Respect Ingenuity Good ideas can come from anywhere and, sometimes, the solution you think you want at the start doesn’t turn out to be the best option available. This principle permeates our culture, daily operations, and project execution. To find the best solutions and continuously improve, we regularly seek ideas and feedback from those, at every level, who feel the impact of a challenge or solution in their daily work. We champion the ideas that deliver optimal results.